Cultural Contexts for Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man : A Bedford Documentary Companion (Bedford Documentary Companion)

Rating:
Summary: Invaluable Resource for in-depth research
Review: Eric Sundquist's book is an invaluable resource for information when trying to understand the background of Invisible Man. This is the place to start if you're doing research on the novel. Not only does Sundquist present the prolific sources that Ellison used and referenced through the novel, the editor also provides additional resource materials for each reference. It's wonderful if you're writing a research paper, and helpful for the curious reader who wants to be even further convinced of Ellison's genius.

Rating:
Summary: Nice companion, but rather boring.
Review: I used this book in my Writing 122 class when we read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. It was somewhat helpfull, especially explaining some of the allusions made in the book, but overall it was very boring and dry. Also, some of the background explanations of different historical figures were difficult to follow. I'd give it four stars for helpfullness, but since it can be confusing/dry, only three stars total.