Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson

4 reviews

solnit_and_sebastian's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective medium-paced

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

5.0

Johnson's shrewd decision to publish his novel as an autobiography, rather than a work of informed fiction, likely lent credence to the account of one biracial man's self-concept and lessons learned as he became educated, traveled within the U.S.A. and across Europe, saw his profits fluctuate, and arrived at a personal identity. Johnson's novel addresses what he often refers to as "the race question" in America from the lens of an early twentieth century writer, and his insinuations are distressingly relevant today.

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lizzield's review against another edition

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informative reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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laindarko2's review

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challenging reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes

3.5

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laurenleigh's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Read this for the Popsugar 2021 reading challenge for the “published anonymously” prompt. Stylistically, there’s a lot of interest here. Though “autobiography” is in the title, this is a novel. I read that Johnson took much inspiration from his real life, but added some embellishments. It does make me wonder where those additives are, because most of the story felt quite real and believable to me. The narrator never gives us his name, nor does he give anyone else a true name. The closest we get to a name is “Red” or “Shiny.” I suppose this adds to what makes this feel less novelistic, like he was trying to conceal true identities. What I liked most about this text was Johnson’s insightful descriptions of emotions or events that many of us could find relatable. I loved the part where he anxiously awaits his friend’s answer during a spelling bee. To somewhat quote, he said “many times in my life I’ve anxiously awaited to see how the wheel of fortune would land, but never so much as in that moment!” Growing up biracial but white passing, and growing up with some money from his white father, the narrator is afforded more comfort than many other Black people during the post-Civil War Reconstruction era America. As a young adult, he gets to tour Europe with “his millionaire,” a wealthy benefactor who hires him to play piano. I was quite fascinated by the narrator’s descriptions and comparisons of Paris, London, and Berlin. Just another example of the narrator’s keen insight into humanity. Definitely want to give a content warning here for a scene with some pretty horrific racial violence, which becomes a pretty major turning point in the narrator’s life.

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