Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
The novel is a poignant exploration of a young African-American man's journey through life, where he grapples with issues of race, identity, and individuality in mid-20th-century America. The protagonist, who remains unnamed throughout the story, considers himself socially invisible due to his race. The narrative follows his experiences from the South to the North, from being a student to a worker, and his involvement in the Brotherhood, a political organization. The book is a profound critique of societal norms and racial prejudice, highlighting the protagonist's struggle to assert his identity in a world that refuses to see him.
The 36th greatest book of all time
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- Published
- 1952
- Nationality
- American
- Length
- Moderate
- Pages
- 200-600
- Original Language
- English
- Avg User Rating
-
(4.1)
- Alternate Titles
-
- Homem Invisível
- Uomo Invisibile
- Uomo invisibile
- Невидимка
If you're interested in seeing the ranking details on this book go here
This book is on the following 72 lists:
- 1st on Distinguished Fiction, 1945-1965. (New York Herald Tribune)
- 1st on One Hundred Best American Novels, 1770 to 1985 (The American Scholar)
- 3rd on 200 Books That Shaped 200 Years of Literature (The Center for Fiction)
- 5th on As if You Don't Have Enough to Read, Fiction Edition (New York Times)
- 5th on The Ideal Library (Book)
- 8th on 100 Best Novels in English Since 1900 (Counterpunch)
- 8th on The Best Southern Novels of All Time (Oxford American)
- 9th on Harvard Book Store Staff's Favorite 100 Books (Harvard Book Store)
- 16th on Koen Book Distributors Top 100 Books of the Past Century (themodernnovel.com)
- 18th on 20th Century's Greatest Hits: 100 English-Language Books of Fiction (Larry McCaffery)
- 19th on The Modern Library | 100 Best Novels (Modern Library)
- 20th on D. G. Myers’ 50 Greatest English Language Novels (D. G. Myers)
- 24th on Radcliffe's 100 Best Novels (Radcliffe Publishing Course)
- 26th on Entertainment Weekly's Top 100 Novels (Entertainment Weekly)
- 26th on The 100 Greatest Novels (greatbooksguide.com)
- 28th on Books Of The Century (Library Journal)
- 28th on The Greatest Books of All Time (Reader's Digest)
- 29th on 100 Best Books (Montana State University)
- 32nd on The Top 10: The Greatest Books of All Time (The Top 10 (Book))
- 33rd on TrueLit's Top 100 Favorite Books (2023) (/r/TrueLit)
- 34th on The Novel 100: A Ranking of the Greatest Novels of All Time (The Novel 100)
- 37th on The 100 Best Novels Of All Time In English (The Guardian)
- 39th on The 100 Stories that Shaped the World (BBC)
- 43rd on In Which These Are the 100 Greatest Novels (ThisRecording.com)
- 49th on Our Users' Top 100 Favorite Books of All Time (The Greatest Books Users)
- 69th on The Modern Library's 100 Best Novels: The Readers' List (The Modern Library)
- 178th on The Complete 500: OCLC (OCLC)
- 1,000 Books to Read Before You Die: A Life-Changing List (1,000 Books to Read Before You Die(Book))
- 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read (The Guardian)
- 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die (The Book)
- 100 Best 20th-Century American Books (Hungry Mind Review)
- 100 Books to Read in a Lifetime (Amazon.com (USA))
- 101 Significant Books (Good Reading: A Guide for Serious Readers)
- 125 Books We Love for Adults (NY Public Library)
- 12 Novels Considered the Greatest Book Ever Written (Encyclopedia Britannica)
- 222 Best Books of All Time That Deserve a Spot on Your Bookshelf, With Picks from Bestselling Authors and Indie Booksellers (Parade)
- 25 Books by Black Authors You Should Read This February (Oprah Daily)
- 40 Most Important Books, 1927-2001 (World Literature Today)
- A Century of Reading (Lithub)
- All-Time Classics, According to Academics (The Commercial Appeal )
- Best Books (Fiction, Prose) : Experts Choose Their Favourites (The Book "Best Books")
- Books That Shaped America (Library of Congress)
- Donald Barthelme’s Reading List (Believer Mag)
- Everything You Should Read without Being a Library Rat (Book by Luiz Carlos Lisboa)
- For The Love of Books (For The Love of Books)
- From Zero to Well-Read in 100 Books (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher (Harenberg Buch der 1000 Bücher)
- Harold Bloom's The Western Canon (The Western Canon (Book) by Harold Bloom)
- How to Read and Why (Harold Bloom)
- IWU Select 100 Must-Read Books (IWU (Faculty, Staff, and Students))
- Nancy Pearl's 100 Good Reads, Decade by Decade (Book Lust (Book))
- National Book Award - Fiction (National Book Foundation)
- Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English since 1939 (Anthony Burges (Book))
- Select 100 (University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee)
- Stephen King names his 10 favourite books of all time (Express)
- The 100 Greatest American Novels, 1893 – 1993 (Jeff O'Neal at Bookriot.com)
- The 75 Best Books of the Past 75 Years (Parade Magazine)
- The 80 Books Every Man Should Read (Esquire)
- The Booklist Century: 100 Books, 100 Years (BookList)
- The Book of Great Books: A Guide to 100 World Classics (Book)
- The College Board: 101 Great Books Recommended for College-Bound Readers (The College Board, an American not-for-profit organization)
- The Dream of the Great American Novel (Book)
- The Great American Novels (The Atlantic)
- The Great American Read (PBS)
- The Great Books Podcast from John J. Miller (The National Review )
- The Modern Library: The Two Hundred Best Novels in English Since 1950 (The Modern Library (Book))
- The New York Public Library's Books of the Century (New York Public Library)
- The Spouter-Inn; or, A Conversation with Great Books (The Spouter-Inn Podcast)
- The Well-Educated Mind (Book)
- TIME Magazine All Time 100 Novels (TIME Magazine)
- Top 100 Books (Lincoln Journal Star)
- Top 100 Works in World Literature (Norwegian Book Clubs, with the Norwegian Nobel Institute)