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30 Book Recommendations in 30 Days — Day 8 “Native Son” by Richard Wright

Whoa!

A look at the human cost of racism without pity - well, that's the idea. What comes out is some insanely and uncomfortable intense tension using a Shakespeare-like villain—all calculation without consequential foresight—confined in racist space. This is followed by a lot of contemplation, some of it awkward and with an agenda. No literary work of perfection, but a powerful and uncomfortable novel.

(Richard Wright is a 2023 theme for me)

🎧📖 Finishing off my last read for black history month. #bhm

I‘m glad kitty is relaxed because this book is insane and has my little brain all worked up. After stumbling through a dry introduction (by Wright), I started yesterday.

Could not put this book down.

My #doublespin for December, this was a tough book. I had to take frequent breaks because the subject matter is so difficult and emotionally draining. The writing is superb and it‘s an important book. I was getting Crime & Punishment vibes, as well as American Tragedy. @TheAromaofBooks

Started my #doublespin book today. I don‘t think it‘s going to be any more cheerful than my #bookspin was. 😂

Two books, each #startswithN from my #bookspin list. #foreverNovember @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks @OriginalCyn620

This was deeply uncomfortable, and absolutely breathtaking. Richard Wright put together a complex story about a complex man. I don‘t think I will ever ‘get to the bottom‘ of Bigger Thomas but I‘ll be thinking about this a very long time. As a novel that made a lot of abstract concepts about racism concrete and personal this is an incredible resource #blacklivesmatter

Tw for rape if you‘re thinking of reading it.

It‘s got very cold and rainy here in Surrey again (I love summer rain a lot though it‘s not the best for outside exercise) so I‘m using a forced day completely in to try to read and educate myself on the #blacklivesmatter protests. Native Son is disturbing complex and difficult to read, but this edition has a very good intro about how it was received and used by the Black Panthers which makes reading it feel very worthwhile

Taking a break from what I was reading as it didn‘t feel right to read a natural history of Scotland at this frightening and urgent time in history. Most of the books I bought last year to explore black writers more are trapped at my flat in London but I found this one at my parents house. From the UK it feels like there‘s not much I can do unfortunately other than post on social media and sign every petition on the planet #blacklivesmatter

Extremely powerful. Wright is an incredible writer. His reason for writing about a murderer rather than a more sympathetic character is brilliant (the book's intro is very worthwhile, sometimes I skip them but I'm glad I didn't here). Challenging and suffocating, but a really important read.
But you can't read my copy. Someone or several someones read the hell out of this before I got my hands on it. I'm always careful, but it just went to pieces!

I don‘t think there is enough space on here to say all the things I want to say. I think Wright made an excellent choice in Bigger. His crimes are brutal and inexcusable. But that‘s not the issue. Bigger‘s actions aren‘t on trial or stirring up hate/anger. His skin color is. So who‘s the real monster? A killer, willing to face his crimes/punishment, or a society seemingly content with ethnocentrism and scapegoating? 🤔🤔🤔 168/1,001 #1001Books

This book made a lot of really good points regarding race and class and for that it will always be an important novel in the canon, but in my opinion it drips with misogyny and I am not a fan of misogynist literature.

This was an assigned reading....ended up being a favorite of mine. Great story.

#30JuneBooks - N: Bleak circumstances - utter poverty, hopelessness, despair, powerlessness, obscurity, inadequate education, disconnectedness, underserved, terrorized existence...what is the inevitable outcome of a life lived here? No one wants to know this naked truth. No one wants to see this Native Son. Richard Wright put an unapologetic slice of real life right in front of us. Unpleasant to read...Hard to swallow...the ugly truth usually is!

I didn't know I was really alive in this world until I felt things hard enough to kill for 'em...

Mixed feelings but it‘s definitely a book I would recommend. Bigger Thomas is a young black man struggling with poverty in 1930s Chicago. He commits a brutal crime and almost gets away with it. It‘s hard to root for a murderer and rapist, but that‘s kind of the point of the book. Wright‘s prose gets so deep into his protagonist‘s experience and feelings that the book is often hard to read and I went through so many different emotions.

Reading through the trial in Native Son, I‘ve been wondering why Mr Boris Max isn‘t spoken of in the same breath as Atticus Finch. Looks like it may have something to do with the fact that this section of the book was quite reduced in the original and subsequent editions. I‘m reading a restored version of the text from 1991. #modernlibrarytop100

I waited a long time for my turn to listen to this #audiobook. So far I love it.

Horrifying magic

Just getting into my new #modernlibrarytop100 read. It‘s very long and I have a few inklings of what to expect. Already liking it more than Henderson the Rain King.

Torn between all the stuff I should be doing today and just wanting to keep reading for another hour or two.

(#catsoflitsy)

If you haven‘t read the book or seen the movie, there are spoilers in the article.

https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/04/hbos-native-son-integr...

What stood out to me most is how little has changed in Chicago in almost a century. All the wealth is still extracted from the south + west sides and concentrated in fortified white enclaves. The city is still starkly and intentionally segregated, and those who maintain its segregation still blame their victims. Poor kids still grow up in cramped, cold, roach- and rat-infested apartments while their landlords get richer! This book made me angry.

“An outright lynching would be more honest than a ‘mock trial‘!”

Took a short walk after work today. We are supposed to get a winter mix at about midday tomorrow with rain starting at 7:00am. Will probably work from home tomorrow to avoid the drama of it all. 🤦🏾‍♀️ #litsywalkers. #audiowalking

Started this one today. Can you believe that I‘ve never read it before!?!?! Thought I should read it before the movie is released - January 24th

Yale's Beinecke Library

“It taught me it‘s your right to hate me, Bigger. I see now that you couldn‘t do anything else but that. It was all you had.”
(Quotes are from two different characters but I found both to be powerful. Native Son is excellent, complex, and radical even today.)

I went in to this book blind and was completely blown away. The story of Bigger Thomas is powerful and unsettling. This book is about institutional racism, fear, and hate. Challenging subject matter, but a very accessible writing style. My heart hurts because while things have improved in this country since the 1930s, it‘s clear that we still have a long way to go. The last part of this book wrecked me. 😞

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#1001books

#quotsyoct18 #skeptic #MississippiAuthors

This book was so crazy. I was filled with anxiety the entire time that I read it. I didn't want to keep going but did all at the same time. It's hard to say for sure if I liked the book or not. Would I recommend it to others? Yes, but it's not a book that is enjoyable. I think the only other book I have read that I felt this way at the end was The Handmaid's Tale.

Oh my goodness, this book! I feel so anxious as I am listening to it. All of Bigger's fear, anxiety, and anger is palpable to me. I don't want to keeping listening but do all at the same time.

This classic set in #Chicago has moved up on my TBR due to the #100EssentialNovels poster my sister gave me. #augustisatrip @vkois88 @Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

This may not sit well with some people but that‘s their problem. I am appalled by the treatment of African Americans. Our constitution states “ that we are all created equal.” Tell me why this stuff still goes on please.

My $1.20 book haul and the newest member to my home, Winnie!

Set in Chicago in the 1930‘s, Native Son by Richard Wright tells the story of Bigger Thomas, a young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a white woman in a brief moment of panic. I must say this book is a masterpiece! A Black man has gone into the “White Man‘s World”, committed an unspeakable crime and gets away with it. This book has many raw and disturbing moments; however, those moments cause you to think and reflect.

Here is my #fivestack from the Salvation Army yesterday. I am pretty excited about my finds. #ReadingResolutions @Jess7

#OldCoolBooks #dustjackets when you find the oldies you never know if the dust jacket will be in good shape and protected like the Cary or scuffed and dinged up like the Wright . Love them both anyway.

@RachaelusGilkinius Thanks! Wright has been on my TBR for quite awhile. Love the card!

Read Outsider and loved it. Now on to this one!

Absolute masterpiece. #writtenbyapocauthor #febinbooks18

Hour 36 challenge for the #24in48 readathon is to show the first and last books on our shelves. I like this pairing!
@24in48

#litsyclassics #litsyclassicsmatches

@cobwebmoth @sprainedbrain @RestlessFickleBookSlut @4thhouseontheleft