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ifyouhappentoremember's review
3.0
3.5
For me, this is a very tricky book to rate. I can't particularly say this was a pleasurable read, but I found it interesting from a historical perspective. This is undoubtedly an important book; it is a snapshot of post-reconstruction America's understanding of race, an analysis of white and black society by a man who can move through both.
For such a short book there is a lot to unpack. While there are several pieces of analysis that can get really heavy-handed (when the Ex-Colored Man is explaining to the reader that black people are not a monolith and have different class distinctions is something I hope is common knowledge now), there are also observations so subtle it is easy to overlook. I can not be the only person who thinks the Ex-Colored Man's millionaire friend is also a black man passing as white.
Overall, I'd say this book was an uneven read for me as I read it more for its historical importance over personal enjoyment. I think I would have rated this higher if I didn't feel so annoyed by the narrator at times. He displayed an amazing lack of self-awareness and was devoid of any backbone (the prime example being the incident with the widow).
For me, this is a very tricky book to rate. I can't particularly say this was a pleasurable read, but I found it interesting from a historical perspective. This is undoubtedly an important book; it is a snapshot of post-reconstruction America's understanding of race, an analysis of white and black society by a man who can move through both.
For such a short book there is a lot to unpack. While there are several pieces of analysis that can get really heavy-handed (when the Ex-Colored Man is explaining to the reader that black people are not a monolith and have different class distinctions is something I hope is common knowledge now), there are also observations so subtle it is easy to overlook. I can not be the only person who thinks the Ex-Colored Man's millionaire friend is also a black man passing as white.
Overall, I'd say this book was an uneven read for me as I read it more for its historical importance over personal enjoyment. I think I would have rated this higher if I didn't feel so annoyed by the narrator at times. He displayed an amazing lack of self-awareness and was devoid of any backbone (the prime example being the incident with the widow).
tuma's review
3.0
I liked it overall. Think I enjoyed it more for the articulate writing style than for the content. While Johnson's experiences are interesting, they are not particularly profound.
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