You know when you read something that has had an immense cultural significance and you realize many, many things were evoked from its pages? That it was the fount of so much that came after? Ellison's classic novel contains so many themes, images, and scenes that have influenced later artworks. I love encountering the source material. Which is not to say that it doesn't have it's own influences; if I had to pin one, this novel is downright Dostoevskian.

I love experimental novels that grapple with one's existence. The nameless narrator in INVISIBLE MAN takes the reader on his journey of being a black student at a Southern college (the way he wins his scholarship—whew, get ready) to a chauffeur, a seeker of employment in New York City, a factory worker, an injured man, a medical test subject, an orator, and political pawn. That's not even everything. Every turn of the story is fraught and fascinating. And I must commend the absolutely brilliant narration of Joe Morton for keeping my attention undivided for all 18 hours and 36 minutes. The writing is loud and confident, and Morton embodies our narrator in full.

INVISIBLE MAN is a layered book that speaks to the many experiences of being American and being black in America; the book is set in the 20s and 30s, but much still resonates today. Invisibility of a person or people: there is much to be said about suffering in this country, and what goes ignored. My mind also thought a lot about those in charge and the current state of immigration. After such an arduous journey, the last uttered line gave me a shiver: "Who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you?"