Reviews

Uncle Tom's Children by Richard Yarborough, Richard Wright

geraldine_compere's review against another edition

inspiring reflective medium-paced

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

4.5

jordan1978's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense slow-paced

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

4.75

graywacke's review against another edition

dark emotional tense fast-paced

5.0

A flawed, but intense and powerful commentary, with some beautiful elements, terrific characters, insane dramatic tension. 

elijah_'s review against another edition

challenging dark emotional sad tense 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? It's complicated

2.75

doruga's review against another edition

4.0

(More like a high 3, like 3.8 or something) Very hard to read but powerful nontheless. I enjoyed this second readthrough less than my first time going through it - saw a lot more flaws than I did originally. Either way the last story still slaps hard. If I had to rank them Id say the second short story (the one with the clock) is the weakest, while the last two are clearly the best.

OLD
Wow. This book is crazy fucking good. A collection of novellas set during american jim crow written by the legendary richard wright. It was also a complete gift to read this right after reading Hurston, as they didnt like each other at all when they were alive (You should read Wright's review of Their Eyes and read Hurston's review of this book to see what I mean). The last two novellas really hit me, especially the last one. I've never gotten chills reading before, but the last novella gave them to me in spades at the end. Definitely entered my top books of all time and I will be reading it again very soon.

amodernisttriestoread's review against another edition

dark sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

whofalls's review against another edition

4.0

I read this book in one night for class. It was good enough for me to do that sans pain. Just give me some time to process the novel!

drlove2018's review against another edition

4.0

I find Wright's fiction to be far more effective than his propaganda. Though heavy-handed in some respects, the cinematic quality of the prose and the visceral impact of the language make evident the promise to be fulfilled in Native Son. Makes me want to re-read the latter to experience it again with this text as a backdrop.

shyster's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

tyserena's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence

Moderate: Misogyny