“Invisible Man” by Ralph Ellison

How do I talk about a book written more than 70 years ago? One written by a man discussing race from a point of view that I will never understand?

The first thing that struck me while reading "Invisible Man" is how much courage it must have taken to write and publish it. Written before the Civil Rights Era, in a time when minorities were just expected to shut up and accept racial bigotry "Invisible Man" is unafraid to address how life truly was for an African American man. Not just courage, but a great amount of anger and sadness as well went into the writing of this book. And, perhaps, some hope.

While reading "Invisible Man" I felt a great need to have someone to discuss it with. I wish that I had a Black friend that I was comfortable having such a conversation with. And now, looking at what I just wrote, I am so uncomfortable having used the phrase "Black friend". I don't want my friends to be White or Black, just friends. So, no, I don't wish for such a friend. What I want is to be able to discuss this book in a classroom devoted to its study and a teacher qualified to teach it. This reminds me of the difficulty I had, as an 8th grade Social Studies teacher, a White teacher, in a school with a mostly White student body, trying to teach during Black History Month. We need a greater racial mix in our teachers.

I am going to be very clear here, there is MUCH I did not understand in "Invisible Man". What was the whole thing about the incident at the paint factory all about? Who was "The Founder" supposed to be? I thought, at first, that it was supposed to be Booker T. Washington, but he mentions him separately. Why did the main character have no name? Wasn't being invisible bad enough, did he have to be nameless as well? Why did the Invisible Man continue to trust completely, clearly untrustworthy people? And why did he put himself in such dangerous situations?

This was a difficult book to read. Long paragraphs where the Invisible Man discusses and analyzes his thoughts and actions. References to people and events from nearly 100 years ago. Probably the most troubling part of reading this book is how much it could have been written today. The Death of Tod Clifton and the publics reaction to it. The manipulation of the public for the benefit of societies "elite". The tendency for people to make poor decisions which go against their own best interests.

But it was worth it. It made me think. And even though there is much I did not understand, it made me look at life from another point of view.

I hope you think about reading this. If you do, don't do like I did and read the free Kindle version. Spend the money and get a properly formatted version. Get the annotated version, if possible.

And if you do read it, please, get back with me and tell me what you thought about it. I'd really enjoy hearing from you.

Remember! Read every day and read for fun!