This is a very good book to read. a classic. IF you like his other stuff you will love this book. It even has beer in the title.

Stephens has produced a passionate and provocative book about three luminaries of African-American culture who have probably never been grouped together before---and certainly not so interestingly. Stephens, who holds a PhD in Communication, is doing something that more American Studies scholars should emulate: he's making comparisons across political boundaries, and he's challenging some prevailing orthodoxies about how we think about race in the US. Very much worth reading and arguing about.

I found this to be one of the worst books i have ever read in my life. It is almost impossible to follow the storyline as the main characters perspective is amazingly introverted and scenes are sometime fragmented causing confusion. This story is nothing new and has been written since the invention of words a million times over, and i really have no comprehension of why this book is considered good literature

I truly believe that Ellison's condensed prose is one of the best novels I have ever written. If a person says that they do not enjoy this book, it is because they are bad readers who completely missed all the motifs, foils, and statements that Ellison says with this book. This book takes a serious, easily cliched, topic and works it so well that I felt the need to read this book multiple times. And even after all that, I still feel that I need to read it more, just as to sink into every line. It is a must read, for those who read to the fullest!

oh baby it was good, i liked it so much that i bought it for my baby brother.

With a reputation like Ellison has, I would expect his writings on jazz to be full of writerly insight which would bring to life the music as seen through the eyes of someone very perceptive. This is not the case. Instead, the book is a series of difficult, dry, mostly trivial essays culled together by, it seems, an editor with a taste for publishing something that would sell and impress rather than something worth reading.

Many essays in this book are reviews of obscure recordings or ruminations on artists most people haven't heard of. Most of the writings also date from the late 50's, giving the content a lack of perspective to our modern ears. Ellison also comes across as somewhat of a curmudgeon, disdaining "modern" jazz and "so-called rock and roll" (his term), adding yet another layer of unreliability.

Ultimately, I found myself skimming through essays I either didn't understand, or didn't care to. Much more relevant and lively jazz essays can be found in numerous other books.

The ultimate disappointment, I think, is that the book doesn't make me want to listen to jazz. It convinces me I don't understand it.

Ellison remains one of the finest writers on jazz to have ever taken pen to paper. "Living with Music" is living proof, even though he is no longer with us. This book is ideal for readers seeking a literary exploration through jazz. In addition to Ellison's writings, Robert O'Meally's introduction offers keen insight into the style of jazz culture.

I wouldn't recommend this book to readers looking for an introduction to jazz. For that, I would suggest sticking to liner notes, writings by musicians, and objective writers. However, for those who are looking to explore the whole of jazz culture, that moves beyond the listen, you'll thoroughly enjoy the read. My personal favorite is "Cadillac Flambe." "The Charlie Christian Story" contains some of my favorite quotes on jazz culture.

While Ellison's skill as a stylist is undeniable (on the level, possibly, of even Joyce or Proust), and while with INIVISIBLE MAN he may have very well written one of the ten greatest books of the 20th century, what we have in his long-awaited, highly anticipated follow-up is nothing but a "momentary glimpse" at the greatness it could have been.

One cannot help but wonder what JUNETEENTH would have been like had the original copy not burned in Ellison's legendary house fire. Would it, in fact, even have been called JUNETEENTH? Callahan says he believes this is what Ellison intended to title his multi-volume epic, but we will never know. It is merely speculation. It is an "editorial decision," as is the whole book. And therein lies the problem with the novel.

JUNETEENTH is a monumental testament to the power of friendship and editorship (Callahan and Ellison). I am not denying the bravery and dedication it had to have taken Callahan to sort through all the disparate notes, and passages of dialogue, and sections of narrative told in the bits and pieces that Ellison left behind, and then to dare to somehow put it all together in some sort of coherent form. It was a monumental task, and Callahan is to be commended. But the final result is messy, incomplete, and largely unsatisfying.

As the editor of an unfinished volume, Callahan was left with making authorial decisions on the line of narrative structure, and character development development, etc. He had to repeatedly ask himself (as editor) questions that only an author can fairly ask, and so I'm afraid the book is finally more Callahan's than Ellison's.

While there are scenes in JUNETEENTH that hint at Ellison's lyrical and haunting brilliance, the "jigsaw puzzle" effect of the storyline is finally disappointing, leaving me with a mixture of emotions--sadness that Ellison never lived to finish his great life work, and anger that JUNETEENTH, as we have it, is a novel that maybe never should have been published.

As with any other unfinished work (The Love of the Last Tycoon, The Garden of Eden, etc.) it is difficult to read this without wondering what it might have been if Ellison had finished it. On the downside, there is much here that needs explanation and fleshing out. There are interesting nods in certain directions that leave the reader longing for more. And there is the inevitable feeling that a much richer story lies just beneath the surface. However, there are rich passages of prose in this book which are a welcome addition to Ellison's body of work. The concept, the plot, and the route taken to get there is full of rewards along the way. "Juneteenth" is a sketch of something that could have been truly magnificent, but is still nevertheless a fascinating look into the mind of one of America's greatest writers.

Of course, this book was difficult to read at times. Anyone who has read Invisible Man had to expect that. Nonetheless, there is a complicated genius that emerges in Ellison's life-work the same way Joyce's Ulysses rewards those who make it to the end. I tried reading this book at the beach, which was a mistake. I was more successful finishing it at home with a serious outlook, an overstuffed chair and long sittings. Whatever you do, don't quit in the middle.

Ellison captures the ambiguity of racial and ethnic heritage in the identities of individual characters. While the large racial drama has played out through our country's history, individual players have lived in their own unique spaces within the play. Hickman and Bliss are exquisitely drawn examples.

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.

This 125-page commentary on Ralph Ellison's "Invisible Man" was written in 1988 by an English professor at McGill. Its points (except those quoted from other sources) are all obvious and it sometimes descends to the level of summary. It also dismisses every extreme point of view presented in the novel by saying that "we", of course, know that lack of moderation is silly: no argument or engagement is required. A very poor work.