Reviews

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

mrtramuel's review

5.0

Literary Excellence.

baileydouglass's review

4.0

Very interesting book, I decided to read it after enjoying Passing because of similar subject matter and era.

Very interesting story and morally conflicting and conflicted narrator. I’m sure it reads differently than it would have when it came out, and I’m not entirely sure what to think of it, but I’m glad I read it and will be thinking about it for a while.

delandaab's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Loveable characters? No

2.0

When first approaching this story, I assumed that society's views would impose themselves onto our main character who at one point, would feel like he's subjected to one group and then another later in his life. I never came to the assumption that our main character would impose these roles and races onto himself and make these choices. I am at one point conflicted with the main character and his choices. He has lived his life, I think, trying to compensate for not knowing who he is. He fell into additive habits, trying to fill these holes with gambling and cigarettes. However, I feel as though he was yearning to be white due to success and success alone. The only times he wanted to associate with other Black people was when he wanted to prove himself to non-white colleagues. The narrator himself is so far removed from anything, that I find it hard to place him in any category other than a man who wants to prove himself through money and power in some shape or form, as expected from a man from this period.


One point of contention in class was about the narrator's relationship with women. The narrator himself mentions that "Black men generally marry women fairer than themselves" and makes it a point in his autobiography to mention all the women he was interested in. All these women were white. All the women he focused on romantically or lustfully were white and non-white were merely mentioned to further the story. He also makes a point to mention that it's not due to the color line but I believe the narrator is simply saying this to make up for the fact that he does only find white women romantically. This can be due to several things but I believe there must be a connection from the moment he no longer saw his mother to be beautiful, but instead, finds disgust in noticing her darker features. Even within his children, he calls his son "a little golden-headed god" due to having white features from his wife. This alone shows his unlying biases against Black features, they later relate to his hatred for his blood. 

I find it interesting that once the narrator begins to no longer associate himself with a "label of inferiority" and live his life with ambiguity, suddenly things start looking up for him. I find it more interesting that he makes a direct correlation with what race he's siding with at that time. 


I find that the narrator is simply missing the point. I find that his efforts to fit in with "his mother's people" were half-hearted and lackluster and therefore, he filled that void with music and addiction.

augustinecarmichael's review against another edition

3.5

school—

easy to read while having a vivid and accurate picture of race in america at the time. i also love
that in the parts where it makes
sense you can feel a lot of black joy despite the circumstances??

lj00's review against another edition

dark informative sad medium-paced

4.0

moonshineforest's review against another edition

3.0

read for a class

badmaamajaama's review against another edition

emotional reflective slow-paced

3.75

prusche's review against another edition

dark emotional reflective slow-paced

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

4.5

pamoad's review against another edition

challenging informative reflective fast-paced

5.0

jenmkin's review against another edition

4.0

The thematic thread of the significance of music that Johnson weaves throughout the story and is such a beautiful way to represent the narrator’s process of decision making.
Parts of the book are hard to read, because Johnson doesn’t shy away from the harsh treatment of Black people in the South, but rather forces his readers to experience these truths along with his narrator, a necessary confrontation of the facts that refuses to romanticize or overlook something horrible.