Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison; Oct Group Read

[kisha, The Clean Up Lady]

The poll has ended and Invisible Man has won October's classic read.

First published in 1952 and immediately hailed as a masterpiece, Invisible Man is one of those rare novels that have changed the shape of American literature. For not only does Ralph Ellison's nightmare journey across the racial divide tell unparalleled truths about the nature of bigotry and its effects on the minds of both victims and perpetrators, it gives us an entirely new model of what a novel can be.

As he journeys from the Deep South to the streets and basements of Harlem, from a horrifying "battle royal" where black men are reduced to fighting animals, to a Communist rally where they are elevated to the status of trophies, Ralph Ellison's nameless protagonist ushers readers into a parallel universe that throws our own into harsh and even hilarious relief. Suspenseful and sardonic, narrated in a voice that takes in the symphonic range of the American language, black and white, Invisible Man is one of the most audacious and dazzling novels of our century.

We will begin Oct 1st. Who's all in for this book?

[Lulu, The Book Reader who could.]

I'm in.

[Maya]

I'm in!

[Londa]

I'll read along!

[kisha, The Clean Up Lady]

cool! Hey Londa!!!

[Lee]

I'll pass. I tried reading it over the summer, but I couldn't get into it. lol.

[Diane]

Have a lot on my schedule, but will give it a try.

[Zanna]

I'm reading only women authors in 2015, so will read and return to the discussion some time later!

[Beverly]

Zanna wrote: "I'm reading only women authors in 2015, so will read and return to the discussion some time later!"

How cool is that!

[Beverly]

I read this years ago so will be interested in thoughts - especially on why this book is timeless based on current events.

[Zanna]

Beverly wrote: How cool is that!"

Been pretty awesomely cool so far = D

[April]

Wow. Haven't read since I was a college neophyte. I'm in.

[Ariel]

I'll give it a try!

[Kathy-Ann]

All in.

[kisha, The Clean Up Lady]

does anyone have their copy yet? I have mine! Also there is a PDF version online http://www.bpi.edu/ourpages/auto/2010.... Can't wait to start!

[Maya]

I hope to start in a week

[A.D.]

I've got mine:-)

[Lulu, The Book Reader who could.]

I've got mine.

[kisha, The Clean Up Lady]

Are we ready to discuss? Who has started? I will post the schedule once I figure out where everyone is.

[Lulu, The Book Reader who could.]

I haven't started yet.

[ColumbusReads]

I've read this twice about 15 years apart. Probably enjoyed it more the second time around. A classic and it's not hard to understand why. Looking forward to the discussion.

[A.D.]

I'm about half way through and can't wait to get started.

[Maya]

Have not started yet. I will have to catch up....

[Maya]

Finally got my copy on saturday. Its kind of a complex story. Ok read so far

[Lulu, The Book Reader who could.]

I really enjoyed it Maya!

[A.D.]

I thoroughly enjoyed it too and loved his prose!

[kisha, The Clean Up Lady]

Ok maybe we can extend this discussion an extra week? I have been so busy with work I've had to time to read. Has anyone finished this or are we still reading or waiting on copies?

[Maya]

I am half way finished. I will be done by friday for sure.

[A.D.]

Whenever you guys are ready:-)

[Lulu, The Book Reader who could.]

I'm done. So i'm ready whenever.

[B. P.]

Though I joined too late for to participate in this challenge, I have to say that this may be the most important I ever read. I read this book in the 8th grade and it transformed me into a serious reader. It marked my intellectual awakening and I was not the same man before as I was afterwards.

[Lulu, The Book Reader who could.]

I really enjoyed this book as well. It sucked me in from the very beginning. The prose was beautiful.

[B. P.]

If you want more I suggest reading his follow-up work Shadow and Act to learn the process behind this book.

[Beverly]

Ken wrote: "Though I joined too late for to participate in this challenge, I have to say that this may be the most important I ever read. I read this book in the 8th grade and it transformed me into a serious ..."

Thanks for sharing your story. It is just wonderful when there is a book that transforms a person and has an impact on life more than just being an entertaining read.

Often times when you start a book you really have no idea what the book can mean to you.

[B. P.]

I think that something that is not often discussed about this book is regional location. I think that the fact that much of this novel takes place in New York City is what keeps it relevant today. This would be a very different book if Ellison had tried putting all the action in the South.

[kisha, The Clean Up Lady]

I don't know, maybe I picked a bad time to start reading this book but I began losing interest. I was really into it in the beginning, and then somewhere around the middle I found myself having to reread pages and paragraph because I wasn't truly tuning in. I'm going to put it down for a while and pick it back up when I'm ready for an intense read like this one.

[B. P.]

Sorry to hear that, Kisha. Modern fiction ain't for everyone. I remember when I first started reading this book, I would read the prologue over and over because I had never read anything like that in my life. When I showed to my grandmother she maybe made thru one page before saying it was not her thing. The reviews on this website show that people like this book or hate it.

[Maya]

I finished it a while ago. I thought it was an ok read....an audio version of this book would probably be amazing. I would definitely give that version a try

[Beverly]

kisha wrote: "I don't know, maybe I picked a bad time to start reading this book but I began losing interest. I was really into it in the beginning, and then somewhere around the middle I found myself having to ..."

I am a believer that every book is not for everybody but every book is for somebody.

Yes, maybe picking it up again at a later date may work better for you. (That has happened to me with a couple of books.)

I read this book some time ago - while I appreciated the genius of what Ralph Ellison wrote and how he approached the storyline and it does deserve to be a classic - personally the book was not my cup of tea.

[kisha, The Clean Up Lady]

Ken wrote: "Sorry to hear that, Kisha. Modern fiction ain't for everyone. I remember when I first started reading this book, I would read the prologue over and over because I had never read anything like that ..."

I absolutely loved the prologue. I'm definitely with you there. I think that I will like this book. Sometimes (with me) it's about the timing of when you read certain books. I dont think this was the right timing. I'm definitely going to go back to it.

[Lulu, The Book Reader who could.]

Maya wrote: "I finished it a while ago. I thought it was an ok read....an audio version of this book would probably be amazing. I would definitely give that version a try"

I did the Audio version and Papa Pope (Joe Morton) did the reading. It was great!!!

[Maya]

thanks Lulu. I will see if my library has it

[B. P.]

For those who finished it: what did you think about the whole saga with Todd Clifton (I believe?) given the events of the last year and a half?