The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

by James Weldon Johnson

Overview

Remarkable novel relates, through an anonymous narrator, events in the life of an American of mixed ethnicity whose exceptional abilities allow him to move freely in society—from the rural South to the urban North and eventually, Europe. A revolutionary work which not only probes the psychological aspects of 'passing for white' but also examines the American caste and class system.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781497574625
Publisher:	CreateSpace Publishing
Publication date:	04/07/2014
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	54
Product dimensions:	5.98(w) x 9.02(h) x 0.11(d)
Age Range:	1 - 17 Years

About the Author

Frederick Douglass was born into slavery in Maryland, 1818. He was separated from his mother as a baby and lived with his grandmother up to the age of eight, when he was sent to live as a house servant, a field hand, and then a ship caulker. He escaped to New York in 1938 and seven years later published Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an autobiography of his life as a slave, which became an instant bestseller. Douglass rose to fame as a powerful orator and spent the rest of his life campaigning for equality. He became a national leader of the abolitionist movement, a consultant to Abraham Lincoln in the civil rights movement and a passionate supporter of the women’s rights movement. He died in 1895.

Table of Contents

Introduction Suggestions for Further Reading A Note on the Text Preface to the Original Edition of 1912

THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF AN EX-COLORED MAN

Explanatory Notes

Editorial Reviews

The fictional account of an ambiguously black man’s expedition into America’s hard heart . . . . The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is a revolutionary text. It takes as its core understanding that racism is first a way of seeing the world . . . . Recognized today as one of the cornerstones of the Harlem Renaissance, [Johnson’s novel] still proves itself to be as forward-thinking and ambitious as any of its successors.” —from the Introduction by Gregory Pardlo

From the Publisher

Written anonymously in 1912, this civil rights classic tells the story of a biracial man who has to choose whether to embrace his black half or live a more comfortable life as a white man. Initially, the book was of little note, but after being rereleased in 1927 by a major publisher and with Johnson’s name on the cover, it became a popular Harlem Renaissance work. Narrator Richard Allen has a formal, deep voice that is reminiscent of radio announcers of the 1920s. He overemphasizes diction, pace, and affect, a style that sounds forced and stilted now but would sound perfectly at home in the early twentieth century. In a sense, he performs the book rather than simply reading it, and for the most part it works as a historical curiosity. R.I.G. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine

FEBRUARY 2013 - AudioFile