The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man Audiobook

" I've enjoyed putting this man 'on trial' when teaching this. Defenders, prosecutors, the whole nine... "

" I didn't come away from this story with any particular admiration for Johnson, nor was it particularly well-told, but it was an interesting glimpse of a man trying to live to the highest standard he could in a society that begrudged him the right. "

" I liked the author's voice but the events of his life weren't all that interesting. "

" I hated the narrator. He just went on and on about thinks I did not really care about. I liked it a lot more at the beginning but then it just got so boring and my teacher said the climax was during the tenth chapter but I honestly didn't even notice anything that happened at all. "

" American history....early 1900s Northeast and Southern US...1912 book written anonymously from the point of view of a light skinned 'coloured'. Interesting insights of the day. "

" I love this book... enlightening... fascinating. Worth reading over again every few years. "

" Another semifictional memoir featuring the Black Belt Nation "

" Johnson called this a "human document" more than a "novel." This may make this short novel important in the larger narrative of African American literature, but it is hardly inspiring or beautifully written. Overall quite draggy and way too much first person exposition. I did this. I did that. Then I did this. Skip this "human document," and read the introduction instead. Then go read some Toni Morrison. "

" Easy read, a very interesting story. Couldn't put the book down. "

" I can't decide if the author makes enough sense, or if his pandering to White Southerners near the end is enough to just piss me off "

" Book doesn't seem to have much point until the hard hitting ending. Great reflection by the author and can really be meaningful to the person reading it if read in the right time and place in their life. "

" Woe betide the reader who reads The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man too literally; the meat of this novel lies in its irony, with a deeply racist and self-loathing protagonist. Historically significant. "

" It was one of the most beautifully written books I'd ever read. Despite it being fiction, I know some of what happened in the book happened in real life. It was heartbreaking, but inspiring, too, to read about it. It put a lot in perspective for me. It was simply one of the best books I've ever read. Johnson's history of being a poet definitely made sense. This isn't a book of poetry, but he writes with such fluidity that it is only obvious. "

" This book was not what I had expected it to be. I enjoyed the Arthur's writing style, however, his observations of what the African Americans had to endure is no surprise. The fact that he was lite enough to pass as white and he often did, is a choice many A.A. did not have. They had to learn to deal with the contempt the Caucasians had for them than all the way to the present. "

" As a bit of African- American history a very enjoyable read; as a novel, not so much. "

" This book is interesting, but also reminds me of some of the other books I have read like Up From Slavery and the Diary of Frederick Douglas. He is a very good author. "

" I can't decide if the author makes enough sense, or if his pandering to White Southerners near the end is enough to just piss me off "

" I'll admit, I initially started reading this not realizing that the "autobiographical" aspects of this novel are entirely fictional inventions. I realized what was going on sometime around when our anti-heroic, somewhat painfully naive narrator opted out of going to either Atlanta University or Harvard for being a cigar roller. The text's quite irony and facetiousness are actually what I appreciated most about it; Johnson cleverly caricatures many tropes of early slave narratives in ways that are provocative rather than offensive or jarring. "

" Well written - though hard to read because of the content - what life was like for an African-American man in the early 1900s. "

" I didn't come away from this story with any particular admiration for Johnson, nor was it particularly well-told, but it was an interesting glimpse of a man trying to live to the highest standard he could in a society that begrudged him the right. "

" I hated the narrator. He just went on and on about thinks I did not really care about. I liked it a lot more at the beginning but then it just got so boring and my teacher said the climax was during the tenth chapter but I honestly didn't even notice anything that happened at all. "

" Amazing how the race question hasnt changed much since 1912. I really enjoyed the sociology aspects of this book and it reads pretty smooth "

" This is quite possibly the best book about identity that I have ever read. The characters are interesting and the plot moves well. "

" Amazing how the race question hasnt changed much since 1912. I really enjoyed the sociology aspects of this book and it reads pretty smooth "

" Really good style of writing and an important book in history "

" A classic tale that details a Black man's choice to let go of his race in order for him to survive in early 20th century United States. "

" I read this book in high school for an assignment. Something about it is so special and so relevant, even now. I highly recommend it. "

" A psychological read of what it means to live life along the colorline in America in early twentieth century. Lesson that has stuck with me: Never sell your birthright for "a mess of pottage." "

" Shows what it was like to be a light-skinned black man in the early 20th century. I found it very interesting because it shows that often people want us to be something we aren't just to satisfy the masses. "

" American history....early 1900s Northeast and Southern US...1912 book written anonymously from the point of view of a light skinned 'coloured'. Interesting insights of the day. "

" Easy read, a very interesting story. Couldn't put the book down. "

" I read this book for an English course entitled: "The World is a Ghetto." This is an excellent book by James Weldon Johnson. he is also know for writing the "Black National Anthem." "

" I recommend reading this in tandem with Langston Hughes' "The Big Sea" "

" I didn't come away from this story with any particular admiration for Johnson, nor was it particularly well-told, but it was an interesting glimpse of a man trying to live to the highest standard he could in a society that begrudged him the right. "

" This is quite a dry book, and the language a bit wooden, but it gives great insight into the experience of African Americans in the early 1900's. "

" I read this book in high school for an assignment. Something about it is so special and so relevant, even now. I highly recommend it. "

" I really liked this one apart from the last chapter which kinda ruined it for me. "

" A classic example of a narrative of passing from the Harlem Renaissance. Interesting, but historical context is necessary. "

" I think without the forward, I would not have attended to the "teaching moments" during the reading. I really enjoyed the look at the life, trials, and tribulations of blacks ages ago. it was also an interesting view of life during that time period. Quick, easy read. "

" Amazingly ahead of its time! "

" As a bit of African- American history a very enjoyable read; as a novel, not so much. "

" A sad and tragic book about class, race relations, the pressure to "pass" and the unspeakably horrible price of "passing." "

" I'm really torn between three and four stars for this book. I really enjoyed the story as a whole, especially the part the main character spends in Europe with his millionaire friend. The book does a great job overall dealing with the "race" issue in the US and showing different perspectives. "

" I loved the parts about his childhood, his mother, and his fascination with Shiny; his realizations about race--his races--are more powerful when he talks about how he understood (or didn't understand) them as a child. "

" Read along with "Up From Slavery" in college. This fictitious story by a luminary of the Civil Rights Movement, James Weldon Johnson, taught me much about post reconstruction America and the pressures faced by the forefathers of the Movement. I'd recommend reading "Up From Slavery" first. "

" just re-read this classic and loved it all over again. the prose is lean and he gets into some really interesting dialectics on race that still hold up some 50 years later. "

" Shows what it was like to be a light-skinned black man in the early 20th century. I found it very interesting because it shows that often people want us to be something we aren't just to satisfy the masses. "

" A sad and tragic book about class, race relations, the pressure to "pass" and the unspeakably horrible price of "passing." "

" The thought of having to choose a side intrigues me. It's not like picking a team on the playground. It's so permanent. Why would people put others in a position where they would have to deny a portion of their heritage? "

" Shows what it was like to be a light-skinned black man in the early 20th century. I found it very interesting because it shows that often people want us to be something we aren't just to satisfy the masses. "

" I don't remember much about this book. It wasn't terrible, but it wasn't profound. It had references to W.E.B. Dubois' theory of Double-Consciousness, especially with the character being half white. The protagonist's conflict throughout was living between black and white worlds. "

" I love this book... enlightening... fascinating. Worth reading over again every few years. "

" I'm really torn between three and four stars for this book. I really enjoyed the story as a whole, especially the part the main character spends in Europe with his millionaire friend. The book does a great job overall dealing with the "race" issue in the US and showing different perspectives. "

" I read this book in high school for an assignment. Something about it is so special and so relevant, even now. I highly recommend it. "

" The title makes sense in the end which is something I won't reveal, but urge you to discover. In a collection of Negro Classics, James Weldon Johnson offers a unique perspective on life in the USA after the Civil war. Short and well worth reading. "

" Book doesn't seem to have much point until the hard hitting ending. Great reflection by the author and can really be meaningful to the person reading it if read in the right time and place in their life. "

" I can't decide if the author makes enough sense, or if his pandering to White Southerners near the end is enough to just piss me off "

" This was recommended reading tied in with some graduate work. Boy, was it interesting and well-written. I'm glad I read it! "

" I hated the narrator. He just went on and on about thinks I did not really care about. I liked it a lot more at the beginning but then it just got so boring and my teacher said the climax was during the tenth chapter but I honestly didn't even notice anything that happened at all. "

" This is quite a dry book, and the language a bit wooden, but it gives great insight into the experience of African Americans in the early 1900's. "

" Amazing how the race question hasnt changed much since 1912. I really enjoyed the sociology aspects of this book and it reads pretty smooth "