The Human Stain by Philip Roth
The Human Stain is a novel that explores the life of Coleman Silk, a classics professor in a small New England town who is forced to retire after accusations of racism. The story delves into Silk's personal history, revealing that he is a light-skinned African American who has been passing as a Jewish man for most of his adult life. His affair with a much younger, illiterate janitor further scandalizes the community. The novel examines themes of identity, race, and the destructive power of public shaming.
The 420th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 2000
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 361
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.2)
- Alternate Titles
-
- A Mancha Humana
- A Marca Humana
- De Menselijke Smet
- Ihmisen Tahra
- La Macchia Umana
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 25 lists:
- 4th on Quintessential American Fiction, According to the Rest of the World (Literary Hub)
- 6th on The 25 Masterpieces of World Literature That Will Define the 21st Century (Télérama)
- 11th on The Top 21: The Best Novels of the 21st Century (De Groene Amsterdammer)
- 39th on The 21 best books of the 21st century (Babelia en EL PAÍS)
- 82nd on Truelit's 100 Best Books of the Quarter Century (/r/truelit)
- 88th on The 101 Favorite Novels of 'Le Monde' Readers (Le Monde)
- 91st on 100 Best Books of the 21st Century (NY Times)
- 99th on The 500 best books of all time from Culture Café users (Culture Café)
- 119th on Our Users' Honorable Mention Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 110 Best Books: The Perfect Library (The Telegraph)
- 500 Must Read Books (The Daily Telegraph)
- 501 Must-Read Books (LibraryThing)
- A Century of World Literature 1925 - 2025 (Der Spiegel)
- Best Foreign Work of Fiction Chosen by Francophone Writers (French literary magazine Transfuge)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Jonathan Lethem's Book Choices from "The Writer's Library" (The Writer's Library: The Authors You Love on the Books That Changed Their Lives (Book))
- PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction (PEN/Faulkner)
- Potter, Pi, and Pilgrim: What any library of the aughts ought to contain (Honorable mention not from Canada) (The National Post (newspaper))
- The 100 Novels You Must Read in Your Lifetime (Esquire)
- The 21 Books From the 21st Century Every Man Should Read (GQ)
- The Books of Our Time (Der Spiegel)
- What are the Goncourt Winners’ Favorite Books? (Télérama)
- What Is the Best Work of American Fiction of the Last 25 Years? (New York Times)