Saturday, January 25, 2014

Book For The Week: 01/25/2014: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison




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One reason I like to attend a reading group setting is that it means that I read material that I would never otherwise be exposed to.  Early in February,  when the reading group from Wilmington Library meets,  they will be discussing Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.  This is indeed a book I never would have selected on my own.  Nevertheless it is a great choice for African American History month.  The book is not only about a black man's experience and is written by a black man,  but it also is a classic from the 20th Century.  The setting is in the United States in the 1940s.  It starts out in the south but then moves to New York City.  The book is full of symbols and imagery and I am eager to hear the library reading group's ideas on what the story meant.  There clearly are many levels of understanding to this book.  The Invisible Man himself narrates the story and I don't think his name is ever mentioned.  He has many instances in the book where he is taken advantage of in different ways.  He is a very bright young man who is very naive through most of the book.  The ending of the story he shares his interpretation of his experiences in his life up to that point and just the epilogue could be a entire semester course.  I had never heard of this book or author.  I know there was a lot more depth of understanding to be gained from the book than what I obtained from it.  Please click on the author's name and book title above to follow the links for more information.  And enjoy the two videos that follow.


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