Join us on a literary world trip!
Add this book to bookshelf
Grey
Write a new comment Default profile 50px
Grey
Subscribe to read the full book or read the first pages for free!
All characters reduced
The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man - A Story of Identity Passing and Race in America - cover

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man - A Story of Identity Passing and Race in America

James Weldon Johnson, Zenith Evergreen Literary Co.

Publisher: Zenith Evergreen Literary Co.

  • 0
  • 0
  • 0

Summary

What does it mean to choose your race in a divided world?

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man is James Weldon Johnson's powerful and groundbreaking novel, exploring the life of a biracial man navigating racial identity, class, and artistic ambition in post-Reconstruction America. With honesty and emotional depth, this semi-fictional account charts his journey from Southern schools to Harlem clubs to a life of secrecy and survival as he "passes" for white.

First published anonymously in 1912, this novel is a landmark of American literature, addressing issues that remain urgently relevant today.

💬 "A courageous, nuanced portrait of Black identity, cultural conflict, and self-determination."

✊ Why Readers Should Discover This Book:
A foundational work in African American literature and Harlem Renaissance thought

Perfect for fans of Passing by Nella Larsen, Invisible Man, and Homegoing

Essential for readers of race, history, and personal transformation

📣 See the World Through Two Eyes—But Live with One Name.
Buy The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man today and explore a powerful story of race, identity, and survival in America.
Available since: 04/22/2025.
Print length: 154 pages.

Other books that might interest you

  • The Courage to Continue - A Family's Legacy of Resilience and Global Enterprise - cover

    The Courage to Continue - A...

    Itzhak Fisher

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In this compelling memoir, Itzhak Fisher pays tribute to the values of perseverance and family loyalty, inspired by his parents’ and in-laws’ generosity and courage as they rebuilt their lives after surviving the Holocaust.
    Show book
  • Tony Gale: That’s Entertainment - That's Entertainment - cover

    Tony Gale: That’s Entertainment...

    Tony Gale

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    In a footballing career spanning 21 years, Tony Gale played over 720 games on almost every league pitch across the four divisions. He is one of only 16 players in the UK to have played over 300 games for two teams and one of a handful to be part of a Premier League winning side. As a pundit he’s commentated on over 3,000 live games for the likes of Sky and Capital Gold, covering virtually every major football competition in his inimitable light hearted manner. 
     
    Gale made his first team debut at Fulham Football Club at the ripe age of 16, before being made captain at 18. Playing alongside a golden era of greats, the anecdotes which Gale recounts while playing alongside George Best, Bobby Moore and Rodney Marsh are a nostalgic masterclass. Moving to West Ham for the next decade, the Pimlico born defender was part of the iconic ‘Boys of 86’ squad, which broke 17 records that year, 16 of which are still unbeaten. 
     
    Exiting at his lowest point from West Ham in 1994, with two weeks to go before the new season, Gale was in effect homeless and jobless in footballing terms. That however all changed when he landed a place at Blackburn Rovers. Sir Kenny Dalglish recalled the decision to include 35-year-old Gale into the squad of 94/95. “His experience was a big help and the positive impact he made in the dressing room was excellent. He made his contribution to us winning the league, same as everybody on that team.” 
     
    Void of any media training, Gale’s move into radio and television commentary in the late 90’s was as natural as kicking a ball. In the words of Chris Kamara, “The one thing that stayed with Galey is that dressing room humour, which you all miss when you stop playing football. The one liners, the windups. Galey brought them from the dressing room and into real life.”
    Show book
  • Abraham Lincoln's Education Faith and Myth - cover

    Abraham Lincoln's Education...

    Mike Parson

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    Abraham Lincoln, a self-taught lawyer, legislator, and vocal opponent of slavery, was elected 16th president of the United States in November 1860, shortly before the outbreak of the Civil War. Lincoln proved to be a shrewd military strategist and a savvy leader: His Emancipation Proclamation paved the way for the abolition of slavery. At the same time, his Gettysburg Address stands as one of the most famous pieces of oratory in American history. In April 1865, with the Union on the brink of victory, Abraham Lincoln was assassinated by Confederate sympathizer John Wilkes Booth. Lincoln’s assassination made him a martyr to the cause of liberty. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest presidents in U.S. history.
    Show book
  • The Chamomile Drops - From their pens to your ears genius in every story - cover

    The Chamomile Drops - From their...

    Jaroslav Hašek

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The bookshelves of European literature are incredible collections that have gathered together centuries of very talented authors.  From this continent their fame spread and whilst among their number many are now forgotten or neglected their talents endure.  Among them is Jaroslav Hasek.
    Show book
  • Today's Authors Series: A Q&A with David Kushner and Jon "Jonny Magic" Finkel - Today's Authors Series - cover

    Today's Authors Series: A Q&A...

    David Kushner

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    If you think a gang of real-life geeks can’t take on the world and win big...think again. And whatever you do, don’t sit down across a gaming table from Jon Finkel, better known as Jonny Magic. Jonny Magic and the Card Shark Kids is his amazing true story: the jaw-dropping, zero-to-hero chronicle of a fat, friendless boy from New Jersey who found his edge in a game of cards–and turned it into a fortune!
    Show book
  • I Can Give You Anything But Love - cover

    I Can Give You Anything But Love

    Gary Indiana

    • 0
    • 0
    • 0
    The long-awaited memoir from one of the most acclaimed radical writers in American literature. Described by the London Review of Books as one of "the most brilliant critics writing in America today," Gary Indiana is a true radical whose caustic voice has by turns haunted and influenced the literary and artistic establishments. 
     
     
     
    With I Can Give You Anything but Love, Gary Indiana has composed a literary, unabashedly wicked, and revealing montage of excursions into his life and work—from his early days growing up gay in rural New Hampshire to his escape to Haight-Ashbury in the post-summer-of-love era, the sweltering 1970s in Los Angeles, and ultimately his existence in New York in the 1980s as a bona fide downtown personality. Interspersed throughout his vivid recollections are present-day chapters set against the louche culture and raw sexuality of Cuba, where he has lived and worked occasionally for the past fifteen years. Connoisseurs will recognize in this—his most personal book yet—the same mixture of humor and realism, philosophy and immediacy, that have long confused the definitions of genre applied to his writing. Vivid, atmospheric, revealing, and entertaining, this is an engrossing book and a serious contribution to the genres of gay and literary memoir.
    Show book