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The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man
- Author
- James Weldon Johnson
- Narrator
- Bill Andrew Quinn
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 1 December 2011
- Run Time
- 5 hours 2 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man takes place in post Reconstruction era America and follows the story of a young biracial male. Johnson poses a complex dilemma: because the “Ex-Colored Man,” which is the only name by which the protagonist is referred, represents what, at the time was, a social contradiction of race and culture, he is forced to choose which aspect of his heritage to publicly express. His options are to embrace his black heritage and culture, or to pass as a white man cloaked in middle-class, mediocre obscurity. Johnson’s novel explores racial tensions in late nineteenth and early twentieth century culture through this poignant coming-of-age story.
Critics Review
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“Johnson’s theme of moral cowardice sets his tragic story of a mulatto in the United States above other sentimental narratives. The unnamed narrator, the offspring of a black mother and white father, tells of his coming-of-age at the beginning of the 20th century. Light-skinned enough to pass for white but emotionally tied to his mother’s heritage, he ends up a failure in his own eyes after he chooses to follow the easier path while witnessing a white mob set fire to a black man…Recommended.”
Library Journal
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“This remarkable man left a mark on the 20th century that goes beyond the boundary of race.”
Amazon.com, praise for the author
User Reviews
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Details
- Author
- James Weldon Johnson
- Narrator
- Bill Andrew Quinn
- Duration
- 5 hours 2 minutes
- Release Date
- 1 December 2011
- ISBN
- 9781609985875
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Historical fiction, Ethnic studies, Classic fiction
Synopsis
James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man takes place in post Reconstruction era America and follows the story of a young biracial male. Johnson poses a complex dilemma: because the “Ex-Colored Man,” which is the only name by which the protagonist is referred, represents what, at the time was, a social contradiction of race and culture, he is forced to choose which aspect of his heritage to publicly express. His options are to embrace his black heritage and culture, or to pass as a white man cloaked in middle-class, mediocre obscurity. Johnson’s novel explores racial tensions in late nineteenth and early twentieth century culture through this poignant coming-of-age story.
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