Invisible ManInvisible Man
Score Classic
What it's about
An unnamed Black man tells his story from a hidden underground room lit by hundreds of stolen light bulbs. A promising student at a Southern Black college, he is expelled after a disastrous afternoon with a white trustee and goes north to Harlem. There he works in a paint factory, becomes a star speaker for a political movement called the Brotherhood, and slowly discovers that no one has ever really seen him.
Why it's worth reading
It won the National Book Award and is on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It's one of the most important American novels of the century: angry, surreal, funny and endlessly inventive.
You'll love it if you liked
Native Son
Beloved
Notes of a Native SonGood to know
It's long and strange, moving from realism to nightmare and back. It isn't related to H. G. Wells's The Invisible Man.
By the numbers
- Readers31 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics97 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller46 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #39 of the 219 young adult books we rank
- #209 of the 762 classics we rank
- #661 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Adventurous
If you like this, read next
Seventh Son
Double Star
Empire of the Sun
Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang
The Wasp Factory
The GiverExplore the best-of lists
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Quick answers
Is Invisible Man worth reading?
Yes. It won the National Book Award and is on both the TIME and Modern Library lists of the best novels. It ranks #661 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 76.5 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Invisible Man about?
An unnamed Black man tells his story from a hidden underground room lit by hundreds of stolen light bulbs. A promising student at a Southern Black college, he is expelled after a disastrous afternoon with a white trustee and goes north to Harlem. There he works in a paint factory, becomes a star speaker for a political movement called the Brotherhood, and slowly discovers that no one has ever really seen him.
How long does it take to read Invisible Man?
About 15 hours (610 pages), or about 4 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Invisible Man won?
National Book Award (Fiction) winner (1953).
What should I read after Invisible Man?
If you liked it, try Native Son by Richard Wright, Beloved by Toni Morrison or Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin.