Native Son

Native Son

Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic.

Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.

Title : Native Son
Edition Language : English
ISBN : 9780060837563
Format Type :

    Native Son Reviews

  • Ben Siems

    My older brother Larry, who is extremely well-read, recently came to town for a visit. He had with him a copy of Native Son. I asked what prompted him to re-read it. He explained that he had actually ...

  • Matthew

    This book is extremely powerful. I saw another review saying that they could not believe this was written and released in 1940. I agree - as I can only imagine how controversial the content would have...

  • Rowena

    “These were the rhythms of his life: indifference and violence; periods of abstract brooding and periods of intense desire; moments of silence and moments of anger—like water ebbing and flowing fr...

  • Brina

    Updating my shelves. I read this in high school for a book report. Being that I'm from the Chicago suburbs originally this was one of my first exposures to life in another part of the city and I found...

  • Samadrita

    One has got to appreciate the diplomatic mincing of words that graces the GR blurb. "Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of h...

  • Fabian

    (SPOILERS!) Reading the first 2 parts of "Native Son," Richard Wright's landmark novel is an absolute thrill. One part Tom Ripley, one part Graham Greene's "Brighton Rock," the antihero always reigns ...

  • Aubrey

    Have you heard the name Trayvon Martin? If you have, good. If you haven’t, look him up. Open a tab, search up the name, T-R-A-Y-V-O-N etc, and read. Familiarize yourself with the exact definitions o...

  • Michael

    A gripping naturalist novel delving into the psychological toll of racism on Black interiority. There’s so much to critique about the work, from its misogyny to its clunky structure, but its influen...

  • Roman Clodia

    What a brave and confrontational book this is! Wright could have gone down the easy route of making Bigger Thomas a falsely accused man and generated sympathy by showing him as the victim of a raciali...

  • Monica

    I've struggled for almost a year to write a review for this book. I think it's so difficult because I just didn't like the way that I felt about it. A main character who is despicable surround by well...