Native Son

richard wright

Right from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic.

Set in Chicago in the 1930s, Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.

Genres fictionclassicshistorical fictionraceafrican americanliteraturebanned booksnovelsschoolamerican

504 pages, Paperback

First published January 1,1940

Literary awards

new york drama critics circle award,

Places

chicago illinois, illinois,

This edition

Format: 504 pages, Paperback
Published: August 2, 2005 by Harper Perennial Modern Classics
ISBN
ASIN
Language: English

Characters More characters

About the author

richard wright

Richard Nathaniel Wright was an African-American author of powerful, sometimes controversial novels, short stories and non-fiction. Much of his literature concerned racial themes. His work helped redefine discussions of race relations in America in the mid-20th century.

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.