Invisible Man

A Novel

By: Ralph Ellison

Narrated by: Joe Morton

Selected by the Modern Library as one of the 100 best novels of all time

Ralph Elllison's Invisible Man is a monumental novel, one that can well be called an epic of modern American Negro life. It is a strange story, in which many extraordinary things happen, some of them shocking and brutal, some of them pitiful and touching--yet always with elements of comedy and irony and burlesque that appear in unexpected places. It is a book that has a great deal to say and which is destined to have a great deal said about it.

After a brief prologue, the story begins with a terrifying experience of the hero's high school days, moves quickly to the campus of a Southern Negro college and then to New York's Harlem, where most of the action takes place. The many people that the hero meets in the course of his wanderings are remarkably various, complex and significant. With them he becomes involved in an amazing series of adventures, in which he is sometimes befriended but more often deceived and betrayed--as much by himself and his own illusions as by the duplicity of the blindness of others.

Invisible Man is not only a great triumph of storytelling and characterization; it is a profound and uncompromising interpretation of the Negro's anomalous position in American society.

Critic reviews

"A book of the very first order, a superb book." —Saul Bellow

This Great American Novel

Joe Morton lives and breathes this wonderful look into the life of an exceptional American who tells a story of life in this country. We couldn't have had a better, more passionate narrator.

Ellison delivers to us a rare glimpse into the lives of those who truly depict the soul of America and the state of the country in all its savage complexity and psychopathic depravity. The man with no name is all of us. Ellison says, in one book, what many great novelists take their entire careers to say. This is America at the crossroads and at the beginning of modern American civil rights.

It's a great book and a superb production.

Incredible Narration

Hands down the best narrator on audible and a phenomenal book. Can't recommend highly enough.

What a Joy.

For some reason I was suppose to have read this book in High School but I don't remember anything about it. But listing to the great read by Joe Morton was like having the best seats while watching a memorable play.

Best Narration EVER

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Joe Morton could narrate the phone book and make it a great listen. Don't wait! I was so drawn into the story with the superb narration. I've wanted to read this important book for a long time and I knew there were parts that would be difficult to get through. I may have given up if it were not for the outstanding performance.

What did you like best about this story?

The end; I won't tell and potentially spoil the book for a future listener. I found myself rooting for the main, nameless character throughout the story.

Which character – as performed by Joe Morton – was your favorite?

Sybil

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Yes, too many to list.

Timely and timeless tale

I initially thought this was a book from the 60s and the civil rights movement. Then I learned it was from the 50s during the time of Marxist sympathies. However most of the stories read like they’ve come off today’s headlines. This is an amazing narration of an incredible book.