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Title details for Native Son by Richard Wright - Wait list

Native Son

by Richard Wright
Peter Francis James
Audiobook
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Wait time: About 2 weeks
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
When it was first published in 1940, Native Son established Richard Wright as a literary star. In the decades since, Wright's masterpiece—hailed by Newsweekas "a novel of tremendous power and beauty"—has become a revered classic that remains as timely and relevant today as when it first appeared.
Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Native Son is the story of Bigger Thomas, a young Black man caught in a downward spiral after killing a young white woman in a brief moment of panic. Written with the distinctive rhythm of a modern crime story, this formidable work is both a condemnation of social injustice and an
unsparing portrait of the Black experience in America, revealing the tragic effect of poverty, racism, and hopelessness on the human spirit. "I wrote Native Son to show what manner of men and women our 'society of the majority' breeds, and my aim was to depict a character in terms of the living tissue and texture
of daily consciousness," Wright explained.
"If one had to identify the single most influential shaping force in modern Black literary history, one would probably have to point to Wright and the publication of Native Son."—Henry Louis Gates Jr.
"The most powerful American novel to appear since The Grapes of Wrath."—The New Yorker

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    May 1, 1998

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9781449878337
      • File size: 510974 KB
      • Duration: 17:44:31

  • Languages

    • English

  • Levels

    • Lexile® Measure: 700
    • Text Difficulty: 3

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Polite and even fearful in the presence of his white "betters," Bigger Thomas also hates them with a passion not even he can fully fathom. When he says "Yes, Sir" and "No, Sir," narrator Peter Francis James gets the menace in there behind the stilted manners. James has a gorgeous voice, a voice to fill a room with, and plays some characters with dash and conviction. Unfortunately, he reads the all-knowing narrator with less modulation, reminding us that the book is half novel and half political manifesto. Still, this is memorable presentation of a landmark in American literature. Bigger Thomas thinks and then does the unthinkable. He was invented in 1940. Now he has a voice. B.H.C. (c) AudioFile 2008, Portland, Maine
    • Publisher's Weekly

      Starred review from June 30, 2008
      Wright's classic 1940 novel about a young African-American man who murders a white woman in 1930s Chicago is a truly remarkable literary accomplishment. Peter Francis James has never been better, bringing the character of Bigger Thomas to life in a profound and moving performance that is as touching as it is truthful. James's powerful baritone demands to be heard, captivating listeners with Wright's realistic portrayal of life in the inner city, capturing the mood of each and every scene. With moderate yet believable variations in tone and dialect for each of the characters, James ignites the collective imagination of his audience. Wright's novel is real, raw and brutally honest and James's reading follows suit.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Levels

  • Lexile® Measure:700
  • Text Difficulty:3

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