A review by sarahmccorm
The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man by James Weldon Johnson, Arna Bontemps

4.0

I had to read this novel for African American Literature in college. I was really interested in the book as it chronicled the fictional life of a man struggling with his sense of identity, from confusion at realizing he was black, to embracing his race and find great pride in it, to ultimately being ashamed of his blackness after witnessing a lynching of a black man during his time in the South. The development of his character and life was heartbreaking at times as he lived through loss and heartbreak and was constantly waiting for the next struggle to arise. I didn't like however, the way that the narrator portrayed women as it seemed like they were just secondary characters or placeholders in his life and not actual human beings with thoughts and emotions like his own, but I also understand the context of the times. For example, he just brushed over witnessing his date being shot in the throat and brutally murdered by her exboyfriend after she left him because he was abusing her. And he also brushes over his time with his wife but instead focuses on the chase of getting her to marry him. There was no mention of the personalities of these women however and it gave me a stale taste in my mouth. Ultimately, it was one of my favorite books to read throughout the course I took it for and would highly suggest it for any reader. It helps the reader to understand more fully the history behind being mixed race in America, and the confusion and sense of abandonment and "imposter syndrome" that the narrator faced as a result of his mixed heritage.