Invisible Man

Definitely not H.G. Wells! Eloquent, passionate, sardonic, shocking and surreal, this first novel of Ellison won a well-deserved Pulitzer and has since become a classic of American literature. An unnamed African-American tells of how he discovered that he is invisible to whites and how he learned to make the most of it. Narrator James does a merely serviceable job here, sometimes misinterpreting the text and at no time investing much of himself in it. If he has not given us the tour-de-force the material demands, he at least has delivered the considerable beauty of the writing. Y.R. (c) AudioFile 2001, Portland, Maine

This audiobook is a tour de force. The talented Joe Morton gives a virtuoso narration. Morton inhabits the novel's unnamed narrator and draws the listener into his remarkable world from the first to the last sentence. His exceptional portrayals of the wide cast of characters, ranging from a poor Southern black farmer to Harlem hipsters, white tycoons, and black matriarchs make this audiobook especially vivid. This iconic novel, which won the 1953 National Book Award, is widely thought of as one of the most important of the twentieth century. Morton rises to every occasion. Whether he's evoking the famous race riot scene or the harrowing episode at the paint factory--all is made real and memorable. This is an audiobook to cherish. A.D.M. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2020, Portland, Maine