Book · 2010
Invisible Man
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison has been mentioned in 13 episodes across 7 podcasts (4 episodes recommend it and 9 episodes discuss it), through . Most frequently brought up by Russ Roberts (3 episodes), Jacqueline Novogratz (1 episode) and Olia C. (1 episode) on EconTalk (4 episodes), The Book Review (4 episodes) and The Daily Stoic (1 episode).
- episodes
- 13
- podcasts
- 7
- people
- 12
- episodes recommend it
- 4
Invisible Man becomes the rare single book that I do think stands to test the time.
Questions about Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison
Who recommends Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison on podcasts?
Russ Roberts (1 episode), Jacqueline Novogratz (1 episode), Olia C. (1 episode) and Ryan Holiday (1 episode) have recommended Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison on podcasts. In all, 12 people brought it up across 7 podcasts (4 people recommended it).
Which podcasts mention Invisible Man the most?
EconTalk (4 episodes), The Book Review (4 episodes), The Daily Stoic (1 episode), The Ezra Klein Show (1 episode) and The Megyn Kelly Show (1 episode), among 7 podcasts in all.
Is Invisible Man recommended, or only discussed?
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison was recommended in 4 episodes and discussed without a recommendation in 9 episodes, as of 2026-09-11.
What do people say about Invisible Man?
Dwayne Betts on EconTalk (2022-05-02): "Invisible Man becomes the rare single book that I do think stands to test the time."
When was Invisible Man last mentioned on a podcast?
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison was last discussed on The Ezra Klein Show by Francis Fukuyama on 2026-09-11.
What they say about it
- Reads or discusses the book“read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison”3
- Discusses the author's work2
The best things said about it
It's this beautiful book about this guy coming of age as a sort of a black man in America in the fifties.
Ryan Holiday The Daily Stoic · Oct 2024 So that's just an example. But I think, you know, civil rights, Ralph Ellison wrote a a novel back in the, uh, 1950s about, you know, the experience of African-Ameans that had moved from the south to the north. You didn't have official legally sanctioned segregation. What you had was the invisibility. That's where the invisible man in the title.
It is like when you go to a bookstore and try to find a copy of an American classic, Invisible Man, written by a black guy, and it's in black literature.
Andrew Klavan The Megyn Kelly Show · May 2025 Invisible Man is one of my favorite novels.
There's a lot, and it's the old Ralph Ellison phrase, "Curse them with your yes, sirs," from Invisible Man.
Where and when it comes up
How it comes up
Most episodes, by podcast
12 people who brought it up
- Russ Roberts3 episodes · recommended in 1
- Jacqueline Novogratz1 episode · recommended in 1
- Olia C.1 episode · recommended in 1
- Ryan Holiday1 episode · recommended in 1
- Andrew Klavan1 episode
- Dwayne Betts1 episode
- Francis Fukuyama1 episode
- John Williams1 episode
- MJ Franklin1 episode
- Pamela Paul1 episode
- Robert Barnes1 episode
- Saidiya Hartman1 episode
Why people recommend it
Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison is a landmark twentieth-century American novel that explores the complex themes of identity, race, and societal invisibility through the eyes of an unnamed Black narrator moving from the American South to Harlem. Russ Roberts recommended reading the novel on EconTalk in preparation for an upcoming guest discussion. Jacqueline Novogratz listed the novel on The Tim Ferriss Show as a book that greatly influenced her life. Other prominent figures discussed its themes across various programs: Francis Fukuyama mentioned the novel on The Ezra Klein Show to discuss the concept of invisibility and racial politics regarding African Americans moving north, while Andrew Klavan used the book on The Megyn Kelly Show to criticize how bookstores categorize American classics under separate headings like Black literature. Ryan Holiday brought up Ellison's book on The Daily Stoic to discuss the theme of being free of illusions during a conversation about coming of age as a Black man in America during the nineteen-fifties. On The Book Review, Olia C. compared Colson Whitehead's writing to Ellison's novel because of a shared mood, and Saidiya Hartman discussed Ellison's political evolution and American patriotism as reflected in his satirical portrayal of the Communist Party within the book. Across these discussions, commentators highlighted the novel's enduring power in shaping conversations about race, visibility, and American identity.
Every mention
Russ Roberts dwayne betts is going to be returning to econ talk to discuss primo levy and ralph ellison and their books… 3
“i was recently talking to dwayne betts uh the poet and an author about we were talking about it hasn't aired yet but primo levy's book um if this is a man and followed by the truce and then also ralph ellison's book invisible man which is a novel”
“oh i'm reading invisible man for econ talk that kind of counts”
“dwayne betts is going to be returning to econ talk to discuss primo levy and ralph ellison and their books if this is a man by levy and levy spoke the truce alongside ellison's book invisible man you might want to do some of that reading in advance”
Jacqueline Novogratz one was invisible man by ralph ellison 1
“one was invisible man by ralph ellison”
Olia C. mean one it has a lot of the same mood as an invisible man which is actually why I wanted to read it becaus… 1
“mean one it has a lot of the same mood as an invisible man which is actually why I wanted to read it because Invisible Man is one of my my favorite novels”
Ryan Holiday Have you read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison? It's this beautiful book about this guy coming of age as a so… 1
“Have you read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison? It's this beautiful book about this guy coming of age as a sort of a black man in America in the fifties.”
Andrew Klavan It it is like when you go to a bookstore and try to find a copy of an American classic, Invisible Man, writ… 1
“It it is like when you go to a bookstore and try to find a copy of an American classic, Invisible Man, written by a black guy, and it's in black literature.”
“It is like when you go to a bookstore and try to find a copy of an American classic, Invisible Man, written by a black guy, and it's in black literature.”
Dwayne Betts um because and i'll talk about invisible man in a second but he's the kind of person who put a lot of press… 1
“um because and i'll talk about invisible man in a second but he's the kind of person who put a lot of pressure on himself to write the first book”
“and and i i think actually is invisible man becomes the rare single book that i do think stands to test the time”
Francis Fukuyama So that's just an example. But I think, you know, civil rights, Ralph Ellison wrote a a novel back in the,… 1
“So that's just an example. But I think, you know, civil rights, Ralph Ellison wrote a a novel back in the, uh, 1950s about, you know, the experience of African-Ameans that had moved from the south to the north. You didn't have official legally sanctioned segregation. What you had was the invisibility. That's where the invisible man in the title”
John Williams so I picked up recently Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison which I thought you were going to say 1
“so I picked up recently Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison which I thought you were going to say”
“I read Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison”
MJ Franklin and then that scene calls back a scene from The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison where again there's boxing a… 1
“and then that scene calls back a scene from The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison where again there's boxing and I think what the floor is electrified or something”
Pamela Paul you mentioned Invisible Man and I think that's what most people who have read Ellison are familiar with 1
“you mentioned Invisible Man and I think that's what most people who have read Ellison are familiar with”
Robert Barnes Yeah, what's interesting is Michael Malice has a version of curse than with your yes, sirs. Figure out what… 1
“Yeah, what's interesting is Michael Malice has a version of curse than with your yes, sirs. Figure out whatever their conspiracy theories are about you and play into them and then they'll be even more terrified and whatnot. There's a lot, and it's the old Ralph Ellison phrase, "Curse them with your yes, sirs," from "Invisible Man."”
Saidiya Hartman and for those of us who know him mostly through Invisible Man where there's this you know satire of the Com… 1
“and for those of us who know him mostly through Invisible Man where there's this you know satire of the Communist Party he was very much an americanist a patriot”
Other mentions (3: passing, ad reads, own books)
“I mean soul and poets and political leadership and moral leadership and spiritual leadership. I grew up reading Langston Hughes and Ellison and Richard Wright, and that's stitched into the narrative. But you know, I can't—all I can speak about in terms of where I think we should...”
“you see him in Vermont struggling to write Invisible Man”
“I think it Peters out a little bit for me in the last section because similarly actually to Invisible Man which I read recently there are these sort of int party very mid-century scenes”