Contains the complete texts of three works by African-American author Richard Wright: "Native Son," and its companion essay "How 'Bigger' Was Born"; Wright's first novel "Lawd, Today!"; and the story collection "Uncle Tom's Children." Includes a chronology of Wright's life and notes on his writings.

The author relates his life as an African American growing up in the South during the Jim Crow years. Wright presents a compelling story of a black man's attempt to escape his past and start anew in Harlem. Cross Damon is a man at odds with society and with himself, a man who hungers for peace but who brings terror and destruction wherever he goes.