Invisible Man

Written by Ralph Ellison

A man navigates identity and invisibility in a world of racial tension and societal upheaval.

3.9 Goodreads · 206,415 ratings

581 pages· 177,070 words· 870L

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Bookroo's summary

In a journey from the South to Harlem, a nameless man grapples with identity and invisibility. As he rises to become a spokesman for a powerful organization, he faces betrayal and chaos, retreating into a hidden existence. What truths will he uncover in the shadows of society?

From the publisher

“Invisible Man” is a milestone in American literature, a book that has continued to engage readers since its appearance in 1952. A first novel by an unknown writer, it remained on the bestseller list for 16 weeks, won the National Book Award for fiction, and established Ralph Ellison as one of the key writers of the century. The nameless narrator of the novel 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, “ and retreating amid violence and confusion to the basement lair of the Invisible Man he imagines himself to be. The book is a passionate and witty tour de force of style, strongly influenced by T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land,” Joyce, and Dostoevsky.

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