Reddit mentions of Invisible Man

• Invisible Man vs. Native Son; each takes a different approach to the same topic and time period
  
• Beowulf (any translation) vs. Grendel; alternate perspectives on the same event... for example, you could talk about how modern literature has ultimately become more character-centric and detailed rather than actions-based
  
• Following this train of thought, you could also do The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Wicked.
  
• Any two novels dealing with the Holocaust (e.g. Night and The Painted Bird)
  
• In Cold Blood and Devil in the White City; compare and contrast dramatic nonfiction execution
  
• Interview with the Vampire and Dracula; detail how portrayal of vampires parallels societal attitudes towards homosexuals and how vampire novels from different time periods deal with vampires differently; PM me if you'd like more info on this, as I'm currently taking a class on it. Alternatively, you could do Interview and then The Vampire Lestat, the next book in the Vampire Chronicles, and analyze how the vampire characters change after the post-AIDS crisis.
  
• I second the suggestion of The Great Gatsby and The Sun Also Rises.
  
• Prozac Nation and The Bell Jar; two women of two different decades writing about their depression. Of course, The Bell Jar is fictional, but thought to be highly autobiographical.
  
  Please let us know which ones you end up doing!

http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Man-Ralph-Ellison/dp/0679732764

Paperback: 608 pages

I loved Dreams from My Father and [The Color of Water] (http://www.amazon.com/Color-Water-Tribute-Mother-Anniverary/dp/159448192X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417378244&sr=1-1&keywords=the+color+of+water), and they're relatively recent.

There are reasons some books become classics though - you should check out [Voices in the Mirror] (http://www.amazon.com/Voices-Mirror-Autobiography-Gordon-Parks/dp/0385266987/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417378538&sr=1-1&keywords=gordon+parks+autobiography), [Black Boy] (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Boy-Record-Childhood-Youth/dp/0061130249/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417378427&sr=1-1&keywords=black+boy), [Invisible Man] (http://www.amazon.com/Invisible-Man-Ralph-Ellison/dp/0679732764/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417378361&sr=1-1&keywords=invisible+man), and [Black Like Me] (http://www.amazon.com/Black-Like-John-Howard-Griffin/dp/0451234219/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417378875&sr=1-1&keywords=black+like+me) for instance

Since you make a point of saying you're white, Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison might be a good contrast to your experience of life (I'm not having a go at you.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0679732764

I have four. I believe they are books that everyone should read.


Invisible Man


To Kill a Mockingbird


Hiroshima


The Catcher in the Rye


Each one of these have changed the way I see the world. They all have amazing stories for the perspective of characters I normally would not have been able to identify with.

And my problem was that I always tried to go in everyone's way but my own. I have also been called one thing and then another while no one really wished to hear what I called myself. So after years of trying to adopt the opinions of others I finally rebelled. I am an invisible man.

Ya! It was a hard road that took me 5 years to finish my degree but here I am working on a bunch of engineering research. That's not all though, after a year at this company, I decided to apply to PhD programs in electrical engineering and physics. I'm finishing up my applications as we speak. So we'll see how it goes.

My family is great also. My mom is still having trouble finding a steady job but now that I'm working it's a lot less stressful. My brother will be graduating from his very own Physics major in 2 years, and just like you and me, he's the only minority in his physics program. Luckily he's had my support throughout the experience and we've talked a lot about the very same lonesome feeling we had.

I'll end with this: I reassure you that if my failures and successes were put in lists right next to each other, the successes would be about 3 lines while the failures would be hundreds of pages. I had a 2.3 GPA finishing up my sophomore year; hell, I even failed my English 101 class. Luckily, I applied randomly and got accepted to a middle of nowhere REU on nanoscience research where I met an Indian grad student that really helped me cope and listen to every one of my problems no matter how petty they sounded. By the time I graduated, I had brought my GPA up to a 3.1 with an internship under my belt.

Anyways, I'm not here to brag, but I just want to let you know that even a person like you that seems so hopeless has the potential to succeed. Just keep at it until something works.

Additionally, reading really helped me cope with what I was feeling by showing me the stories of people just like us. There's authors out there that have gone through the same experience and have written it all out. I strongly suggest reading: The Invisible Man
and Crime and Punishment

These stories are literally about college students that have been dealt a hand that makes it hard for them. They're long stories but even just reading the first 100 pages of either will really let you see your own experience written into words.

Wish you well mate!
Good luck