The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man

What does it mean to choose between your truth and your survival?

The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson is a bold, deeply moving novel that explores the complex realities of race, identity, and passing in early 20th-century America. Framed as a fictional memoir, the book follows a biracial man who, upon discovering the secret of his parentage, must grapple with the painful decision to live as Black or to pass as white in a racially divided society.

A brilliant narrative of self-discovery, silence, and the cost of assimilation.

From the vibrant cultural life of the Black South to the cosmopolitan music halls of Europe, the narrator's journey reveals both the richness of African American identity and the soul-crushing pressure to conform in a racist world. Johnson masterfully confronts themes of art, ambition, social justice, and moral ambiguity with poetic nuance and courage.

A landmark work in African American literature.

Originally published in 1912 and reissued in 1927 during the Harlem Renaissance, this novel was among the first to lay bare the psychological complexity of the «color line» in American life.

What Readers and Critics Say:

"One of the most important works of early African American fiction." – The New York Times

"As haunting today as it was a century ago." – The Atlantic

"A gripping, honest portrait of identity in a fractured society." – Amazon Reviewer

Why You'll Love This Book:

A powerful story of race, passing, and moral conflict

Ideal for readers of Toni Morrison, Ralph Ellison, and James Baldwin

A key text in discussions on double consciousness and systemic racism

Both historically significant and emotionally resonant

Click Buy Now to Read a Courageous Exploration of Race and Identity in America.

Experience one man's journey between two worlds—and the price of choosing silence over selfhood.

Click Buy Now to read The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man by James Weldon Johnson.