The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (American Century Series)

Book Description

James Weldon Johnson's emotionally gripping novel is a landmark in black literary history and, more than eighty years after its original anonymous publication, a classic of American fiction. The first fictional memoir ever written by a black, The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man influenced a generation of writers during the Harlem Renaissance and served as eloquent inspiration for Zora Neale Hurston, Ralph Ellison, and Richard Wright. In the 1920s and since, it has also given white readers a startling new perspective on their own culture, revealing to many the double standard of racial identity imposed on black Americans.
Narrated by a mulatto man whose light skin allows him to "pass" for white, the novel describes a pilgrimage through America's color lines at the turn of the century--from a black college in Jacksonville to an elite New York nightclub, from the rural South to the white suburbs of the Northeast. This is a powerful, unsentimental examination of race in America, a hymn to the anguish of forging an identity in a nation obsessed with color. And, as Arna Bontemps pointed out decades ago, "the problems of the artist [as presented here] seem as contemporary as if the book had been written this year."

Customer Reviews:

Classic.......2007-02-07

For anybody that is interested in this book, keep in mind that it was written in the 1920's. People talked, wrote, and thought very differently, and it was groundbreaking subject matter that paved the way for many other great works. This is the legacy of this book, despite it's flaws. It can be melodramatic at times, and at it's core it is a love story about a man finding racial acceptance from a source he never dreamed of. Most of the book is about a man stuck in the middle of two worlds, struggling with his own personal identity, both as a person as well as a 'person of color'. The writing is not perfect, but it is a well crafted story with fairly interesting characters, and if you are of mixed ancestry, parts of the book will speak to you in profound and comforting ways. Ways that make you realize that those of us who are mixed are not, and have not been, alone. Sorry to say, but the average review for this book tells me how little the average white person in this country really understands about racial issues. The fact that the word "mulatto" is used in the official description of this book, as well as in a consumer review furthers that. 'Mulatto' is as outdated a term as 'negro', and should not be used in 2007 America.

Place on your list of books to read in this lifetime........2006-09-06

I found this book on the bottom shelf in my college bookcase. From the first chapter, I found myself on an old, winding, rollercoaster. James Weldon lived a life in early to mid-twentieth century more filled with extraordinary adventures than many men today. The matter that he did so 'passing' as Caucasian isn't just a coincidence. Character is what matters. . .as a reader should derive from his story; however, the matter of race devoured Weldon's every chance at completing each sweet piece of life-pie.

I cannot say more to those who never understood a Black man than to read...this...book!! You will be enlightened further than you can now imagine.

What is wrong with some of these reviewers?.......2006-08-18

This book is excellent. I read it for a class in college years and years ago... and I still think about it.

NO.......2005-04-07

sorry, i just thought the book was boring and worst of all, its a good story with alot of food for thought, but it was just written so poorly that it was ruined.

Grand finale...not.......2004-08-10

I think the ending of this book ruined it for me. I enjoyed the middle a lot and didn't want to put it down, but I feel the ending just contradicted everything in the worst way.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)

Average customer rating:

Useful for HS coursework & for real life
worth the read
Johnson's Classic Novel of "Passing"
Wonderfully woven plot that holds your interest
Fantastic!

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Penguin Twentieth Century Classics)
James Weldon Johnson , and William L. Andrews
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0140184023

Book Description

This remarkable novel documents the life of an American of mixed ethnicity who moves freely in society — from the rural South to the urban North and eventually, Europe. A revolutionary work which not only probes the psychological aspects of "passing for white" but also examines the American caste and class system.

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As soon as we landed, four of us went directly to a lodging-house in 27th Street, just west of Sixth Avenue. The house was run by a short, stout mulatto man, who was exceedingly talkative and inquisitive. In fifteen minutes he not only knew the history of the past life of each one of us, but had a clearer idea of what we intended to do in the future than we ourselves.

Customer Reviews:

Useful for HS coursework & for real life.......2007-06-30

Teaching this novel to 10th graders in Chicago has not been the easiest task but the storyline is the draw...that and my constant reminders that "This is the hardest book you will read all year...it's a book I read in college...If you can get through this book you can get through everything else we do this year!" And it's true...most students did well in the unit and the course which forces them to step outside their confort zone when looking and talking about the origins of race and racism. I use this in conjunction with RACE & MEMBERSHIP (by Facing History & Ourselves- collection of readings related to Eugenics Movement in USA) and with the film, "Imitation of Life" (the color version, not not the original black and white). Be mindful that it's high-end vocabulary as the author, like many Black writers of the day, sought to not only show that the main character wanted to impress those he came in contact with but that the author himself may have been trying to prove his own intelligence in writing the novel. James Weldon Johnson is best known for his song, "Lift Every Voice and Sing" - the Black National Anthem.

worth the read.......2007-01-17

I am taking a class on Harlem renaissance literature and this was the first book assigned. It is easy to read and an enlightening story, the background information provided was interesting as well.

Johnson's Classic Novel of "Passing".......2005-04-12

Many novels of the African-American experience in the United States use the theme of "passing". These novels generally involve a light-complexioned African-American who can "pass" for white. Among other things, novels based on a theme of "passing" allow the character and the author to comment upon black-white relationships in the United States from both sides -- from the black experience and from the white experience.

Both white and black authors have made extensive use of the theme of "passing". The earliest novel involving "passing" of which I am aware is by William Dean Howells in his short 1891 book, "An Imperative Duty" which dealt with an inter-racial marriage. The African-American novelist Nella Larsen wrote a novel titled "Passing" set in the Harlem Renaissance. More recently, Philip Roth's novel "The Human Stain" involves the story of Professor Coleman Silk, a distinguished academic and student of the classics who passes for many years as white.

Coleman Silk is the successor to the protagonist of James Weldon Johnson's only novel, "The Autobiography of an ex-colored Man" written in 1912. The unnamed protagonist of the book is an individual, like Roth's character Coleman Silk, with great intellectual and artistic gifts who is torn between the opportunities open to him as an, apparently, white person and his strong sense of black identity. Like Coleman Silk and the characters in most novels involving the theme of "passing", Johnson's protagonist marries a white woman and lives a life plagued with guilt regarding his abandonment of his heritage as an African-American. Johnson's short novel is, to my mind, the best written on the theme of "passing", and it is a fine novel indeed. The book initially was published anonymously. The writing is so powerful and believable that many readers took the book for a true autobiography until Johnson acknowledged his authorship in 1914. Many years later, Johnson wrote his own autobiography, titled "Along This Way" in part to show that the story of his own life was not the story of the protagonist in the "Autobiography".

Johnson's story shows how his protagonist goes back and forth, both internally and in the outward events of life, about whether to make his way in the white or in the black world. He ultimately finds himself successful but unhappy. In addition to the story line of the book, Johnson uses the "passing" theme to allow many reflective passages by characters in the book on racial relationships in the United States early in the 20th Century. The most famous such scene occurs as the protagonist travels in a "smoking car" for whites on a train in the segregated South. He participates in a discussion among several white men of varied backgrounds on the "race question" as it was viewed at the time. There is also a chilling scene in the book involving a lynching, the burning alive of a black person. Johnson worked fervently in the latter years of his life to secure the passage of anti-lynching legislation in Congress.

But Johnson's novel includes a great deal more than a consideration of race issues. The book offers an outstanding picture of life in early twentieth Century America -- in the South and in Johnson's beloved New York City. The book is filled with pictures of dives and gambling dens and of the trade of cigar making in both South and North. It is filled with the love of the piano and of classical music. Most strikingly, the book has the spirit and feel of ragtime, which reached the height of its popularity during the years in which the book appeared. Johnson shows great appreciation for this product of American culture.

The book also illustrates some universal themes. The protagonist is troubled, specifically, by the conflict between his identity as an African-American and his wish to succeed as a white person. But the broader themes of the book are the consequences of lack of self-knowledge, the role of chance in human life, and the consequences of a certain sense of purposelessness and frustration, which plague many individuals separately from any consideration of race. Johnson develops these themes eloquently and ties them in well with his theme of "passing".

Johnson's novel is an important work of American fiction which deserves to be read.

Wonderfully woven plot that holds your interest.......2004-03-12

I absolutely loved reading this book, and would eagerly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn of Johnson's America through the eyes of a man caught between two worlds. The sometimes humorous passages and vivid details held my interest and fueled my imagination. I have countless sections of the book underlined in red.

Though written years ago, it is highly relevant to life in America today, and the self-effacing nature ('invisibility') of the narrator makes it even more intriguing as you follow what goes on in the class and race-defined society through his eyes.

A short but captivating (one of my favorite autobios) 'must-read'.

Fantastic!.......2001-10-01

James Weldon creates a story line of unimaginable magnitude! This complex book makes the reader almost sympathetic for a character who may not deserve it!

Souls for Sale: The Diary of an Ex-Colored Man--Conflict and Compromise of Second Generation Advocacy in the Post Civil Rights Era

Average customer rating:

Excellent Mr. Samad

Souls for Sale: The Diary of an Ex-Colored Man--Conflict and Compromise of Second Generation Advocacy in the Post Civil Rights Era
Anthony Asadullah Samad
Manufacturer: Kabili Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The book is an autobiographical perspective of a young second generation NAACP president seeking to bring about a philosophical change to the historic civil rights struggle in the post civil rights (1980s Reagan-Bush) era. The book examines several economic discrimination and police misconduct issues that brought about generational conflicts in the African American community, subsequently leading to the worst civil disturbance in American history, the 1992 Los Angeles riots.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Mr. Samad.......2003-01-11

Anthony Asadullah Samad writes from his heart. This is a book about rebirth and the changes that he went thru to become who he is today. It's about being an advocate for his people at all cost. It should be required reading for African American Studies everywhere. It will captures you from the beginning until the end. Excellent debut Mr. Samad.

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Ohio teach sez

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
James, Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: FQ Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1599868687

Book Description

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man was written by James Weldon Johnson who was an important 20th century author, journalist and poet. As one of the early American civil rights leaders he became a major figure in the Harlem Renaissance. This classic publication is James Weldon Johnson's autobiography, and is an excellent resource for those learning about the earliest days of the civil rights movement and a classic tale of how an individual can overcome and achieve what they set their mind to.

Customer Reviews:

Ohio teach sez.......2007-09-26

This is a work of fiction, not Johnson's autobiography. Johnson was a major figure in African-American arts and politics. He did not, as the title character does, spend the last half of his life "passing for white" as a Wall Street investor!

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
James Weldon / Andrews, William L. (EDT) Johnson
Manufacturer: Penguin Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OJ1E2A

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
James Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: BiblioBazaar
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 1434627039
Release Date: 2007-07-31

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Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
James Weldon, 1871-1938 Johnson
Manufacturer: see notes for publisher info
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000NOYT00

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
James, Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: NuVision Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Book Description

This vivid and startlingly new picture of conditions brought about by the race question in the United States makes no special plea for the Negro, but shows in a dispassionate, though sympathetic, manner conditions as they actually exist between the whites and blacks to-day. Special pleas have already been made for and against the Negro in hundreds of books, but in these books either his virtues or his vices have been exaggerated. This is because writers, in nearly every instance, have treated the colored American as a whole; each has taken some one group of the race to prove his case. Not before has a composite and proportionate presentation of the entire race, embracing all of its various groups and elements, showing their relations with each other and to the whites, been made.

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
James, Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: FQ Classics
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Book Description

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Dodo Press)

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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man (Dodo Press)
James Weldon Johnson
Manufacturer: Dodo Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

African-American & Black | Ethnic & National | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

Book Description

The autobiography of James Weldon Johnson who was was a leading American author, poet, early civil rights activist and a prominent figure in the Harlem Renaissance. He is probably best remembered for his writing, which included novels, poems, and collections of folklore. He was one of the first African-American professors at New York University. During his six-year stay in South America he completed his most famous book The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man which was published anonymously in 1912. It was only in 1927 that Johnson admitted his authorship - stressing that it was not a work of autobiography but mostly fictional.

Customer Reviews:

Random Theological Thoughts of Lewis.......2006-02-16

Lewis was prolific thinker, reader and writer on theology and ethics, two of his real passions. Here collected some of them, 25 around plus some letters.

We find him commenting on wide range of subjects, from decline or rise of Christianity in England of his day to apologetics to capital punishment to the question of animals in heaven, or women as pastors.

If this hasn't sufficiently whetted your appetitie to read, likely you're not interested in such as Lewis was, and wouldn't enjoy this great read at all.

But if you're hooked, you'll be landed with gratification after pouring over selected or all these well done writings. As another reviewer so correctly pointed out, one truly gets more insight into the man's thoughts and personality from these. One that truly captivated this reviewer was: The Decline of Religion. Here he wrestles with significant topic, does empty pews suggest decline in Chrisianity? He has not illusions as so many do that the true church is visible, and flushes all prestensions away for those who have not the true motivator for pew occupance. Commenting on storm of Christian activity at Oxford for faith as sign of comeback of faith he comments: "The propagandist, the apologist, only represents John Baptist: the Preacher represents the Lord Himself. He will be sent--or else he will not. But unless he comes we mere Christian intellectuals will not effect very much. That does not mean we should down tools." Well said.

The more of these I read, the more I like the man. Would have been wonderful to sit by a fire as at Inklings gathering and talk over cigar or pipe and coffee and other libations. Yet, seems just like that in these remanants of his thinking.

Title Translation.......2005-10-28

"God in the Dock" is the British way of saying "God on Trial." In the UK, "the dock" is the physical enclosure in the courtroom where the defendant stands. Whether this collection of Lewis' short works is the best out there or not, it would certainly sell more copies if the title made sense in US English.

Another Classic Collection by the Ever-Relevant C.S. Lewis.......2005-06-14

1. This book challenged and enlightened me.
2. I found much food for thought.
3. I felt again the pure genius of Lewis's insights and writings.
4. I refer to this book often.
5. I am always amazed at the relevancy of his messages.
6. This book is life-changing and powerful!

As Relevant Now as Then.......2004-09-06

C.S. Lewis is known for being one of the best apologists (and amateur theologians) of our day. Primarily, Lewis is a writer; he knows how to use words to draw the reader in, and then humbly offers his insights on whatever topic is at hand. It is this humility that I think makes him so accessible - he talks about what he knows and doesn't presume to be an authority over anyone.

About GOD IN THE DOCK specifically, this is a collection of his letters, columns, and speeches. Most are short (4-10 pages) reflections on something he has encountered recently, from animal-rights protestations to dogma within the church to attempts to debunk myth to Christmas. Really, though, each one of these essays is about modernism. Modernism is the arch-enemy to Lewis - in its materialism, rationalism, statism and "groupism", it denies the validity of opposing systems of thought. Miracles are definitively ruled because they can't be reproduced in a lab (which Lewis argues is precisely why they are "miraculous" in the first place." Christian beliefs are discarded because they are similar to other "primitve" myths; Lewis argues that if God is real and we are made in His image, it makes sense that we would have common motifs in how we think about Him.

The essays in GOD IN THE DOCK are mostly designed to show the fallacies in people's thinking. They start with an observation, continue to describe the orthodox Christian point of view, point out something which the reader already knows to be true, and then shows that it makes more sense in the context of orthodox thought rather than modernist thought. What I found most interesting was that the same problems that Lewis wrestled with in his day are the same ones that Americans face today! I'm not sure if this proves that history repeats itself or if America is just 50 years behind England. Either way, Lewis' predictions for the future if his society continued to follow the modernist path were vindicated (if anything, he underestimated the degree to which society would degenerate).

In summary, C.S. Lewis was a humble and insightful man whose essays cover a wide gamut of topics. Each essay is short, about a 15 minute read, which is a comfortable way to wind down the day. I think that he very correctly evaluated the danger that modernism poses to humanity. Finally, his essay topics are very relevant to Americans whose country is now hashing outt he same issues that Lewis' nation did fifty years ago.

Actually, I give it 10 stars.......2003-07-14

It's hard to summarize a book that contains all essays. All I can say by way of summary that there are four parts: Part One contains twenty three essays, Part Two contains sixteen, Part Three contains nine. Part Four contains letters written by Lewis.

These essays deal with a lot of subjects written by C. S. Lewis, one of the most thorough and profound Christian writers that I have read. This book has influenced me beyond my ability to describe it. I've been a student of the Bible all of my life and of C. S. Lewis for more than 25 years -- and I can truthfully say that Lewis has helped me more than any other single Christian author, and I've read some good ones.

Of special interest to me were (and still are)Essay #13 on page 114 (Section one) Essay #1 on page 189 (Section 2) and Essay #3 on page 196 (also Section 2) which deal directly or indirectly with the subject of politics and religion. I won't tell you what Lewis says about it -- I'd be happier if you'd read it for yourself.

Even the articles I didn't agree with (and there were very few of those) still were worth reading and gave me a lot to think about.

If you're a thinking person, this will be some of the best money you will spend on any Christian book -- except for the Bible itself.

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God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: Eerdmans
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
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ASIN: B000GCB98E

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GOD IN THE DOCK ESSAYS ON THEOLOGY AND ETHICS
Lewis C. S.
Manufacturer: William B. Eerdmans
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000GJT80S

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God in the Dock Essays on Theology and Ethics
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: William B. Eerdman Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000VQH10A

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Christian Apolegetic Essays from the Master of the 20th Century

God in the Dock, Essays on Theology and Ethics
C.S. Lewis
Manufacturer: Wm.B. Eerdmans Pub. Co.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000GWRK8M

Customer Reviews:

Christian Apolegetic Essays from the Master of the 20th Century.......2007-07-22

The long-time friend and for some years personal secretary of C.S. Lewis has gathered and edited this anthology of essays. Written over a 24 year period and almost all published in book form here for the first time (one never published anywhere before). They range from popular pieces written for newspapers to more learned defenses of the faith. All are serious, but not "gloomy." Good reading for those who really want to know their Lewis!

God in the Dock- Essays on Theology and Ethics

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God in the Dock- Essays on Theology and Ethics
C.S. Lewis
Manufacturer: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000SSPCKM

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God in the Dock: Essays on Theology and Ethics
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: William B. Eerdmans
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: 080283387X

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God in the Dock; Essays on Theology and Ethics
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: Eerdmans
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O3UU0I

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God in the Dock : Essays on Theology and Ethics
C.S. Lewis
Manufacturer: EERDMANS
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000J6YNQC

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God in the Dock Essays on Theology and Ethics
C. S. Lewis
Manufacturer: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000J4K3FE

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