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Native Son
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Native Son Prebound - 2005

by Richard Nathaniel Wright; Introduction by Arnold Rampersad

Widely acclaimed as one of the finest books ever written on race and class divisions in America, this powerful novel reflects the forces of poverty, injustice, and hopelessness that continue to shape society.


About this book

Richard Wright’s Native Son tells the story of 20-year-old Bigger Thomas, a black American youth living in utter poverty in Chicago's South Side during the 1930s. When Bigger unintentionally murders a white woman, he is put on trial and eventually convicted, and sentenced to the electric chair. Often recognized as a protest novel, Native Son stresses systemic racial issues, prompting the reader to feel both sympathy and empathy for Bigger. In this, the novel is one of the earliest successful attempts to explain the racial divide in America in terms of the conditions imposed on African-Americans by the dominant white society.

Soon after publication, Native Son was selected by the Book of the Month Club as its first book by an African-American author. Indeed, the novel was an immediate best seller, selling 250,000 hardcover copies within three weeks of its publication. As a result of the novel’s success, Wright became the first bestselling and the wealthiest black writer of his time, establishing him as a spokesperson for African-American issues and, to many, the “father of Black American literature.” In 1941, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People awarded Wright awarded the prestigious Spingarn Medal.

Unsurprisingly, Native Son was challenged in many public schools and libraries and is listed in the American Library Association's list of the “Most Frequently Challenged Books of 1990–1999.” Yet most institutions in which the novel was challenged successfully fought to keep Wright's work accessible, particularly in the classroom, defending it as a guide into the reality of the complex adult and social world.

 

Native son is listed as 20th on the Modern Library’s list of the “100 Best” English-language novels of the 20th century. It is also included in TIME’s “100 Best Novels” (since 1923).

From the publisher

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.

First Edition Identification

Harper & Brothers first published Native Son in 1940. With a dark blue cover stamped in red and white, first editions state “First Edition” on the copyright page with "A - P" below the statement. The dust jacket of the first edition is green and yellow and states the original price of  $2.50.

Details

  • Title Native Son
  • Author Richard Nathaniel Wright; Introduction by Arnold Rampersad
  • Binding Prebound
  • Edition First Thus
  • Pages 504
  • Volumes 1
  • Language ENG
  • Publisher Turtleback Books
  • Date 2005-08
  • Features Table of Contents
  • ISBN 9781417686087 / 1417686081
  • Weight 1.14 lbs (0.52 kg)
  • Dimensions 7.9 x 5.3 x 1.2 in (20.07 x 13.46 x 3.05 cm)
  • Reading level 700
  • Themes
    • Ethnic Orientation: African American
  • Library of Congress subjects Trials (Murder), Psychological fiction
  • Dewey Decimal Code FIC
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Native Son (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Modern Classics (Pb))
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Native Son (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Modern Classics (Pb))

by Richard Wright

  • Used
  • good
Condition
Used - Good
ISBN 13
9781417686087
ISBN 10
1417686081
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1
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HOUSTON, Texas, United States
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This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£24.70
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Description:
Turtleback, 2005-08-01. Library Binding. Good.
Item Price
£24.70
FREE shipping to USA
Native Son (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Modern Classics (Pb))
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Native Son (Turtleback School & Library Binding Edition) (Modern Classics (Pb))

by Richard Wright

  • Used
Condition
Used:Good
ISBN 13
9781417686087
ISBN 10
1417686081
Quantity Available
1
Seller
HOUSTON, Texas, United States
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£35.67
FREE shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Turtleback, 2005-08-01. Library Binding. Used:Good.
Item Price
£35.67
FREE shipping to USA
Native Son
Stock Photo: Cover May Be Different

Native Son

by Wright, Richard

  • New
Condition
New
ISBN 13
9781417686087
ISBN 10
1417686081
Quantity Available
1
Seller
Exeter, Devon, United Kingdom
Seller rating:
This seller has earned a 4 of 5 Stars rating from Biblio customers.
Item Price
£45.36
£10.00 shipping to USA

Show Details

Description:
Bt Bound, 2005. Library Binding. New. turtleback school & library ed. edition. 544 pages. 7.75x5.25x1.00 inches.
Item Price
£45.36
£10.00 shipping to USA