Reviews with content warning for Incest - Invisible Man

“What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do? What a waste, what a senseless waste!”

This was an extremely layered read.
I dove into the book immediately grasped by the prologue & chapter 1 so much so that I had high hopes for where this book would go.
However, the main character is soooooooooo annoying in a way that had me rolling my eyes and having to pause throughout to process my irritation.
While I understand Ralph Ellison’s messages & his reasonings for creating the narrator in the ways that he did, the level of annoyance the main character gives…. made this a book that I’d never read again.

I recommend this book as a necessary read… definitely one you should read at least once.

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nikkiacat's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Wow. Before I started this book, I didn't even know if I would like it. I was interested in the subject matter, it's in like with other things I've read and enjoyed (for example I've read almost everything Richard Wright has written, and he encouraged Ralph Ellison to write), but I was put off by what I'd heard about the narrative voice. And the things I had heard were true, the narration is metaphor-laden and almost dreamy at times. But wow. After it sitting on the shelf for probably a couple of years, I picked it up on a whim and was almost immediately glued to it. I couldn't put it down, the book had me in a chokehold until I completed it. This is a classic that's worthy of being called that. I've got a quote that I'll let speak for itself (warning, it is lengthy, but I just had to include the whole thing):

It was as though I'd learned suddenly to look around corners; images of past humiliations flickered through my head and I saw that they were more than separate experiences. They were me; they defined me. I was my experiences and my experiences were me, and no blind men, no matter how powerful they became, even if they conquered the world, could take that, or change one single itch, taunt, laugh, cry, scar, ache, rage or pain of it. They were blind, bat blind, moving only by the echoed sounds of their own voices. And because they were blind they would destroy themselves, and I'd help them. I laughed. Here I had thought they had accepted me because they felt that color made no difference, when in reality it made no difference because they didn't see either color or men. For all they were concerned, we were so many names scribbled on fake ballots, to be used at their convenience and when not needed to be filed away. It was a joke, an absurd joke. And now I looked around a corner of my mind and saw Jack and Norton and Emerson merge into one single white figure. They were very much the same, each attempting to force his picture of reality upon me and neither giving a hoot in hell for how things looked to me. I was simply a material, a natural resource to be used. I had switched from the arrogant absurdity of Norton and Emerson to that of Jack and the Brotherhood, and it all came out the same- except I now recognized my invisiblity.

And as striking as that is, it's not even in the climax to the book.

There's a lot in Invisible Man that is, unfortunately, still extremely relevant today, 72 years after its initial publishing. And I mean specific events, not just the general concept of racism in America. I wouldn't necessarily call this a pleasant read, because given the subject matter, it's not lighthearted and fun. But it feels necessary. And I would call it gripping.

Fantastic.

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kari_f's review against another edition

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3.0

“Look at me! Look at me!” I said. “Everywhere I’ve turned somebody has wanted to sacrifice me for my good—only they were the ones who benefited. And now we start on the old sacrificial merry-go-round. At what point do we stop? Is this the new true definition, is Brotherhood a matter of sacrificing the weak? If so, at what point do we stop?”

This was a book that I struggled to read and that I’m struggling to review. Packed to the brim with symbolism and cultural significance, I can see why the themes were relevant at the time of writing and remain relevant today. The book covers topics that include race relations and racial inequality (and how those compare and contrast based on the region), the problem with staunch ideologies over the needs of people, systemic oppression, police brutality, tokenism, and the viewing of groups of people as objects or the subjects of voyeuristic whims rather than autonomous humans.

On the other hand, there are some aspects of the book that made it really difficult for me to like. The social commentary sometimes feels heavy handed, and the plot seems secondary to the message. Not that this is bad in and of itself, but the book is around 600 pages and the writing often feels clunky, to the point where it feels like the actual writing was secondary to the commentary. There were also a few huge plot points that involved some pretty terrible ordeals happening that are never really condemned, and it almost feels like said actions were condoned because of this. It might be that I was so put off by the ick factor of them and was hoping for a condemnation that never came.

I felt quite connected to the book toward the beginning, but it felt like it unraveled for the next few hundred pages, and then it picked up again at the end. I knew it wouldn’t necessarily be an enjoyable read given the subject matter, but feeling disconnected enough that I didn’t want to read it for about half of the book was disappointing.

It’s definitely a thought-provoking read, but it’s one I don’t see myself ever revisiting.

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bzappas's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Of all the books I’ve read, this one has kept its place as my favorite novel (yes, there are a few speeches that may extend a few pages; feel free to scan those, but do not let this stop you from enjoying this incredible piece of literature). It’s kind of a black Gulliver’s travels in 1940’s America. With the overall style like a Dostoevsky novel set in New York, following communist and Nation of Islam characters trying to influence the protagonist, a “ginger skinned” black man, to start a revolution. A coming of age story of a “black man”, the story of a “man”. A man trying to find himself in a world where he doesn’t have a place to fit in, where everyone wants to label him, where everyone wants to tell him his place. But will he find his own path? Will he ever make a “name” for himself? So he goes underground, hides in a manhole under the city and writes his manifesto of life, love, politics, religion, and race. In the end, does his skin color matter? Does it define who he is inside? The invisible man will be clearly seen.

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coolfoolmoon's review against another edition

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challenging informative reflective tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Normally I don't like when stories turn randomly anti communist but I like it here because I get it. White people have always been like that, white commies are still like that!

Loved the whole thought process. It made me think about people who are crazy or who are considered crazy and their perception of reality. Like you see everything that happens to him, his reality doesn't care about him so surely he must be invisible and you really get it. I love the raw untamed thought process. Very real.

I heard the voice actor for the audiobook version I was listening to flip the page at least three times which is kinda funny but unrelated to the book. He was really good. 5 stars for Joe Morton.

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