The Autobiography of an ExColored Ma..., James Weldon Johnson
The Autobiography of an ExColored Ma..., James Weldon Johnson
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

Author: James Weldon Johnson

Narrator: Bill Andrew Quinn

Unabridged: 5 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 12/01/2011

Synopsis

James Weldon Johnson’s The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man takes place in post Reconstruction era America and follows the story of a young biracial male. Johnson poses a complex dilemma: because the “Ex-Colored Man,” which is the only name by which the protagonist is referred, represents what, at the time was, a social contradiction of race and culture, he is forced to choose which aspect of his heritage to publicly express. His options are to embrace his black heritage and culture, or to pass as a white man cloaked in middle-class, mediocre obscurity. Johnson’s novel explores racial tensions in late nineteenth and early twentieth century culture through this poignant coming-of-age story.

About James Weldon Johnson

James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938) was an American author, politician, diplomat, critic, journalist, poet, anthologist, educator, lawyer, songwriter, and early civil rights activist. James is remembered best for his leadership within the NAACP, as well as for his writing, which includes novels, poems, and collections of folklore. His most famous book is The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man. He also published The Book of American Negro Spirituals, Black Manhattan, and Negro Americans, What Now? One of the first African American professors at New York University, James also served as a professor of creative literature and writing at Fisk University.

About Bill Andrew Quinn

Bill Andrew Quinn is a veteran in the voice-over world. In addition to hundreds of commercials and audiobooks, his many credits include work on The Sopranos, The Montel Williams Show, and Showtime at the Apollo, as well as characters for Grand Theft Auto IV and other video games. Totinos, Corona, Lincoln-Mercury, and McDonald’s are among his many television campaign clients.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Lawyer on February 04, 2013

The Autobiography of an Ex-Coloured Man: James Weldon Johnson's novel of race and identity "You are young, gifted, and Black. We must begin to tell our young, There's a world waiting for you, Yours is the quest that's just begun.--James Weldon Johnson James Weldon Johnson Johnson lived an extra......more

Goodreads review by Lark on January 30, 2019

What an extraordinary novel! It's difficult to believe such a short work can contain so much. First there is the story itself, which includes among other things a detailed and colorful explanation of the Cakewalk, the story of the rise of Ragtime, the beauty of the music of the Fisk Jubilee Singers,......more

Goodreads review by Donna on August 02, 2020

My husband and I read this book together, and we were both so glad we did! I found it at a book sale. The book was short and the price was low. What did I have to lose? This story is partly autobiographical. Published in 1912, it tells the account of a fair-skinned black man who can “pass” as white.......more

Goodreads review by Keith on March 31, 2025

Incredible book great story well written.. I’m so changed by the words in this book Makes me look at the struggles of the Black man in a different light.. It was then as it is now no matter light or dark a black person is still treated as a black person. That’s a shame that it’s still that way.. Awe......more

Goodreads review by Monique on July 07, 2020

This is a really hard review for me to write there is just so much to say about the book and I have no idea where to start. And if I said all that I wanted to say, this review would end up a term paper instead of a simple review. Simply stated The Autobiography of An Ex-Colored is about a mulatto man......more

Quotes

“Johnson’s theme of moral cowardice sets his tragic story of a mulatto in the United States above other sentimental narratives. The unnamed narrator, the offspring of a black mother and white father, tells of his coming-of-age at the beginning of the 20th century. Light-skinned enough to pass for white but emotionally tied to his mother’s heritage, he ends up a failure in his own eyes after he chooses to follow the easier path while witnessing a white mob set fire to a black man…Recommended.” Library Journal

“This remarkable man left a mark on the 20th century that goes beyond the boundary of race.”  Amazon.com, praise for the author

Awards

  • Huffington Post Pick
Add to Cart
Add to Wish List