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Invisible Man

A Novel

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Invisible Man

By: Ralph Ellison
Narrated by: Joe Morton
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About this listen

 Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time

Ralph Elllison's Invisible Man is a monumental novel, one that can well be called an epic of modern American Negro life. It is a strange story, in which many extraordinary things happen, some of them shocking and brutal, some of them pitiful and touching--yet always with elements of comedy and irony and burlesque that appear in unexpected places. It is a book that has a great deal to say and which is destined to have a great deal said about it.

After a brief prologue, the story begins with a terrifying experience of the hero's high school days, moves quickly to the campus of a Southern Negro college and then to New York's Harlem, where most of the action takes place. The many people that the hero meets in the course of his wanderings are remarkably various, complex and significant. With them he becomes involved in an amazing series of adventures, in which he is sometimes befriended but more often deceived and betrayed--as much by himself and his own illusions as by the duplicity of the blindness of others.

Invisible Man is not only a great triumph of storytelling and characterization; it is a profound and uncompromising interpretation of the Negro's anomalous position in American society. Action & Adventure African American Classics Fiction Genre Fiction Literary Fiction Social justice High School

Critic Reviews

"A book of the very first order, a superb book." —Saul Bellow
All stars
Most relevant
The battle Royale scene was most stunning and deeply unsettling. Joe Morton’s narration was confident, natural, and so very much in character.

Profound story, powerful delivery

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Enjoyed this book more than I thought I would, it does get a bit flat around the mid and last acts of the books. The narrator is engaging and really well done.

Great read

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A most provocative and enduring piece of literature. It is superbly performed and had me entranced.

What a classic!

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A wonderful performance by the narrator filled with passion, energy and nuance. An incredibly important novel that offers an insightful look into the black condition in America, while also universally speaking about the human condition and the need for self realisation through an understanding of our identity. A must read!

Powerful!

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Lyrical, reflective, confronting… all in the context of a metaphorical journey. Identity, racism, power and humanity grind and merge into one another. Highly Recommended.

Astounding

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