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

adventurous reflective medium-paced

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

3.0

First published in 1912, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is often cited as one of the first novels of African American literature. While not gaining much traction upon its initial release, it did see a revival and ultimate canonization during the Harlem Renaissance period. 

This short novella follows the life of a light skinned African American at the beginning of the 20th Century. We follow him from childhood to adulthood and from a young age he finds that he is different. He sees himself unlike the other, predominantly white, kids of his New England childhood until it is the societal action of adults to racialize him and categorize him with the Black kids. That being said, he finds that he often passes for white and is able to easily navigate their world with very little pushback for his ethnicity.

In many ways this book feels very in line with what will follow in terms of Black male memoir and autofiction but I will say this angle of colorism does make it stand out, even 100 years later. Unlike many of the other works I’ve read of Black Literature, the protagonist faces very little hardship and ultimately prospers in society. The commentary on race and exploration of these themes really is just played out by his observations. Seeing how white people speak when they don’t think they are in mixed company. In this sense this is a really interesting look at the arbitrary nature of race and quite impressive given the time period this book is from. 

Ultimately, I found the narrative to wander and given the short nature of this book, very brief in its exploration of these themes. There are flashes of greatness that still make it a quite compelling read but overall it left a lot to be desired. Especially given the kinds of books I’ve read that were published after. I found that the kinds of narratives based around being a Black man in America during this time period were done in a much more compelling way by the likes of James Baldwin or Richard Wright. Of course, those authors don’t explore colorism in the ways that Johnson does here but the focus on colorism often takes a backseat to other components in this narrative and given its brevity, it felt too limited in its scope.

One of the more interesting aspects of this narrative when it deviates from its exploration of colorism is looking at the rise in popularity of Ragtime. As maybe the first worldwide phenomenon of Black music captivating the zeitgeist, it is an interesting look at this phenomenon as it is something that has repeated itself with every new style of music based in Black culture and adopted by the masses. At times this feels like the stronger exploration in this narrative than simply the concepts of race on a personal level.

Overall I do think this is an interesting piece of American American literature but something that's value is more in its influence and historical value in a modern context. I can see where this inspired many great works in the decades following its publication but in comparison with those works it is far lacking. The colorism aspect is interesting too. It is known that much of the Harlem Renaissance period features lighter skinned authors, often from much more privileged backgrounds than that average Black person. This work follows right in line with this background and Johnson even admits to that at the end of this work, acknowledging how he differs from the average Black man, making him feel ultimately unqualified to claim this experience.