Reviews with content warning for Police brutality - Invisible Man

This is the kind of book that needs a separate book to explain all the references you missed the first time. My advice to anyone reading it who wants to derive as much meaning as possible is to annotate like a nerdy high schooler. Color code references and keep wikipedia by your side to look up any word that seems even a little bit intentional. Because I promise you, it’s all intentional. Parts of this book are disturbing, parts dryly humorous, parts hopeful or sad, but every word has thought behind it.

Content Warnings

reeses_reads's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring fast-paced

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

4.25

this book takes place in the 30’s, so the very small women role in this book is extremely sexualized and objectified

Content Warnings

needlebrook's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional informative reflective sad tense fast-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

4.5

Dense- so very dense. it'll be helpful to pull up the litcharts summary webpage for some of the chapters. It can get real confusing at times.

The beginning of the book is intriguing but can get to be a bit of a slog after the first handful of chapters(was considering abandoning this book during the dreamlike narration from Trueblood. Very glad I decided against it.)
But, after the narrator arrives in Harlem and starts to adapt to his surroundings, the book quickly picks up the pace and seemingly goes at break-neck pace for the rest of it.

All in all, I won't be forgetting this book very easily.

Content Warnings

gogglor's review

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dark emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

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

4.75

I know the content warnings are long but you have to read this book. It’s unlike anything I’ve ever read, and it’ a deeply moving, infuriating, enlightening narrative. The only reason it’s not 5 stars is that the thread of misogyny that runs through it runs deep and it’s so deeply frustrating that such an insightful book totally lacks any of that insight when turned on it’s own sexism. But honestly, read it anyway.

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