--- product_id: 8564130 title: "Native Son Paperback – September 16, 2014" brand: "richard wright" price: "£3643.20" currency: GBP in_stock: true reviews_count: 10 url: https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8564130-native-son-paperback-september-16-2014 store_origin: GB region: United Kingdom --- # Native Son Paperback – September 16, 2014 **Brand:** richard wright **Price:** £3643.20 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Native Son Paperback – September 16, 2014 by richard wright - **How much does it cost?** £3643.20 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.uk](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8564130-native-son-paperback-september-16-2014) ## Best For - richard wright enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted richard wright brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Native Son Paperback – September 16, 2014 - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/31Wx6n-K6tL.jpg) ![Native Son Paperback – September 16, 2014 - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41NuUq5VIvL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Banned Book *by C***N on Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2023* Collected all black books on the banned list to preserve the history of our great artist ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Spellbinding, why isn’t this on the syllabus?! *by M***L on Reviewed in the United States on April 19, 2023* This kept me engaged all the way through the tragic tale. If you don’t empathize with this character and get inside his situation, you are dead inside. Also, love the slice of history that isn’t discussed in typical history classes, post depression, Jim Crow, Communist activism, Red Lining/Black Belt, white guilt/apathy,…. A must read at this critical time of striving to come together as one people, humans with more in common than in contrast. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Vivid early portrayal of systemic racism *by S***N on Reviewed in the United States on January 9, 2021* Historically, this work was written before the Civil Rights era (1940) and shed light on the terrible social circumstances that pervaded African-American life in the North. Set in Chicago shortly after the Great Migration, it portrays what we now would characterize as systemic racism – the realities of a dysfunctional society. A black everyman has his life cast away by a lack of opportunity to make his life count for something. It can remind today’s readers of the progress that has been made and the progress which still must be made.In this tale, Bigger Thomas at first seems headed to jail for only petty theft; then soon, he is in trouble for murder. Ironically, committing murder for Thomas was the most enlivening act of his life, for it was an act in which he took full responsibility of making a decision. With only an eighth-grade education and the wrong color of skin, Thomas did not have much opportunity, and the opportunities presented him were still less than that presented to most white folk.In the author’s telling, Thomas’ actions seemed reasonable but simultaneously immoral. That quandary and contradiction creates tension and sympathy in the reader. In the final chapter, I read the case for and against the protagonist, and I could not help but agree with both accounts. It thus vividly portrayed what happens to oppressed people in seemingly intractable situations. The main remedy or next step, it seems, was awareness.The original text, now preserved in my edition of the book, was too vivid for original readers in the 1940s, so Wright revised it so that it would reach a wide audience of a specific book club. The publisher thought that it would turn off pre-World-War-II American housewives who populated the book club. Fortunately, the book sold well and was eventually deemed a classic. Also fortunately, the original text was later re-discovered and disseminated to the reading public.In an era when America’s systemic racism is regularly discussed in the news, this text provides an interesting and relevant historical nugget. It’s one of the first vivid portrayals of post-slavery African-American life. It reminds us that undoing America’s “original sin” of slavery requires more than just Constitutional amendments. Though this work might prove too seedy for grade-school students, it should not be neglected by the curious reader. Its seediness is not sensationalism but instead meaningful. We are not so far off Wright’s 1940-era Chicago that these type of situations do not remain. Rather, the setting’s similarity to the present day needs to be contemplated still. Few better resources for this task exist in America’s literary past than Native Son. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8564130-native-son-paperback-september-16-2014](https://www.desertcart.co.uk/products/8564130-native-son-paperback-september-16-2014) --- *Product available on Desertcart United Kingdom* *Store origin: GB* *Last updated: 2026-05-04*