Rating: 
Summary: recommended
Review: I stayed up all night reading this one hot summer night in the summer of 1976--around the time "Star Wars" opened; we saw "Star Wars" the next day. Where was I? One of my very favorite books. It extrapolates from racism to the universal. Well, its appeal is universal, yet it concerns the individual. Intricately thought out, deeply felt, very much recommended.Also recommended: PENTATONIC SCALES FOR THE JAZZ-ROCK KEYBOARDIST by Jeff Burns.
Rating:
Summary: The Lord of the Ring and Lightbulb Heaven
Review: Don't send this to Carson's con-ed. They might reform and get wise
Rating:
Summary: Invisible Man is awesome!
Review: Invisible Man is one of the best American works of fiction. The struggle of the narrator to find a place in a rapidly evolving society is wonderfully portrayed by Ellison. I usually shy away from books with a lot of racism in its content, but this book was fantastic. Everyone should read it. It starts out kind of weird, but then it gets good. Read this book!
Rating:
Summary: One of the best books of our century!
Review: A Phenomenal Novel! Ellison's style of writing is fabulous, and the images he creates are stupendous. Very thought inducing and a good read.
Rating:
Summary: It changed my life
Review: It is a cliche, I guess, to say that a book "changed your life," but nevertheless this is true of Ellison's "Invisible Man," for me. I read it in 1975, when a senior in high school--and read it without stopping. I was an intelligent, obedient white suburban high school kid at the time, and the book cut through me like a knife. I have never been the same since, and every few years I return to it (as I do with a handful of novels, including Lawrence's "The Rainbow" and "Women in Love," Woolf's "To the Lighthouse" and "Mrs. Dalloway," Faulkner's "Sound and the Fury" and Joyce's "Dubliners") when I need an eloquent and powerful reminder of what it means to be human. The "Battle Royal" scene is a shocking one-two punch that takes us underground with the unnamed narrator on a jazz/blues riff that leads inexorably to its haunting final line..."Who knows but on the lower frequencies I speak for you?" If everyone read this book, the United States might have a chance of healing its racial wounds.
Rating: 
Summary: Not perfect... but excellent
Review: I would have to say that after reading this book, I decided that it is fascinating and extaordinarily well-written, but I don't agree with anyone who makes it sound perfect. A few things I didn't like: 1) The second half of the book is tedious, each chapter ending with another "realization" which is essentially the same as the last realization. 2) Ellison is obviously a very deep thinker and complex man, but he sometimes takes it too far and his meaning becomes too obscure. 3) He doesn't make his concluding point at all clear in the epilogue. Besides these things, I loved the book. It is insightful, and gives a human face to the oppression of african-americans, without being whiney or predictable. The writing style isn't hard to follow, which puts more emphasis on the substance, of which there is much. Overall, I'd say that to enjoy this book, be prepared for the 3 things I described, but it is definitely essential reading.
Rating:
Summary: A Genius of Emotional Comprehension
Review: I know that by reviewing this particular work, I am reiterating what has already been said in its praise, but THIS BOOK IS HIGH ART. Everyone should read it. Its message is universal and accessable, The story conveys Ellison's profound understanding of the paradox found in membership, in terms of its tendency to isolate its very members. It is a perfect and relevant illustration of the crisis and salvation to be found within modern concepts of individualism and identity. COME ON PEOPLE- READ THIS BOOK AND THINK ABOUT IT LONG AND HARD!
Rating:
Summary: Ellison is an amazing writer - I couldn't put the book down.
Review: In spite of the fact that I am a middle aged white women with virtually no experience of the life of a black male, I was able to relate to the story of the "enlightenment" of the "hero" of the book. It is an incredibly human story of growth and suffering and finally waking up. Ellison reminds me of Steinbeck in that he writes of things that should be devastating to hear of but does it in such a way that it is not devastating but uplifting. I highly recommend it. (I already read it, but am now ordering a hard bound copy as I want to make it a permanent addition to my library.)
Rating:
Summary: Read this book
Review: This is one of the most wonderful books that I've ever read. It stays with you for days and I think that it really applies to life around us. This is more than a book about racial relations, it's a book about society, about America and human existence. Ellison achieves rare depths with this book. Plus it's engrossing and a fairly easy read. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.
Rating:
Summary: left me deep in thought for days
Review: Wow, all I really have to say is that this is the best book that I have ever read and that anyone who says that it is naive or boring should take off their blinders and read it again. A stunning work that left me deep in thought for days.
| 
