{"product_id":"9781593082895","title":"The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Other Writings (Barnes \u0026 Noble Classics Series)","description":"\u003cbr\u003e\u003cfont face=\"Times New Roman\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man and Other Writings\u003c\/i\u003e, by \u003cb\u003eJames Weldon Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e, is part of the \u003ci\u003e\u003cem\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/em\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eseries, which offers quality editions at affordable prices to the student and the general reader, including new scholarship, thoughtful design, and pages of carefully crafted extras. Here are some of the remarkable features of \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics\u003c\/i\u003e: \u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNew introductions commissioned from today's top writers and scholars \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBiographies of the authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eChronologies of contemporary historical, biographical, and cultural events \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eFootnotes and endnotes \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eSelective discussions of imitations, parodies, poems, books, plays, paintings, operas, statuary, and films inspired by the work \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComments by other famous authors \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eStudy questions to challenge the reader's viewpoints and expectations \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eBibliographies for further reading \u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIndices \u0026amp; Glossaries, when appropriate\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003eAll editions are beautifully designed and are printed to superior specifications; some include illustrations of historical interest. \u003ci\u003eBarnes \u0026amp; Noble Classics \u003c\/i\u003epulls together a constellation of influences—biographical, historical, and literary—to enrich each reader's understanding of these enduring works.\u003cp\u003eIn his long career \u003cstrong\u003eJames Weldon Johnson\u003c\/strong\u003e established himself as a poet, composer, lawyer, diplomat, educator, and journalist. Yet he wrote only one novel: \u003ci\u003eThe Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. \u003c\/i\u003ePublished anonymously in 1912, it received scant notice until its reissue in 1927 at the height of the Harlem Renaissance. A landmark in African-American writing, \u003ci\u003eThe Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man\u003c\/i\u003e was the first black novel written in the first person, and a trailblazer for writers exploring racial ambiguity. It served as an eloquent model for later writers ranging from Zora Neale Hurston to Richard Wright and Ralph Ellison. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA coming-of-age story about a man whose light skin enables him to “pass” for white, \u003ci\u003eThe Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man\u003c\/i\u003e describes a remarkable journey through the strata of black and white society at the turn of the twentieth century. From a cigar factory in Jacksonville to an elite gambling club in New York, from hobnobbing with European aristocrats to jamming with ragtime musicians, the unnamed narrator struggles to forge an identity in a culture that recognizes nothing but color. At the end, he discovers that the decision to pass brings its practitioners little more than a ruinous self-denial.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis edition also includes a selection of Johnson’s poetry and newspaper writings.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eNoelle Morrissette\u003c\/b\u003e is Lecturer of African-American Studies and English Literature at Yale University, where she received her Ph.D. in 2002.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e","brand":"Barnes \u0026 Noble","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47031133012208,"sku":"9781593082895","price":5.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/9781593082895_p0.jpg?v=1763811886","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/9781593082895","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}