a book

Invisible Man

Name: Invisible Man
Rating: 5 (16 reviews)
Author: Ralph Ellison
ISBN: 9780679732761

Ralph Ellison · 1995 · 581 pages

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • NATIONAL BESTSELLER • In this deeply compelling novel and epic milestone of American literature, a nameless narrator tells his story from the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be.

One of The Atlantic’s Great American Novels of the Past 100 Years

He describes growing up in a Black community in the South, attending a Negro college from which he is expelled, moving to New York and becoming the chief spokesman of the Harlem branch of "the Brotherhood," before retreating amid violence and confusion.

Originally published in 1952 as the first novel by a then unknown author, it remained on the bestseller list for sixteen weeks and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The book is a passionate and witty tour de force of style, strongly influenced by T.S. Eliot's The Waste Land, James Joyce, and Dostoevsky.

recommended by 16 people

sourced from public statements

Ryan Holiday
“A timeless 1952 novel that remains urgently relevant to contemporary discussions about race and identity in America.”↗
Jacqueline Novogratz
“I read it as a 22-year-old, and it made me think deeply about how society doesn’t “see” so many of its members.”↗
Maya Angelou
“When I first read Ellison’s 1952 novel, it was as if somebody turned a bright light on in a dark corridor. That which I thought was so frightening, so terrifying, was just a shadow.”↗
Mia Farrow
“A terrific read!”↗
Dan Barreiro
“Riveting time capsule material. Literary giant Ellison on the blues, on race, on his powerful book, Invisible Man.”↗
Samantha Power
“A few weeks ago, @vulture asked me to describe 10 books that have impacted me along the way. List just out: Chinua Achebe, Dorothy Day, Éilís Ní Dhuibhne, Ralph Ellison, Bernard Malamud, Doris Kearns Goodwin, & more:”↗
Sean Gardner
“@nytimes @alexanderchee @heyitsfranklin2 @lachristensen @nytimesbooks For me it would be books like "Invisible Man" by Ralph Ellison, "Playing in the Dark" by Toni Morrison, "The Souls of Black Folk" by W.E.B. Dubois, among others. Good books. Even Alvin Toffler's 1980 classic "Third Wave", which has great points about changes in the economy.”↗
Janet Mock
Alicia Keys
Maria Tatar
Michael Clune
David Hering
Daegan Miller
Farah Jasmine Griffin
Bianca Belair
Seth Mandel