Absolutely phenomenal book, I have listened to nearly half of it in a single day. The story is entirely character driven, and the author does an incredible job at describing and embodying the main character. Makes me feel like I know the guy. Besides the lovely characterization and dialog, there is also a wealth of historical information to absorb from this story. And it is a very educational and sobering experience about the everyday reality of black people in America (I'm pretty sure the attitudes described in the story still very much exist, but maybe in a slightly different form).