The author grew up in the woods of Mississippi amid poverty, hunger, fear, and hatred. He lied, stole, and raged at those around him; at six he was a "drunkard", hanging about in taverns. Surly, brutal, cold, suspicious, and self-pitying, he was surrounded on one side by whites who were either indifferent to him, pitying, or cruel, and on the other side by blacks who resented anyone trying to rise above the common law. This is the author's powerful...

Contains the complete texts of three works by African-American author Richard Wright: "Native Son," and its companion essay "How 'Bigger' Was Born"; Wright's first novel "Lawd, Today!"; and the story collection "Uncle Tom's Children." Includes a chronology of Wright's life and notes on his writings.

Set in the deep South, each of these powerful novellas concerns an aspect of the lives of black people in the post-slavery era, exploring their resistance to white racism and oppression.

"Fred Daniels, a Black man, is picked up by the police after a brutal double murder and tortured until he confesses to a crime he did not commit. After signing a confession, he escapes from custody and flees into the city's sewer system. Includes his companion essay, 'Memories of My Grandmother'."--

Wrights daughter, Julia, explains that this novel, written shortly before her fathers death, explores many themes . . . like guilt, the difficult relationship between the generations, [and] the difficulty of being a black police officer and father . . . [and is] astonishingly modern for a novel written in 1960.

Richard Wright - Black Boy is an Emmy Award winning film -- the first documentary film on the life, work and legacy of Richard Wright. Born outside Natchez, Mississippi in 1908, Wright overcame a childhood of poverty and oppression to become one of America's most influential writers. His first major works, Native Son and Black Boy, were runaway best sellers which are still mainstays of high school and college literature and composition classes. According...