This book is a feat of virtuosity. It follows the protagonist of the story, who is also its narrator, through his journey to absolute disillusionment. When the story begins, we meet the narrator as a cynical man, filled with rage, and even acting on it, in the streets of New York, and then he begins to narrate his life starting, naturally, from childhood. As a Black child in the American South and later as a young Black man, the narrator believes that following the rules the system has set out and acting in the way he is expected to by authorities will guarantee him happiness and prosperity. Disenchantment begins soon after he has to leave college following a series of comical events that lead to his expulsion from the school, and as he makes his way in life, each step becomes one disillusion then another, so that the unknowing and hopeful young boy we meet in the beginning no longer remains in the man he becomes.

This is a "great" book by all the metrics usually bestowed on books like this: wide scope, an adventure of sorts as one discovery leads to another, imaginatively vivid passages, unforgettable characters, speaks to the present (unfortunately so too) and reads very fresh despite the eight decades that have passed since its publication. There's an ironic and comical tone to this book that holds the extraordinary events and images in place, and I'm still reeling at how good this was. It was a tough one and I've taken some days upon completion before I even thought of reviewing it. I was tempted to give it the five stars with no review. Partly because most of what I had to say has already been said by others; partly because I've been so blown away by this that nothing would have been clear and coherent enough to express how Ellison sustains sharp vision through the madness.

Oppression, the monstrosity that it is, begets further monstrosity. On the people that enact it, as well as on those who are subjected to it. I've only read a few fictional works that paint it all as succinctly as this one did, and even fewer with such flourish. ( )

An important, but not an easy, read. Ellison’s style struck me as Faulkneresque, I.e., moving between awake and dream-like states. I found it necessary to re-read passages frequently to really get what was going on. The title says something essential about the story : it isn’t about AN Invisible Man, but rather about the Invisibility of black men (and, I presume, women).

Not much has changed in 2024. Really sad! ( )

Have you ever read the Pilgrim's Progress? This reminded me of that in a lot of ways, as all the people the main character meets are literal representations of racist ideologies and oppressive systems. Very allegorical. It also felt very Kafkaesque, in his quest to be someone or be seen as someone, and that always being foiled and bumped back two steps for every forward one. This is impressive, and parts of it are great fun to read, but overall it is a reminder of how far we still have to go in equality. ( )

So much changes yet so much stays the same . . . poignant almost 70 years after published. ( )