Invisible Man (Ellison) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
With this book the author maps a course from the underground world into the light. Invisible Man belongs on the shelf with the classical efforts man has made to chart the river Lethe from its mouth to its source (New York Times Books of the Century).
Wright Morris - New York Times (April, 1952)


Unquestionably, Ellison's book is a work of extraordinary intensity—powerfully imagined and written with a savage, wryly humorous gusto.
Atlantic Monthly


[O]ne of the lasting masterpieces of American literature. It chronicles the existential journey of an unnamed black man attempting to discover his identity and role in a hostile and confusing world that refuses to acknowledge his existence. Within the story of the protagonist's quest for definition, Ellison offers a vivid and unforgiving examination of the shortcomings of the self-serving black bourgeoisie, clumsy white philanthropists, dehumanizing American industry, and unrealistic revolutionary movements.... [A]n essential book,
Sacred Fire


Ralph Ellison's 1952 novel tells truths about the nature of bigotry and its effect on the minds of victims and perpetrators (Grade 11 and up).
School Library Journal