Ralph Ellison: More Than Invisible, I Am Oklahoma Children's Series

Ralph Waldo Ellison was an American writer. He is most famous for his first book, Invisible Man. It has been translated into 17 different languages. Ellison won many important awards for writing during his life. Some of those awards are the 1953 National Book Award and the 1969 Medal of Freedom. 

Ralph was born on March 1, 1914. Oklahoma was only seven years old as a state when he was born. His father had been a Buffalo Soldier. Buffalo Soldiers were African American cavalry soldiers in the United States Army. His name was Lewis Alfred Ellison. His mother was a homemaker. Her name was Ida Milsap Ellison. His parents moved from Tennessee to Oklahoma in 1910.

Ellison loved music. He wanted to be a musician and a composer. He started playing the cornet when he was eight years old. He went to college to study music. He liked jazz and classical music. Instead, he became a writer known all over the world.

Author: Quraysh Ali Lansana