Native Son

Powerful!

Well, I definitely do not recall reading this in high school but it was assigned

Well this one was certainly bleak and thought provoking. I was initially tempted to say it was rambling or too long but I think this drawn out, heavy aspect of the book was an intentional part of the experience the author wanted to create.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars
A fantastic look into the multiple layers of race relations, oppression, and violence. I felt like a central question of this book was: In what ways do the realities of this world affect the actions of a person?
Wright delivers a great look into the experience of black people in America and doesn't shy away from the fact that there are many sides of the issues at hand–white and black people alike are guilty and are harmed from the systems that are in place.

This book is entertaining and well written. Even though the author tells you point blank that Bigger has always been heading toward jail, you still wonder how things are going to work out. This book is a great fictional piece for people who want to know more and analyze patterns of society. A great read!

Man, this was hard to read but so important. So many important themes and I'm sure I haven't even scratched the surface on what Wright was trying to convey. I almost put it to 4 stars because of some disturbing scenes but overall, I'm glad I read this book and it was exceptionally well written.

Only read book one

Bigger is black, twenty, living with his family in a one-room rat-infested apartment in Chicago, going with a girl he doesn't care about, hanging out with friends he doesn't like, unemployed.

He is forced to take a job to keep his mother and siblings in their apartment. The job is acting as a chauffeur for a rich white family. On his very first night as chauffeur, everything goes wrong and he kills the daughter.

Native Son is a starkly realistic picture of life as a young black man in a big city in mid-20th century America.

Richard Wright wrote a very good novel about racial discrimination and the hardships for colored people during segregation times etc. Written in 1940, Wright (a black author)decided to express his feelings towards the world whether they would accept it or not, and became very controversial because a black man actually wrote whats happening in real life, and making the white people aware of their faults. Bigger Thomas is the protagonist of the story and is sentenced to the death penalty because he was accused of raping and killing a white woman. When you are reading the book, you will have new perspectives about this cruel situation and with Wright's great writing, you will feel as if you are right there with Bigger the entire journey until his death.

Bigger than life, this was just an insane read.

It's hard to sympathize with the main character for much of the book until you realize that's not what's asked of you. Just be willing to receive and understand.

This is a book that I just couldn't stop thinking about once I'd finished. I alternately abhorred Bigger and felt sorry for him and his circumstances. Could get a little tedious, but worth it.