Reviews

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson

jvmpbvndles's review against another edition

adventurous challenging hopeful reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character

4.0

Read extremely smoothly to me.. thought-provoking discussion and worldview of the narrator..
Not an all-encompassing epic, but an excellent short novel.

cloudshard's review against another edition

emotional reflective fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated

4.25

sawdustcharlie's review against another edition

5.0

I believe every child in the South should read this book as part of Southern history. We learned about the Civil War in school, and about Reconstruction. Depending upon the teacher you got, the middle of the nineteenth century was either required material, a glorious period in Southern history, or a terrible era of U.S. history. In either way, the symbolism of the period always seemed to overshadow its reality. What Johnson does so well is to make his main character real, while still presenting the debates (the color question, as he often puts it) of the time. Johnson's observations about Southerners, white and black, and the South are some of the most insightful observations I have ever read about my region. Several of these passages struck me, but the most presient observations occurred as the narrator rode a train to Georgia, and listened to a debate about race conducted by several men in the smoking car (it is in this passage that the narrator remarked that Southerners simply have to talk, and strangers put in any confined space will not be strangers for long). It is in this passage that Johnson's narrator admires Southerns "for the manner in which he defends not only his virtues, but his vices." I re-read that sentence over and over--how very well it described Southern history! I highly recommend this book to everyone, but I absolutely recommend it to anyone that has lived in the South and struggled to define that elusive entity that is the American South.

adelita18's review against another edition

adventurous challenging emotional informative reflective sad slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

isabellek_03's review against another edition

challenging emotional reflective

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

important and thought-provoking read, i don’t have any smart-ass comments for this one

babs5005's review against another edition

4.0

I’m torn on this book. On the one hand, I really enjoyed the writing and I thought the life of the narrator was interesting. I didn’t find it at all a chore to read, but instead looked forward to picking it up to read every night.
Although the book was first published in 1912, there were parts that are still very relevant to modern times.
On the other hand, I think more than anything, that I was a little confused on what the message of the book was. The narrator was so privileged he lived a life that didn’t necessarily describe the average person from the time.
For example, the narrators father was a rich man who sent him away to Connecticut for a good education. His mother was a beautiful and intelligent women and he grew up to be a very attractive man.
He was successful in all his undertaking and was a gifted musician. He was intelligent and well spoken. He could speak several languages. He paired up with a millionaire and traveled all over Europe for free.
This guy lived a blessed and charmed life.
He had some big plans to heal racism and become a great musician which fizzled. I guess he did end up living a regular life as a commoner when he decided to abandon his black side and instead embrace his white. Instead of ending up a famous musician who uplifted the black race he just turned to business and decided to live as a white man. Maybe the point of the book was that he turned his back on his black heritage and instead embraced his white heritage and so he chose mediocrity?
But even his choice to be mediocre wasn't all that bad. He still ended up with a normal job, a fair amount of money, and a beautiful wife and two children.
I think I learned a lot about the times the narrator came from and the politics of his day, but I’m not sure that he was a representative of anything but super rich people. White or black, this guy was privileged.
I guess I’m not sure what I was supposed to learn from this book, but it was well written and I enjoyed it.

mickstrauther's review against another edition

dark reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Solid book, great pacing, and I love a good retrospective POV. For me, the writing is the strength of this short and quick novel. James Weldon Johnson is one of those writers who can describe relatively mundane things with such rhythm and introspection that it’s interesting; it comes in handy with a book like this, where the story is just the tale of a man’s life—nothing too crazy, nothing spectacular. Yet, I was invested in the narrative and the protagonist’s decisions regardless. At various points, I was frustrated with him, proud of him, disappointed in him, rooting for him. In this way, he feels like a very real person, if incredibly flawed. 

I don’t know if the novel says anything groundbreaking about race and passing as white; there were strong moments philosophizing on the matter, but I don’t think the overall effect is one of awe or novelty. In fact, there are many times where the protagonist’s feelings about blackness are flawed and annoyingly superficial. Then again, I don’t necessarily find it problematic; if anything, they are character flaws that we as readers can discuss and pick apart. 

As a black American reader myself, I was more interested in the decisions and psyche behind someone passing for white. It’s especially helpful because I’m currently writing a book about the same thing. That’s what this is; a slice of life, at the end of the day, about one man’s thoughts and decisions. While I do think Johnson could have fleshed out a little more of the ending, it’s a quick and solid read. It’s one of those books where it’s more about the journey than the destination.

kikiandarrowsfishshelf's review against another edition

4.0

Johnson's fictional autobiography of a man who can pass and who, at first, doesn't realize he is black, undoubtedly draws from his own life. The literature student can see the forerunner of Baldwin and Wright in this work as well as comments on the America of his time. In many ways, Johnson gives voice to comments about race and racial relations that bear repeating today. In particular, he foregrounds the question of prespective and living as a minority in a white world.

Some of the most beautiful passages of the book concern ragtime music and the cake walk.

pinkcarat's review against another edition

dark emotional informative reflective tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

paigeqthompson's review against another edition

dark reflective slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25