This novel is a spectacular case of righting a decades-old wrong in publishing. Richard Wright wrote The Man Who Lived Underground nearly 80 years ago and it was partially published as a short story. Wright believed it to be his most authentic work and desired to have the novel published in its entirety. This did not happen during his lifetime but thanks to the Library of America and Penguin Random House, readers have access to the full work as well as an essay that provides essential background information called "Memories of My Grandmother."
A black man named Fred Daniels is walking home from work when he's stopped and taken in for questioning by the police. He is accused of a gruesome crime that he did not commit and is brutally beaten and tortured until he confesses. He eventually flees from police custody during a terrible storm and manages to find a loose manhole cover leading him to the sewer under the city. Taking his chances with the danger, filth and disease underground, Fred loses his sense of time and space, reality, and faith in mankind.
Set in WWII-era Chicago, there is a tragically timeless quality about this story that transcends the decades and feels like it could have taken place yesterday. An innocent man of good character with a stable job, wife, and baby on the way is forced to make the devastating decision to leave life above ground in order to survive. Guilt, freedom, racial prejudice, religion, materialism and identity come to the forefront as the reader grapples with the circumstances of a black man who was not treated fairly in the criminal justice system and whose only choice for survival was to leave all semblance of worldly connection and visibility behind.