Native Son vs. Invisible Man

[Professor Emeritus]

Native Son and Black Boy are both strong books.

Invisible Man is literally the greatest novel I've ever read. No contest.


I never felt any need to reread Native Son. I've lost track of how many times I've reread Invisible Man, I want to say at least four times, even read it to my wife after we got married.

Invisible man is my favorite book of all time.

\

 

[Secure Da Bag]

even read it to my wife after we got married.

You didn't quote it in your vows did you?

 

[Professor Emeritus]

You didn't quote it in your vows did you?

The ultimate #GMB vows.


"What and how much had I lost by trying to do only what was expected of me instead of what I myself had wished to do?"

"Whence all this passion towards conformity anyway? Diversity is the word."

"Play the game, but don’t believe in it – that much you owe yourself."

"Everywhere I've turned somebody has wanted to sacrifice me for my own good—only /they/ were the ones who benefited. And now we start on the old sacrificial merry-go-round. At what point do we stop?"

"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat."

"When I discover who I am, I’ll be free."

"Perhaps everyone loved someone; I didn't now, I couldn't give much thought to love; in order to travel far you had to be detached."

"For, like almost everyone else in our country, I started out with my share of optimism."

"I denounce because though implicated and partially responsible, I have been hurt to the point of abysmal pain, hurt to the point of invisibility. And I defend because in spite of it all, I find that I love."

 

[Cadillac]

Both masterpieces. Gonna have to flip a quarter to come to a conclusion to choose the winner

 

[Geek Nasty]

Books on race sometimes go over the heads of young people. You just haven't had enough life experience to have context. I was the same way. There are some books I read like Moll Flanders where I COMPLETELY missed what was going on.

 

[Berniewood Hogan]

"Life is to be lived, not controlled; and humanity is won by continuing to play in face of certain defeat."

 

[Dr. Narcisse]

 

[get these nets]

Tried reading Invisible Man multiple times never got into it.so Native Son by default.

 

[dem bath salts]

Invisible Man and Dune are the only books I've read and initially knew I was reading a masterpiece, and was in awe while reading each chapter
Quotables for days for each book.

 

[PoorAndDangerous]

I loved native son, I need to read invisible man still

 

[Baka's Weird Case]

I'm 22 for reference, I read Invisible Man in between freshman and sophomore year of college and Native Son two years later. Both excellent books but Native Son stuck with me a lot more for some reason. Its one of my favorite books.

 

[ViShawn]

Invisible Man is excellent. I sort of want to read Native Son but it seems like the themes in the book are something that has been visiting through other literary works and I'd argue Black Americans nowadays can strongly relate to the experience of Bigger in one way or another.

Invisible Man delves into self identity and your place in the world. It also made me start reading Fydor Dostevesky funny enough because it took elements from Notes From The Underground