A review by serendipitysbooks
Native Son by Richard Wright

challenging dark emotional 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

4.5

 Native Son is the story of Bigger Thomas, a twenty year old Black man, who over the course of this novel commits two murder and rape. It’s a very confronting read. Wright’s genius lies in showing how systemic racism, instances both large and small but ever present, shamed Thomas, infuriated him, frustrated him, made him fearful and contributed to his actions. His anger and rage practically jumped off the page. Wright made it possible to empathise with this character, to feel sympathy towards him, while still abhorring his horrific actions. Bigger Thomas is a character that has stayed with me long after I’ve finished reading the book. More than eighty years later prisons are filled with men just like Bigger Thomas. Society has yet to adequately address and remedy our complicity in putting them there. 
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