Rating: 
Summary: A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius
Review: Ellison, Baldwin and Wright formed the triumvirate of great African American male novelists of the past 200 years. Of the three, Ellison may well prove to be the most timeless. While Native Son, Black Boy and Go Tell it on a Mountain are powerful works, they don't quite measure up to Invisible Man, in terms of sheer literary genius. While Ellison wears his influences on his sleeve (Dostoevsky, symbolist poets, existentialist writers, etc.[he even borrows his title from HG Wells]), his writing never suffers or sinks beneath the weight of literary associations. His was a unique voice and vision. Like Dostoevsky's Underground Man, Ellison's narrator has essentially beat a retreat from the world. He holes up in a subterranean room, where he reflects on the the injustices society has dealt him. Dostoevsky's narrator purposely bumps into people on the Nevsky Prospect in order to certify that he is visible and just as important as the next man. Ellison's Invisible Man beats and almost kills a white man he confronts on an empty street, also in order to rationalize his own existence. Both the underground man and the invisible man are filled with self loathing. Yet, in Ellison's work, the narrator does achieve a sort of spiritual progress and affirmative self-knowledge. He goes from being a pathetically exploited non-being that must acceed to the whims and wishes of the white opressor (the often anthologized battle royal scene at the beginning of the book), to a point near the conclusion of the book in which he can state he is free to pursue "infinite possibilities." Irving Howe, in an overall favorable review of the novel, took Ellison to task on several fronts. He complained that the section wherein the narrator falls in with "The Brotherhood" portrays the communist party in an an unrealistic vein. He was also troubled by Ellison's narrative design: "Because the book is written in the first person singular, Ellison cannot establish ironic distance between his hero and himself, or between the matured "I" telling the story and the "I" who is its victim. And because the experience is so apocalyptic and magnified, it absorbs and then dissolves the hero; every minor character comes through brilliantly, but the seeing "I" is seldom seen." Though I generally have a high opinion of Irving Howe's criticism, I think he's arriving at a conclusion here which entirely deflates his own remarks. Yes, the "I" in Invisible Man is harder to see than the other characters, but that is part of the author's construct. It's the very point he makes over and over throughout the novel. How better to portray an "invisible man?" If you've never read this important work, try reading the first 40 pages that are on display here at .... It includes the famous battle royal sequence, which is one of the best hook chapters in all of literature. It should be enough to induce you to read the rest of the novel. You are in for an unforgettable read.
Rating:
Summary: OUTSTANDING BOOK
Review: I must say that INVISIBLE MAN was possibly Ralph Ellisons most well recieved and powerful books. It tells the story of an African-American(narrator) man raised in the south, and raised by his grandparents who were freed slaves. being from the south the narrator was exposed to segregation and social responsibility. He recieves a scholarship to a negro college but is soon expelled for no fault of his own. Then the narrator moves to New York City and finds himself unable to find employment, for the man who had given out many letters of reccomdation on the narrator's behalf, did not speak well of him. Eventually he finds a job at a white paint factory. This was an obvious use of symbolism such as the factories motto,"if its optic white, then its right." The narrator has an accident at work and is taken to the factory hospital and instead of a castration he was given an ECT treatment. The hatred of white the man quickly grew within the narrator. He joined an activist group where he was a spokesman for social equality. The narrator is eventually is banned from the group but is soon retaken. In the end the narrator is trapped in a man hole by a police officer and after an awful dream, he decides to stay there. I would reccomend this book to anyone whos is at all interested in racism and/or the economical and social standings of a minority.
Rating: 
Summary: Has Ellison ever heard the word "editor"?
Review: In his introduction, Ellison justifies writing the novel to encompass the realities of all aspects of african american life. However, such an ambitious goal is sure to fail because inevitably, these experiences are solely those of the author and the nameless protagonist. In addition, the message one seems to draw from the book, is that african americans do not matter and cannot overcome racial prejudice. To reach this conclusion takes 580 pages and a myriad of sureal episodes. While Ellison provides excellent descriptions that help other characters and environments come to life, the choice to leave his main character and the southern college nameless detracts from the work. As a visual reader, including these aspects, however slight would make, as Ellison writes "become more human." While some scenes read fluidly, much of the book suffers from verbose wordage, it takes much to long for Ellison to make his points. Many portions of the book seem strange and confusing as well. When the nameless protagonist suffers an accident in the paint factory, it is unclear what procedure he underwent. Ellison seems to suggest that his character received a frontal lobatomy. If this were true, how could he feel emotion or rise to prominence. Also unclear, is the brotherhood's true function. What is clear however, is that Ellison dehumanizes his white counterparts, believing them to fundamnetally the same. He seems to belive that each white person wants to take advantage of an black person , for the white person's own benefit. While naming all the social ills affecting his race and the broader society, he fails to offer any solutions. Also strange, is that mian character deviates from all other black chracters, his manner of speaking is more refined. He does not use normal slang and common expressions. While claiming to try to serve his people, he, through his acts and mannerisms seems to be above them. For these reasons, Ellison ultimately fails in his intent to capture the African American experience in this overwrought, oversymbolic and overemotional piece of literature.
Rating: 
Summary: eww
Review: BAD BAD BOOK. Noble goals, but just bad. And the ending, which envolves a coal mine, is stupid. NEVER read this book.
Rating:
Summary: bad
Review: read this book only if you're interested in the stagnant rantings and ravings of a sad, cynical 50s black man.
Rating:
Summary: 35 Year Old White Person-review in June 2002.
Review: I read this book because it was on the College Board reading list. I thought it would be a good read. However, the author gives a message brought from the soul of a hateful, bitter old man - completely without hope. The argument could be made that this frame of mind is justifiable, given the hate and discrimination seen by Southern black men. However, I've found the exact same behavior in old Southern White men. Too bad Mr. Ellison doesn't rise above the hateful messages in his book. He leaves us feeling like he is the black-equivalent of an elderly white racist skinhead. Mr. Ellison does have some terrific ways of describing things - a wonderful gift of making him see things in your mind. I know there is more uplifting literature by black men out there - and to write that does not mean that the author has succumed to Uncle Tom-ism.
Rating:
Summary: A masterful racial allegory
Review: In one book Ralph Ellison captured the essence of racial living in America. The Invisible Man remains to this day quite possibly the best racial alegory written by an American. Ellison's work is truly a masterpiece, with each scene, each character and each word serving a purpose to drive home the themes and messages in the book.
In my opinion one of the most awe-inspiring facets of the novel is the usage of the words "white" and "black". Although on one read -through, a reader may simply ignore the placement or the function of that word, in actuality each use of the word has a specific function and meaning deliberately done so by Ellison.
The layers to this book are amazing. There are many interpretations to what happens in the book, all valid through Ellison's adeptness at using allusion. I have read this for two separate college classes and each time I read it I am amazed not only at the content of the book but also the ease of completing it. Ellison was influenced by T.S. Eliot and jazz, both of which not only come into play within the themes of the book but also make Ellison's writing style free-flowing, expressive yet comforting to read.
Besides the fact that this is a landmark in American literature, it is also an enjoyable read.
Rating: 
Summary: Harlem classic
Review: When reading this large book, I found myself flying through the first half, completely absorbed; then came Chapter 11, which really killed the story for me, but I trudged along and choked down the last half. In spite of the ridiculous turn the story takes as far as plot goes, the theme is still rich and satisfying, and perhaps some other readers will forgive Ellison better than I for turning his masterpiece into a science fiction story. Highly Recommended.
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Summary: find your identity!
Review: This book (along with 1984) have been instrumental in my quest to find out what type of person I want to be. This book is not simply about the search for a black identity, but the identity of anyone who feels that their life is being defined by others (a scary prospect).
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Summary: A classic existential struggle...
Review: One wouldn't expect that a young African American man living in the late twenties to early thirties would have much in common with a fortyish white woman of today. Yet anyone who has struggled with the questions, "Who am I?" and "What is my destiny?" can identify with the nameless protagonist of Invisible Man. And anyone who has had the experience of ever having shed the proverbial blinders and shouted "I see the light!", will shout "Hallelujah!" at Ellison's masterpiece.
Invisible Man has everything you look for in a great novel- a compelling story, universal themes,and beautiful language. It challenges the mind, touches the heart, and raises the spirit. It certainly deserves it's spot (#19) on Modern Library's list of 100 top English language novels of the 20th century. Rich in symbolism and well crafted, this story and its characters are unforgettable to me.
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