Invisible Man has one of the best openers to a book that…
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Invisible Man has one of the best openers to a book that I've ever read.
In January I read *Invisible Man* and absolutely sprinted through it, loving every moment. For context, I am a white man from Mississippi, yet the themes of invisibility and racial tension hit me hard all the same. The dense symbolism, masterful speeches and prose, and whiplash style left me craving more. I enjoy experimental writing styles, Faulkner being my baseline, and reading more about Ellison's literary inspirations and descendants has led me on a literary journey the past few months through Thomas Mann, Maya Angelou, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and James Baldwin. It has been a wonderful journey; one I may have specifically felt more connected with because I am a young man discovering my identity.
The preface and first chapter to *Invisible* *Man* are all that need to be read to decide if this is the book for you. The sermons, lyricism, dialogue, and monologue through these first two sections gives a taste for the entire book, building this rhythm that thrusts you forward through the book, revealing the next cataclysm in each new scene. Make no mistake, these chapters are dark, even terrifying at times, but they feel so real not only because of Ellison's skill with a pen, but also because we know these situations to have been inspired by life's realities — they still are real to this day.
This is undoubtedly my favorite book now and I would implore anyone to read it, though if you have ever felt unheard in your life, who knows: maybe you are invisible too.
#entertainment
source
In January I read *Invisible Man* and absolutely sprinted through it, loving every moment. For context, I am a white man from Mississippi, yet the themes of invisibility and racial tension hit me hard all the same. The dense symbolism, masterful speeches and prose, and whiplash style left me craving more. I enjoy experimental writing styles, Faulkner being my baseline, and reading more about Ellison's literary inspirations and descendants has led me on a literary journey the past few months through Thomas Mann, Maya Angelou, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and James Baldwin. It has been a wonderful journey; one I may have specifically felt more connected with because I am a young man discovering my identity.
The preface and first chapter to *Invisible* *Man* are all that need to be read to decide if this is the book for you. The sermons, lyricism, dialogue, and monologue through these first two sections gives a taste for the entire book, building this rhythm that thrusts you forward through the book, revealing the next cataclysm in each new scene. Make no mistake, these chapters are dark, even terrifying at times, but they feel so real not only because of Ellison's skill with a pen, but also because we know these situations to have been inspired by life's realities — they still are real to this day.
This is undoubtedly my favorite book now and I would implore anyone to read it, though if you have ever felt unheard in your life, who knows: maybe you are invisible too.
#entertainment
source
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