1. Describe the narrator's childhood, schooling, and relationship with his parents.

2. How does the narrator differ from most other people of color?

3. Growing up, what experiences did the narrator have with racial issues?

4. Describe the narrator's impressions of other people of color whom he meets throughout the first eight chapters of the book, both in the South and in New York City.

5. Describe the three types of white Americans the narrator sees at "the Club."

6. How does the narrator end up in Europe?

7. Describe the three most pivotal moments for the narrator in Europe (the first at Faust, the second in Paris with the young man from Luxembourg, and the third in Berlin).

8. What is the narrator's goal in coming back to the States, and what are some of the obstacles he will face according to his millionaire friend?

9. The millionaire tells the narrator:

My philosophy of life is this: make yourself as happy as possible, and try to make those happy whose lives come into touch with yours; but to attempt to right the wrongs and ease the sufferings of the world in general, is a waste of effort. You had just as well try to bale the Atlantic by pouring the water into the Pacific.

Discuss whether or not you agree with this philosophy, and why.

10. What are some of the viewpoints on race that the narrator encounters on the way back to the states and after his arrival?

11. The narrator encounters rural Southern African Americans for the first time upon his return to the States. What are his impressions of them?

12.What does the narrator say about Southern versus Northern views on African-Americans? (p. 80)

13. What sometimes happens when the narrator arrives at a new small town? (p. 81)

14. What does the narrator witness when he stays overnight with the young schoolteacher? How does he feel about this? Why? What does he ultimately decide to do (or not do)?

15. In the end, how does the narrator end up living? Why is the book entitled "Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man"?

16. What is your final judgment of the narrator? For example, do you think he is dishonest, has a right to do what he's doing, or what?