James Weldon Johnson

Presents a personal perspective on the American light-skinned Negro's experience in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries

The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man

Heleah Soulati

Sarah Smith

Beautifully and unabashedly illuminates the shadowed assumptions of the race question. The narrator speaks without bias on the experiences that shape his fluid identity. This effectively allows the reader to interpret these experiences with the vantage points that both lenses offer. Most poignant to me were the instances in which he related prejudices that are near identical to events taking place today, over 100 years after initial publishing. 

Truly eloquent and thought provoking.

Jeni Enjaian

I have to admit that it wasn't until I pulled up this page to write the review that I realized that this book was fiction not memoir. That makes such a difference and likely would have affected my perception of the book as I read. That being said, the following is my review of the book as read while under the perception of near non-fiction status.
First, the chronology in the book is a bit muddled. I had difficulty placing the book in the right decade which made for some confusion. That may be my fault but I do think that Johnson could have clarified a bit. Second, the narrative is smooth flowing, easy to read and at times rather grandiose. Third (take into account the above disclaimer) the grandiose nature of the narrative made it hard to discern what was fiction (altered perception) and what was real. Turns out, it was all fiction. That makes a big difference in perception.
I can't say that I recommend this book but it's not bad, pretty middling.

A gifted musician’s decision to navigate society as a white man causes an internal debate about anti-blackness and the explicit nature of intent versus impact. James Weldon Johnson presents a distinct conflict driven by a person’s desires and overwhelming fear. The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man follows the story of an unnamed narrator and his unique experience as a fair-skinned Black person. As a child, he is initially unaware of his race, but his mother soon clarifies their family’s ancestry. The young man’s ability to pass for white allows him to negate the harsh and discriminatory treatment most Black people face. This leads to a series of events that significantly shape the way he views his place in society. James Weldon Johnson delivers a captivating tale of identity politics in the U.S. and abroad. The main character is living a life of omission that provides public gain at a personal cost. This story maintains its relevance as a critical examination of race in society. With an eye-catching new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is both modern and readable.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

Caitlin Moore

Laura Hurst

kate humphreys 

Bergen Anders Nelson Eickhoff

Annaliese Taylor

Ali Cardelli

Mallory Foutch

No other series of classic texts achieves the editorial standard of the Norton Critical Editions. Each volume combines the most authoritative text available with contextual and critical materials that bring the work to life for students. Careful editing, first-rate translation, thorough explanatory annotations, chronologies, and selected bibliographies make each text accessible to students while encouraging in-depth study. Each volume in the series is printed on acid-free paper, and every text remains in print. Norton Critical Editions are the choice of excellence for scholarship for students at more than 2,500 colleges and universities worldwide.

The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man

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