Native Son Paperback – September 16, 2014

Collected all black books on the banned list to preserve the history of our great artist

This kept me engaged all the way through the tragic tale. If you don’t empathize with this character and get inside his situation, you are dead inside. Also, love the slice of history that isn’t discussed in typical history classes, post depression, Jim Crow, Communist activism, Red Lining/Black Belt, white guilt/apathy,…. A must read at this critical time of striving to come together as one people, humans with more in common than in contrast.

Historically, this work was written before the Civil Rights era (1940) and shed light on the terrible social circumstances that pervaded African-American life in the North. Set in Chicago shortly after the Great Migration, it portrays what we now would characterize as systemic racism – the realities of a dysfunctional society. A black everyman has his life cast away by a lack of opportunity to make his life count for something. It can remind today’s readers of the progress that has been made and the progress which still must be made.In this tale, Bigger Thomas at first seems headed to jail for only petty theft; then soon, he is in trouble for murder. Ironically, committing murder for Thomas was the most enlivening act of his life, for it was an act in which he took full responsibility of making a decision. With only an eighth-grade education and the wrong color of skin, Thomas did not have much opportunity, and the opportunities presented him were still less than that presented to most white folk.In the author’s telling, Thomas’ actions seemed reasonable but simultaneously immoral. That quandary and contradiction creates tension and sympathy in the reader. In the final chapter, I read the case for and against the protagonist, and I could not help but agree with both accounts. It thus vividly portrayed what happens to oppressed people in seemingly intractable situations. The main remedy or next step, it seems, was awareness.The original text, now preserved in my edition of the book, was too vivid for original readers in the 1940s, so Wright revised it so that it would reach a wide audience of a specific book club. The publisher thought that it would turn off pre-World-War-II American housewives who populated the book club. Fortunately, the book sold well and was eventually deemed a classic. Also fortunately, the original text was later re-discovered and disseminated to the reading public.In an era when America’s systemic racism is regularly discussed in the news, this text provides an interesting and relevant historical nugget. It’s one of the first vivid portrayals of post-slavery African-American life. It reminds us that undoing America’s “original sin” of slavery requires more than just Constitutional amendments. Though this work might prove too seedy for grade-school students, it should not be neglected by the curious reader. Its seediness is not sensationalism but instead meaningful. We are not so far off Wright’s 1940-era Chicago that these type of situations do not remain. Rather, the setting’s similarity to the present day needs to be contemplated still. Few better resources for this task exist in America’s literary past than Native Son.

Native Son is a stark examination of poverty, violence, hopelessness, and racism. The book is reasonably well written and somewhat readable. The book was written in 1940, but it seems as if were written in the 1950s.The book contains a fair amount of violence and strong language. Those matters didn't impact my assessment of the book. I can understand why many people would give Native Son a five-star rating and/or consider is a classic. I think it's an important book to read (perhaps even a classic). However, the readability and quality of the writing don't merit a five-star rating.

I first read "Native Son" as a teen some 20+ years ago. It was after reading "Black Boy" that I decided to reread "Native Son". It was about half way through "Native Son" that I realized I hadn't actually read the entire book. In fact, I only read about a quarter of it!! For years I thought I'd read "Native Son" because I convinced myself I had (possibly because, in my youth, having read more than 100 pages of a book constituted "reading" the book for me). I can only think that I claimed to have read it to appease my mother or a teacher and I claimed it so long that I began to believe it!!The reviews here on this site are plenty to give you an idea of its depth and excellence. My review is about the contrast between my teen reading and my adult reading.I remember believing that the main character, Bigger Thomas, was brilliant. An ordinary young Black man had gone into the White World, committed an unspeakable crime and gotten away with it by acting like an ordinary young Black man (or so I saw it). That is to say: I thought Bigger's humble, deferential, monosyllabic speech towards White people was all an act. I thought he purposely turned on such an act to allow him to get away with things that they figured were not within his capabilities or his skill set. I thought Bigger was absolutely brilliant. A marionette pulling the strings of White America based upon their prejudices and preconceived notions.Fast-forward 20+ years and I see Bigger through different eyes (partially because I've read the entire book and partially because my comprehension has evolved and developed). At times he was brilliant and at times he was stone cold stupid. At times he would use the shuffling negro act to his advantage and at other times he would let his ego push him too far. It was all part of the enigma that was Bigger Thomas.Wright created a helluva character. As an African-American male I was reading about Bigger and loathing him with every fiber of my being because he was the poorest representation of Black men. I couldn't help but think, "This Bigger Thomas is confirming the wicked stuff that White people believe about us! He's a walking affirmation of their stereotypes!" But the fact is... Bigger Thomases exist. They are largely products of their environments. We may not like them, we may have the foulest names to describe them, but they still exist. So, whereas I hated Bigger for the decisions he made and the life he lived, I can't say that Richard Wright didn't give me a jolt. He threw Bigger Thomas in our faces and said, "deal with him." I'm sure every reader deals with Bigger in his/her own way. Some may hate him as I did, some may pity him, some may applaud him and much of that may divide down racial lines or socio-economic lines; in any case we as readers had to deal with Bigger Thomas.

This book was an eye opener of how America was round the 40's and perhaps still is in many areas of the states,although I do feel that the protagonist of the story had severe mental issues,which his friends did not have nor his family,About being black,and also the willingness of white people to help him overcome his own feelings about being black,,,,vey interesting book which I highly recommend,,,,

Excelente obra de la literatura. Wright escribe imágenes, descripción muy realista de la realidad vivida en la América de la segregación racial. Totalmente recomendado!

An intentional bummer of a book. Dark, depressing, joyless. (And no, Bigger isn't supposed to be a likeable protagonist, be prepared for that.) But an important nonetheless read, and Wright manages to touch on a manner of complex and nuanced subjects and emotions.However, he takes thrice as many words as necessary to do so and insists on stating and restating points he has already made obvious.Also, this version has a few punctuation and formatting errors.

The book succeeds in the first 3/4 when it is a focused character study of a young man shaped by the struggles and cruelty of his surroundings - historically segregated America. The motivations of Bigger are always understandable, even as he makes choices the reader probably wouldn't. There are likely important insights to be gained about race relations for many readers, although people familiar with those issues might find it a bit basic.Book drags a bit in the last segments, and there is a tendency towards self-indulgent writing.If you like character-focused novels, you will like this, just try to keep your momentum up coming into the final quarter.

Somehow contemporary. Great style. Relevant to BLM. Forced to make this 20 words blah blah blah four three two one.