This was the novel I chose for my self select read for AP English. I wanted a novel that had been used on the test frequently, and after reading this book... well I know why. It's pretty much an AP teacher's dream. The novel is an allegory really to the title. You spend the entire novel following the unnamed narrator slowly discovering how he is invisible to the world. Ellison is a master of words and everything he writes is beautifully crafted. The vocabulary is amazing and his voice is excellent.

The thing is, I would never have picked this book up if not for a class. It's not the kind of book I want to read in my free time. I think I might not have finished it even if I read it on my own. The first chapter is pure brilliance and made me so engaged. Even if you have no interest in this novel, read the first chapter alone. Beautiful is really the only word I have to describe it.

But some things were irritating. The novel never seemed to go anywhere, just more and more events that didn't seem to add up to a climax. Which there was but it was very introspective and very English teacher like. And Rineheart, who is really critical to the climax and is mentioned in the very beginning as important, isn't even brought into the story until the last 100 pages. I guess there wasn't anything that could be cut, but sometimes it was hard to read. Plus the major themes don't apply to me. I'm a 17 year old white girl in the 21st century so it's hard to understand the struggles of a black man in Harlem in the early 20th century. Nonetheless, I can see why it's a classic.