Customer Reviews
Breath-taking - By: M. Zaman, 31 Jan 2006 
This astounding novel pounds like a sledgehammer. It reads at breathtaking pace, & transports you into another person's headin the way that a good book should - you will not notice your surroundings (I read this on the commute on the Tube to work) - you will find it difficult to put down. You think you know the injustices of this time. Read this to feel what it really felt like. Enough to give me chest pain at the end of every journey - especially when I missed my stop...
Tough and Uncompromising - By: Peter Reeve, 29 Jun 2005 
Although "Native Son" is not writtenin the first person, the narrative concentrates almost exclusively on the central character, Bigger Thomas. This gives the story all the intensity & focus of a first-person account, but enables the author to use a more articulate voice than his subject would have been capable of. Few novelists have employed this techniquein such an uncompromising way. We are with Thomas every breath, every step. I think few readers will get to like him, any more than Wright himself does, but we get to know & understand him. He is a product of 1930s America, of deeply ingrained racial prejudice & extreme economic disparity. Wright does not suggest that this excuses Bigger, only that it explains him. The writing style is lean & muscular, sparse & direct. We are given only bare descriptions as Wright allows action & dialogue to carry the story.
The plot is sound, the only really implausible element being the gathering of the entire cast of charactersin the prison cell, something Wright himself acknowledged could not happenin reality but for which he allowed himself dramatic license. It is true though, that the final phase goes on too long & the long diatribes from Max are unconvincing. Another socialist writer, Upton Sinclair, suffered from the same tendency to preach instead of relying on the story to carry the message. Despite these reservations, "Native Son" remains an important social commentary & a forceful & compelling portrait of a lost soul.
a compelling read - By: CESP, 29 Nov 2003 
This book is very user friendly & the type of dramatic realism that can't fails to grasp one's attention. From the outset the reader is embroiledin the grim cirmcumstances of the protagonist, but the author does not paint his protagonist as either a hero or a victim keeping the book nicely neutral for the reader to make their conclusions from the hard-hitting storyline.
A eye opening read - By: , 05 Apr 2003 Guaranteed to keep you on the edge of your seat from start to finish, once picked up it's impossible to put down. If it's a fairy tale ending you're after, this definitely isn't for you. Descibing vividly the poverty, deprivation & oppression suffered by the black people of 1930/40's America, a special message is conveyed through a host of disturbing truths that are certain to hit the reader hard. The central character, Bigger Thomas is portrayed as both murderer & victimin this cleverly devised masterpiece. The sufferings of an entire race seem subject to the future of Thomas, the 20 year old man who's life has been predominantly controlled by a cold & fierce people. This WHITE blanket that smothers the BLACK world that Bigger grows to hate provides the reader with a situation they undoubtedly become passionate about. By the end, the reader is left feeling subdued; resentful yet compassionate & merciful. The only criticism i would have, is that the book does depend a lot upon the reader being able to empathise with Bigger, which is something that i personally found quite hard to do. Neverthless, another must read from Richard Wright.
If you want to understand predudice read this - By: , 15 Feb 2001 This book encapsulates perfectly the feeling of hopelessness felt by peoplein poverty &in particular black people. The circumstances drive the central character to the ultimate crime as the only way to free him self. Inspite of his terrible deed you feel an empathy with him because of his situation. Riverting & driving narrative which leds you through his fears & unfulfilled hopes. Superb
