In this classic novel from the Harlem Renaissance, a biracial musician living in the Jim Crow era chooses to pass as white and deals with the consequences.First published in 1912, The Autobiography of an Ex–Colored Man is the story of an unnamed, light-skinned, biracial narrator born in a small Georgia town during the years following the Civil War. He knows nothing about race—until he and his Black mother move to Connecticut and an episode at his school for...

The Best Works of James Weldon JohnsonFifty Years And Other PoemsSelf Determining HaitiThe Autobiography of an Ex-Colored ManThe Book Of American Negro Poetry

This fascinating story follows the life of young biracial man in early twentieth century America.  He must confront not only the racism of the society around him, but also his own racial demons.  As the novel progresses, the young man finds himself faced with the dilemma of embracing his blackness and continuing on a brilliant career as a musician, or "passing" as a white man and earning a place of mediocrity within white society.

James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) was an American civil rights activist and writer. He led the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and was the first African-American professor at New York University. As a writer, Johnson was well-known in the Harlem Renaissance for his novels and poems which dealt primarily with black culture. In “The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man”, Johnson offers a fictional account of a biracial man living in America in the late nineteenth and ...

One of the most prominent African-Americans of his time, James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) was a successful lawyer, educator, social reformer, songwriter, and critic. But it was as a poet and novelist that he achieved lasting fame. Among his most famous works, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man in many ways parallels Johnson's own remarkable life. First published in 1912, the novel relates, through an anonymous narrator, events in the life of an American of mixed ethnicity whose excepti...

This carefully crafted ebook: "Slavery: Not Forgiven, Never Forgotten" is formatted for your eReader with a functional and detailed table of contents: Memoirs Narrative of Frederick Douglass 12 Years a Slave The Underground Railroad Up From Slavery Willie Lynch Letter Confessions of Nat Turner Narrative of Sojourner Truth Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl History of Mary Prince Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom Thirty Years a Slave Narrative of the Life of J. D. Green The Life of Ol...

One of the most prominent African-Americans of his time, James Weldon Johnson (1871–1938) was a successful lawyer, educator, social reformer, songwriter, and critic. But it was as a poet and novelist that he achieved lasting fame. Among his most famous works, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man in many ways parallels Johnson's own remarkable life. First published in 1912, the novel relates, through an anonymous narrator, events in the life of an American of mixed ethnicity whose excepti...

What happens when a person must choose between identity, security, and belonging? In The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man, James Weldon Johnson tells the story of a young biracial man navigating race, identity, and society in America. Presented as an autobiography, the novel follows his journey from childhood into adulthood as he encounters radically different social worlds. His experiences lead him to confront questions of racial identity, prejudice, ambition, education, music, social c...

'Living to Tell the Horrid Tales: True Life Stories of Former Slaves, Historical Documents & Novels' is a profound anthology that embodies a spectrum of narratives ranging from heart-wrenching slave narratives to poignant memoirs and reflective novels. This collection encapsulates the horrific experiences and the resilient spirit of those bound by chains, alongside the connected literary pursuits that aim to expose and abolish the brutal injustices of their times. The diversity of literary...

What would you risk to belong? First published anonymously, The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is a bold and deeply moving novel by James Weldon Johnson that explores identity, race, and the price of ambition in America. Through the journey of a light-skinned African American man who chooses to "pass" as white, Johnson delivers a powerful reflection on society, opportunity, love, music, and the painful compromises shaped by prejudice. Set against the backdrop of post–Civil War America,...

As the son of an African-American mother and a white Southern aristocrat father, the story of the Ex-Colored Man explores the challenges, successes, and insecurities that still linger in post-Reconstruction era America. As the Ex-Colored Man struggles between accepting his black heritage and passion for ragtime, and the desire to live a peaceful life, he ultimately decides to continue "passing" as a white man. Although the life of a working class white-man provides simple comforts and secu...

According to Wikipedia: "James Weldon Johnson (June 17, 1871 June 26, 1938) was an American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. Johnson is remembered best for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and collections of folklore. He was also one of the first African-American professors at New York University. Later in life he was a professor of creative literature and writing at Fisk University...