- Paperback: 272 pages
- Publisher: HarperPerennial; Reprint edition (Sep 1996)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0060976810
- ISBN-13: 978-0060976811
- Product Dimensions: 19.8 x 13.2 x 2 cm
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,345,820 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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First Sentence
DAVE STRUCK OUT across the fields, looking homeward through paling light. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
DAVE STRUCK OUT across the fields, looking homeward through paling light. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Back Cover
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5 reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
Excellent work
22 May 2003
Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase
Richard Wright is well known as the author of classic American books like "Native Son", but this was my first sample of his short story work. Eight Men is a collection of short stories about Black men in very different and unusual situations, but all of the stories involve their struggles in life.
"The Man Who Lived Underground" was the story that struck me the most. The elements of this story took a considerable amount of time to analyze back when I was a freshman in college. It is the story of Fred Daniels, a black man, wrongly accused of murder, who escapes to the sewer and there realizes the harsh realities of his existence. More happens in that sewer than you probably imagine. It is the longest of all of the stories.
"The Man of All Work" is the story that had the most humor in it. "Eight Men" is a collection of fairly sad stories that detail the oppressive conditions of Black men in the 1930's, and this short story joined with "The Big Black Good Man" as the only ones with noticeable humor to them. The resourcefulness of a Black man in a town where there were no jobs for Black men is the basis of this story.
Our book club found "Eight Men" to be very interesting on a number of levels. The discussion was lively, and everyone had contributions. The meeting ran past the scheduled time, and that is the highest praise that we can give to a book.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Masterful Work
9 Jan 2009
Format:Paperback
Though this does not contain Mr. Wright's best short story, "Bright and Morning Star", it does reveal his brilliance in telling a tale and connecting to the Black experience. From his use of the vernacular to his adept reaching of the Black man's perception of the white worlds attitude's toward him, Mr. Wright's work brings a certain comfort in knowing that some one else has gone through what the reader has.
terribly disappointing
3 May 2012
Format:Paperback
This was my first sample of Wright's stories. If he's a black icon and a black hero, I don't know why, judging from these stories. Yes, he bemoans the black man's situation, as advertised, but you would expect his message, based on his stature, to be one of pride, dignity, taking responsiblity for one's actions, and fighting adversity to try to improve your race's lot in life. I didn't see that at all. What I saw was the typical victim's mentality, namely, I'm a victim, I'm not responsible for my actions, it's always somebody's else's fault, and you should feel sorry for me and give me handouts. I thought this mentality was invented in the 90's but evidently it goes back at least 50 yrs before that. As an example, a black man stabs and murders a white woman, hides her body, and uses her panties to wipe blood off the floor before throwing the panties onto the dead body. Yet the story says that he was only "reacting to the emotions" stirred up in him by the white man's unfairness toward blacks. In other words, it's not my fault that I commit crimes, so I shouldn't be punished. What kind of lesson is that, and how does it improve life for anyone?
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