Description
About the Author <DIV>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. Alan Bomar Jones is an international stage actor who has appeared in over sixty professional theatrical shows, performing from Canada to California. His offstage credits include two made-for-TV movies, several independent films, and various local commercials. As an independent voice-over artist, Alan works from his home producing books and commercials.</div>
Features & Highlights
- 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.
