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Native Son

By: Richard Wright
Narrated by: Peter Francis James
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Publisher's Summary

Brought to you by Penguin.

With a new afterword by Gary Younge.

Reckless, angry and adrift, Bigger Thomas has grown up trapped in a life of poverty in the slums of Chicago. But a job with the affluent Dalton family provides the setting for a catastrophic collision between his world and theirs. Hunted by citizen and police alike, and baited by prejudiced officials, Bigger finds himself the cause célèbre in an ever-narrowing endgame.

First published in 1940, Native Son shocked readers with its candid depiction of violence and confrontation of racial stereotypes. It went on to make Richard Wright the first best-selling Black writer in America.
©1940 Richard Wright (P)1940 Penguin Audio
Classics Literary Fiction African American
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Critic Reviews

"[Native Son] possesses an artistry, penetration of thought, and sheer emotional power that places it into the front rank of American fiction." (Ralph Ellison)

"The most important and celebrated novel of Negro life to have appeared in America." (James Baldwin)

What listeners say about Native Son

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Profile Image for xenovert

Masterfully articulated

Such a powerful story. Time has not dulled the message one iota.

80 years since first publication, Bigger could be any disaffected youth struggling today with fatalistic hopelessness. The effects of poverty the same now as back then.

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