Widely acclaimed as one of the finest books ever written on race and class divisions in America, this powerful novel reflects the forces of poverty, injustice, and hopelessness that continue to shape society. \n \nNow an HBO Film \n \nIf one had to identify the single most influential shaping force in modern Black literary history, one would probably have to point to Wright and the publication of Native Son. - Henry Louis Gates Jr.\n \nRight from the start, Bigger Thomas had been headed for jail. It could have been for assault or petty larceny; by chance, it was for murder and rape. Native Son tells the story of this young black man caught in a downward spiral after he kills a young white woman in a brief moment of panic.\n \nSet in Chicago in the 1930s, Richard Wright's powerful novel is an unsparing reflection on the poverty and feelings of hopelessness experienced by people in inner cities across the country and of what it means to be black in America.\n \nThis edition--the restored text of Native Son established by the Library of America--also includes an essay by Wright titled, How Bigger was Born, along with notes on the text.\n