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A review by babs5005
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson
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.
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.