The Outsider
Book description
From Richard Wright, one of the most powerful, acclaimed, and essential American authors of the twentieth century, comes a compelling story of one man's attempt to escape his past and start anew in Harlem.
Cross Damon is a man at odds with society and with himself—a man of superior intellect…
Why read it?
1 author picked The Outsider as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
All my life, I have felt like an "outsider." Wright’s book depicts American racism and its devastating consequences in raw and unflinching terms.
The main character Damon Cross, a Chicago negro, disillusioned with the futility of life and the mess he has made of it, reminds me of when I was homeless. The fossilized, decadent cultural barons of American art have always kept me at bay. My entire career has been as an outsider. Outcast. The invisible man. Interloper. Picasso had a blue period. I had a blues period.
All my life, I have used painting and writing as a…
From John's list on understanding homelessness and existentialism.
Want books like The Outsider?
Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Outsider.
Browse books like The Outsider
5 book lists we think you will like!
Interested in African-American men, communists, and social alienation?
10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about African-American men, communists, and social alienation.