An Interesting Exchange on My Evening Walk

[Teasing the Korean]

I went for my usual evening walk around the neighborhood, and stopped at the free library box where two roads intersect.  Among the children's books and Danielle Steel novels was Ralph Ellison's The Invisible Man.  Just after I arrived, a car pulled over and a young woman, late teens or early 20s, got out to look at the books.  I said to her, "Ralph Ellison, The Invisible Man."  "What genre is it?" she asked.  I told her.  I walked away.  A few minutes later, her car went by.  She slowed down, smiled, and waved at me.  My interpretation of that gesture was that she had taken the book.  

Molding young minds.

[JSngry]

"What genre is it?" 

Why?

Otoh, sounds like a good outcome on your part. Kudos! 

[Teasing the Korean]

21 minutes ago, JSngry said:

"What genre is it?" 

Why?

Otoh, sounds like a good outcome on your part. Kudos! 

She may have thought it was the H. G. Wells.

Edited July 15, 2023 by Teasing the Korean

[sgcim]

1 hour ago, Teasing the Korean said:

She may have thought it was the H. G. Wells.

That's what she thought it was. She'll take one look at the first page, and throw it across the room.

On your next evening walk, her father will be waiting for you with a baseball bat. As he chases you down the street, he'll be yelling at you, "Why are you exposing my daughter to great literature?! With Chat GBT we don't need anymore of that stuff. We can get Chat GBT to write her a story about a rapper who turns into an invisible man, and becomes rich and famous, not so black and so blue.

[Teasing the Korean]

5 minutes ago, sgcim said:

That's what she thought it was. She'll take one look at the first page, and throw it across the room.

On your next evening walk, her father will be waiting for you with a baseball bat. As he chases you down the street, he'll be yelling at you, "Why are you exposing my daughter to great literature?! With Chat GBT we don't need anymore of that stuff. We can get Chat GBT to write her a story about a rapper who turns into an invisible man, and becomes rich and famous, not so black and so blue.

Haha!  

The other interesting exchange was this:  I am in very good Brian voice lately, and while I was walking, I was singing "The Warmth of the Sun."  A couple of older women were walking toward me, but I didn't care, I just kept singing.  One of the women said, "You sound great!"

[JSngry]

2 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

She may have thought it was the H. G. Wells.

Because nowhere was the author's name present?

Wait, don't tell me...it wouldn't have made any difference, right? 

Did this book not have any kind of a back cover blurb or anything? You know, just read the back cover, right? 

Oh wait, you're in Florida, right?

Ok. Or are you out here now? 

6 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Haha!  

The other interesting exchange was this:  I am in very good Brian voice lately, and while I was walking, I was singing "The Warmth of the Sun."  A couple of older women were walking toward me, but I didn't care, I just kept singing.  One of the women said, "You sound great!"

Say hi to Audree next time you see her! 

[Teasing the Korean]

2 minutes ago, JSngry said:

Because nowhere was the author's name present?

Wait, don't tell me...it wouldn't have made any difference, right? 

Did this book not have any kind of a back cover blurb or anything? You know, just read the back cover, right? 

Oh wait, you're in Florida, right?

Ok. Or are you out here now? 

She hadn't picked up the book at that point.  When I said "The Invisible Man," she may have thought it was horror/sci-fi.  I had to explain that it was an autobiographical novel about the African American experience in the early/mid 20th century.  

Please don't tell any of this to Ron Desantis.  😹

[JSngry]

You secret is safe with me. 

[sgcim]

4 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

She hadn't picked up the book at that point.  When I said "The Invisible Man," she may have thought it was horror/sci-fi.  I had to explain that it was an autobiographical novel about the African American experience in the early/mid 20th century.  

Please don't tell any of this to Ron Desantis.  😹

It's a great book. Even Saul bellow agreed, in an essay I just read by him on it. I wonder what percent of people under 40 have read it.

Somehow I don't think it's a large percentage. I should read Shadow and Act someday. I've read everything he wrote about Charlie Christian and loved it.

[Rabshakeh]

That's a great book. This might just be a British thing but I am always surprised at what a low profile the book has. 

[Teasing the Korean]

I read it in my mid-20s, around the same time as reading Native Son and Black Boy by Richard Wright, and three are kind of blurred together in my mind.  I remember really liking all three. 

[Teasing the Korean]

I had to run a quick errand this morning and passed by the library box.  I pulled over, and Ralph Ellison book was no longer there.  So I guess she did take it after all.

[GA Russell]

12 hours ago, JSngry said:

You secret is safe with me. 

 

[mikeweil]

I have it on the shelf for so long .....

[AllenLowe]

Invisible Man is an astounding novel, and doubly amazing is that it was really Ellison's only successful fiction. I have a theory - there were all kinds of stories of why he never produced another great novel, that he had lost a book on the subway, this had happened, that had happened - but I have read every other piece of fiction of his that I can find, some WPA stories, Juneteenth - and everything I have seen is just lifeless (his essays, which are brilliant, are another story). My theory is that this is the one great book he had in him, and we should stop worrying about what else he might have written. It doesn't matter. Invisible Man is epochal, really one of the great books of the modern era. We should all produce one solitary work with this kind of power and vision.

Edited July 16, 2023 by AllenLowe

[T.D.]

I was really impressed by the outstanding Invisible Man, read some other fiction that didn't measure up, and Ellison dropped off my radar screen. He certainly deserves fame based on that one work.

 

In Florida?...I hope the young woman doesn't get arrested. I'd also consider the possibility that she took the book in order to burn it, or to report its presence to local "authorities". 🤔

[Teasing the Korean]

12 minutes ago, T.D. said:

In Florida?...I hope the young woman doesn't get arrested. I'd also consider the possibility that she took the book in order to burn it, or to report its presence to local "authorities". 🤔

Based on her appearance and manner of conversation during the exchange, I did not get that impression at all.  Unless she is part of a youth squad being trained to out others.  Maybe someone deliberately placed the book there to ferret out the unmutuals!

[T.D.]

17 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Based on her appearance and manner of conversation during the exchange, I did not get that impression at all.  Unless she is part of a youth squad being trained to out others.  Maybe someone deliberately placed the book there to ferret out the unmutuals!

[Italics added] I hope so. But if you pass by a month from now and find the free library box is gone...🙄

[Dan Gould]

 

36 minutes ago, T.D. said:

In Florida?...I hope the young woman doesn't get arrested. I'd also consider the possibility that she took the book in order to burn it, or to report its presence to local "authorities". 🤔

Jesus Christ the ignorance about Florida is appalling.

I bet my liberal friends still think that young poet's book really was "banned" in Miami-Dade.

Meanwhile, actual denial of first amendment rights are enforced by the current administration and there is a gigantic yawn. 

[Teasing the Korean]

2 minutes ago, Dan Gould said:

Jesus Christ the ignorance about Florida is appalling.

The ignorance in Florida is appalling.