Author: Richard Wright
A special Harper Perennial Deluxe Edition of Richard Wright's powerful account of his journey from innocence to experience in the Jim Crow South—a poignant and disturbing record of social injustice and human suffering
When it exploded onto the literary scene in 1945, Black Boy was both praised and condemned. Orville Prescott of the New York Times wrote that “if enough such books are written, if enough millions of people read them maybe, someday, in the fullness of time, there will be a greater understanding and a more true democracy.” Yet from 1975 to 1978, Black Boy was banned in schools throughout the United States for “obscenity” and “instigating hatred between the races.”
Wright’s once controversial, now celebrated autobiography measures the raw brutality of the Jim Crow South against the sheer desperate will it took to survive as a Black boy. Enduring poverty, hunger, fear, abuse, and hatred while growing up in the woods of Mississippi, Wright lied, stole, and raged at those around him—whites indifferent, pitying, or cruel and Blacks resentful of anyone trying to rise above their circumstances. Desperate for a different way of life, he headed north, eventually arriving in Chicago, where he forged a new path and began his career as a writer. At the end of Black Boy, Wright sits poised with pencil in hand, determined to “hurl words into this darkness and wait for an echo.” More than seventy-five years later, his words continue to reverberate.
One of the great American memoirs, Wright’s account is a deeply moving record of struggle and endurance—a seminal literary work that illuminates our own time.
Black Boy
If you are not satisfied with your purchase, you may return it for a refund. We will issue a refund for the purchase price of the item plus any applicable taxes to your original form of payment for items returned within 30 days. All returned items must be in their brand new, original condition; shrink-wrapped products must be unopened. Shipping fees are not refunded.
Please send an email to orders@dabookjoint.com for a return authorization number.
When do you ship? Orders are shipped Monday – Friday.
Where do you ship to? We ship domestically as well as internationally. If you have a question about shipments, please email orders@dabookjoint.com.
How do you ship? Most of our orders ship via USPS. We will also use UPS at your request. Since we do ship most of our orders via USPS, our website will only allow you to choose that as a shipping option. However, there is a comments box on the shipping selection screen where you can write in your desired shipping method. Small orders going to Canada and internationally will almost always be sent by USPS to help save on shipping cost and brokerage fees. Orders going to APO/FPO boxes will also be sent via USPS.
Rates to ship? We charge a flat rate for shipping of $3.50 per book. Any orders over $50 will ship for free.
How to track an order that's been shipped? If a tracking number is available and an email address was provided at the time of order, you will receive an automated email from either UPS or USPS with your tracking number once the order ships.
Are the items in stock? All items are normally held in stock. However, we may sometimes run out due to sudden demand, in which case we will notify you and inform you of the date we expect to receive more stock.
What are the lead times? We aim to ship orders within 2 working days for domestic orders and 4 working days for international orders. However, this may sometimes be longer due to other circumstances such as order volume and backorders.