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James: A Novel by Percival Everett | LibraryThing
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN" "https://www.w3.org/TR/1999/REC-html401-19991224/loose.dtd"><html> <head><title>James: A Novel by Percival Everett | LibraryThing</title> <link rel="canonical" href="https://www.librarything.com/work/30591436/reviews/" /><meta name="twitter:card" content="summary" /> <meta name="twitter:site" content="LibraryThing" /> <meta name="twitter:title" content="Reviews: James: A Novel by Percival Everett" /> <meta name="twitter:description" content="★★ ⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) "James" by Percival Everett promised an intriguing angle: to delve into the life of a lesser-known character from "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"—Jim, the runaway enslaved man. While the concept offered rich potential to reframe and deepen our understanding of this figure, "James" ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. Everett seems to rely heavily on readers’ familiarity with "Huck Finn", meaning that if you haven’t recently read (or don’t recall) Twain’s original, much of the impact is lost. Without that context, the story lacks emotional pull and feels, unfortunately, a bit tedious. Instead of fully developing Jim’s character or exploring new facets of his life, the novel leans heavily on revisiting slavery’s brutality—a narrative that, while crucial, can feel repetitive in 2024 when readers are looking for fresh perspectives. In the end, "James" reads more like a retelling than a reinvention, bordering on a vanity project that leverages classic literature without pushing any boundaries. This could have been a truly powerful novel, but the execution doesn’t do justice to the potential. It’s a disappointment for fans of Everett’s usually nuanced storytelling and innovative plots." /> <meta name="twitter:image:src" content="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SS250_SS250_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" /> <meta property="og:title" content="empman74's review of James: A Novel by Percival Everett" /> <meta property="og:type" content="review" /> <meta property="og:url" content="https://www.librarything.com/work/30591436/reviews/275319385" /> <meta property="og:image" content="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SS250_SS250_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" /> <meta property="og:image:width" content="250" /> <meta property="og:image:height" content="250" /> <meta property="og:site_name" content="LibraryThing.com" /> <meta property="fb:app_id" content="79305890602" /> <meta property="og:description" content="★★ "⭐️⭐️ (2 stars) "James" by Percival Everett promised an intriguing angle: to delve into the life of a lesser-known character from "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"—Jim, the runaway enslaved man. While the concept offered rich potential to reframe and deepen our understanding of this figure, "James" ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. Everett seems to rely heavily on readers’ familiarity with "Huck Finn", meaning that if you haven’t recently read (or don’t recall) Twain’s original, much of the impact is lost. Without that context, the story lacks emotional pull and feels, unfortunately, a bit tedious. Instead of fully developing Jim’s character or exploring new facets of his life, the novel leans heavily on revisiting slavery’s brutality—a narrative that, while crucial, can feel repetitive in 2024 when readers are looking for fresh perspectives. In the end, "James" reads more like a retelling than a reinvention, bordering on a vanity project that leverages classic literature without pushing any boundaries. This could have been a truly powerful novel, but the execution doesn’t do justice to the potential. It’s a disappointment for fans of Everett’s usually nuanced storytelling and innovative plots."" /> <meta property="review:target" content="https://www.librarything.com/work/30591436/book/275319385" /> <META NAME="ROBOTS" CONTENT="NOINDEX,FOLLOW"> <META NAME="description" CONTENT="All about Reviews: James: A Novel by Percival Everett. 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Your use of the site and services is subject to these policies and terms.</div></div></div> </div><div id="gbss"> <h1>Results from Google Books</h1> <p>Click on a thumbnail to go to Google Books.</p> <div id="gbss_content"></div> </div><div class="content reviews"><input type="hidden" name="cgtag_lb_title" value="CoverGuess Tags" id="cgtag_lb_title" class="" ><input type="hidden" name="work" value="30591436" id="work" class="" ><input type="hidden" name="book" value="275319385" id="book" class="" > <table class="wrapper" width="100%" border=0> <col width="160"> <col> <col width="210"> <tr> <td class="left"><div id="maincover" class="mainleftimage"><a href="#" onclick="si_info('isbn_0385550367'); return false;"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/fugue21/magnifier-left.png" class="icon"></a><a href=""><img width="180" id="mainCover" class="workCoverImage" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX360_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX540_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX180_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" alt="James: A Novel by Percival Everett" data-adaptive-background="1" ></a></div><div class="leftnav workleftnav alwaysblue noline"><ul><li class="first"><a href="/work/30591436/summary/275319385">Main page</a></li> <li class="gap"><a href="/work/30591436/workdetails/275319385">Work details</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/details/275319385">Book details</a></li> <li class="gap selected"><a href="/work/30591436/reviews/275319385">Reviews</a> <span class="count">(81)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/recommendations/275319385">Recommendations</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/members/275319385">Members</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/descriptions/275319385">Descriptions</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/conversations/275319385">Conversations</a> <span class="count">(163)</span></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/commonknowledge/275319385">Common Knowledge</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/popularity/275319385">Popularity</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/covers/275319385">Cover images</a></li> <li ><a href="/work/30591436/editions/275319385">Editions</a></li></ul></div> </td> <td class="middle" id="middleColumn"> <div id="loading">Loading...</div><div class="headsummary"><h1>James: A Novel <span class="date">(edition 2024)</span></h1><h2>by <a href="/author/everettpercival">Percival Everett</a> (Author)<hr></h2></div><div class="wslcontainer"><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="wsltable"><tr class="wslheader"><td width="18%" class="firstchild">Members</td><td width="18%">Reviews</td><td width="18%">Popularity</td><td width="22%">Average rating</td><td width="25%" class="lastchild">Mentions</td></tr><tr class="wslcontent"><td valign="middle" class="firstchild"><a href="/work/30591436/members">1,565</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/30591436/reviews">82</a></td><td valign="middle"><a href="/work/30591436/popularity">12,198</a></td><td valign="middle"><nobr><a href="/work/30591436/members"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss9.gif" style="margin-bottom: -2px;"></a> <span class="dark_hint">(4.37)</span></nobr></td><td valign="middle" class="lastchild"><a href="/work/30591436/conversations">163</a></td></tr></table></div><div id="u_5f40272b" class="quickedit light"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle" style="margin-left: .75em;">empman74's review</span></div></div><div class="simpleSection" id="shareid" style="max-width: 100% !important;"><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_275319385" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/0" data-workid="0" class="" ><img src="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com/picsizes/be/50/be50cb8a8dcd004597745414141426b41414141_v5.jpg" srcset="https://pics.cdn.librarything.com/picsizes/d2/ea/d2ea7476099ba1d597745414141444941414141_v5.jpg 2x, https://pics.cdn.librarything.com/picsizes/01/37/013749e2b880e21597745414141417341514141_v5.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>⭐️⭐️ (2 stars)<br><br>"James" by Percival Everett promised an intriguing angle: to delve into the life of a lesser-known character from "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"—Jim, the runaway enslaved man. While the concept offered rich potential to reframe and deepen our understanding of this figure, "James" ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. <br><br>Everett seems to rely heavily on readers’ familiarity with "Huck Finn", meaning that if you haven’t recently read (or don’t recall) Twain’s original, much of the impact is lost. Without that context, the story lacks emotional pull and feels, unfortunately, a bit tedious. Instead of fully developing Jim’s character or exploring new facets of his life, the novel leans heavily on revisiting slavery’s brutality—a narrative that, while crucial, can feel repetitive in 2024 when readers are looking for fresh perspectives. <br><br>In the end, "James" reads more like a retelling than a reinvention, bordering on a vanity project that leverages classic literature without pushing any boundaries. This could have been a truly powerful novel, but the execution doesn’t do justice to the potential. It’s a disappointment for fans of Everett’s usually nuanced storytelling and innovative plots. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_275319385" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_275319385"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_275319385" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_275319385" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_275319385"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/empman74" target="_top">empman74</a> | Nov 16, 2024 | <a href="/review/275319385"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div></div> <!-- simpleSection end --><div id="u_215f900b" class="quickedit light"><div class="nav"><span class="navInfoTitle" style="margin-left: .75em;">All member reviews</span></div></div><div id="wp_reviews" class="simpleSection"><div class="workSection"><div class="review_showing_pages"></div><div id='mainreviews_reviewnav' class='reviewnav'><div class="languagepick"><b><a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','30591436','',false,'eng', 'profile');">English</a> (79)</b> <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','30591436','',false,'spa', 'profile');">Spanish</a> (1) <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','30591436','',false,'ger', 'profile');">German</a> (1) <a href="javascript:loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','30591436','',false,'all', 'profile');">All languages</a> (81)</div><div class="right"><strong><a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,3,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','30591436','',false, null, 'profile');return false;">date<span class="sortArrow"> ▼</span></a></strong> | <a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,2,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','30591436','',false, null, 'profile'); return false;">votes</a></div>Showing 1-25 of 79 (<a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',25,0,3,'wp_reviews',25,'','30591436','', false, null, 'profile'); return false;">next</a> | <a href="#" onclick="loadReviewsIntoContainer('',0,0,3,'wp_reviews',10000,'','30591436','', false, null, 'profile'); return false;">show all</a>)</div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_275319385" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>⭐️⭐️ (2 stars)<br><br>"James" by Percival Everett promised an intriguing angle: to delve into the life of a lesser-known character from "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn"—Jim, the runaway enslaved man. While the concept offered rich potential to reframe and deepen our understanding of this figure, "James" ultimately feels like a missed opportunity. <br><br>Everett seems to rely heavily on readers’ familiarity with "Huck Finn", meaning that if you haven’t recently read (or don’t recall) Twain’s original, much of the impact is lost. Without that context, the story lacks emotional pull and feels, unfortunately, a bit tedious. Instead of fully developing Jim’s character or exploring new facets of his life, the novel leans heavily on revisiting slavery’s brutality—a narrative that, while crucial, can feel repetitive in 2024 when readers are looking for fresh perspectives. <br><br>In the end, "James" reads more like a retelling than a reinvention, bordering on a vanity project that leverages classic literature without pushing any boundaries. This could have been a truly powerful novel, but the execution doesn’t do justice to the potential. It’s a disappointment for fans of Everett’s usually nuanced storytelling and innovative plots. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_275319385" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_275319385"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_275319385" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_275319385" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_275319385"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/empman74" target="_top">empman74</a> | Nov 16, 2024 | <a href="/review/275319385"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_275300525" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>The last 10 pages or so were interesting. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_275300525" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_275300525"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_275300525" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_275300525" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_275300525"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/joycelas" target="_top">joycelas</a> | Nov 16, 2024 | <a href="/review/275300525"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_275073194" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Excellent book. It is the story of James, the slave that we find fathered Huck Finn. We find that he is a self-taught slave who reads and writes. He has a wife and daughter who all belong to Judge Thatcher. When he learns that he is to be sold, leaves his family and tells them he will return to get them as soon as he is able. Thus begins a story of his struggles along the way to figure out how to get money to buy his family. Huck follows him throughout much of his journey. He goes through Hell and back to find his wife. The story ends with his finding his family and running away towards Canada. An amazing story as seen through the eyes of an enslaved black man from Hannibal, MO. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_275073194" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_275073194"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_275073194" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_275073194" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_275073194"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/bentstoker" target="_top">bentstoker</a> | Nov 12, 2024 | <a href="/review/275073194"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_266261770" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Clever, ingenious retelling of Huck Finn. Brings to the forefront the misery of slavery that Twain never could. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_266261770" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_266261770"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_266261770" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_266261770" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_266261770"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Doondeck" target="_top">Doondeck</a> | Nov 11, 2024 | <a href="/review/266261770"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_274628466" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>One of the best books I have ever read. Everett has managed to meld a white fantasy written by Mark Twain into a stark, troubling and at times even human book about the sin that was slavery. So glad I took a chance on it. The author has left us at the end with the hope that James and his family succeed in their flight for freedom at the same time aware of the great danger that always will be in their future. <br><br>Washington Post Review by Ron Charles<br><br>...It’s worth noting that Huck begins his own story by referring to Mr. Mark Twain with a little metafictional joke: “He told the truth, mainly." <br>...That word “mainly” runs as wide as the Mississippi in the spring. And on the currents of such a stream of possibilities, Percival Everett has now set “James,” his sly response to “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”<br><br>The timing may be accidental, but it couldn’t be better. Our barely United States is once again tearing itself apart over which books should be banned and how African American history should be taught. Meanwhile, “American Fiction,” an adaptation of Everett’s 2001 novel, “Erasure” — which satirizes the publishing industry’s condescending regard for Black writers — is up for five Academy Awards. What better moment for one of the nation’s preeminent authors to reconceive the nation’s central novel?<br>Sign up for the Book World newsletter from The Washington Post<br>Like Huck, you might think, “I been there before,” but the title, “James,” immediately suggests what Everett is up to with this subversive revision. In these pages, the enslaved man known as Jim can finally declare: “I will not let this condition define me. … My name became my own.”<br>Early in the novel, James acquires a pencil at an unspeakable cost, and he’s not afraid to use it. Stand aside, Mr. Twain. “I wrote myself into being,” James proclaims.<br>Here is the story we thought we knew, told from the point of view of a “man who is cognizant of his world,” a savvy 27-year-old who reads Kierkegaard and can laugh about the tension between “proleptic irony or dramatic irony.” Everett isn’t exactly hitching a ride on Twain’s raft, but he’s moving down the same river, docking at some of the same points while letting others pass by. Meanwhile, the original story’s wit has been recast in a different shade. This is a book haunted by a little boy’s innocence but no longer corralled by it. While “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” lampooned American society through the naiveté of its young narrator, “James” critiques White racism with the sharp insight of a character who’s felt the lash, and who has a wife and child to protect from state-sanctioned torture and rape.<br><br>Everett, who’s been writing for more than 40 years, has wended through terror and humor before. Most notably, in 2021, he published a novel called “The Trees,” which was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. It’s a merciless comedy about lynching — something I wouldn’t have thought possible before I read it in one wincing day.<br>But the horror gathers gently in “James.” First, Everett moves to reorient these characters in his own moral landscape. “Those white boys, Huck and Tom, watched me,” James says one moonlit night. “They were always playing some kind of pretending game where I was either a villain or prey, but certainly their toy.”<br>No longer.<br>Notice, too, that voice. Rather than merely discard Jim’s dialect, Everett makes it central to the story. Every enslaved person in “James” is essentially bilingual, capable of code switching between the sophisticated English they secretly use among themselves and the shufflin’ vernacular they speak around White people. “Safe movement through the world,” James notes, “depended on mastery of language, fluency.” And so we see him training his daughter how to thank Miss Watson for a piece of her horrible cornbread:<br>“What are you going to say when she asks you about it?”<br>The girl practices: “Miss Watson, dat sum conebread lak I neva before et.”<br>“Try ‘dat be,’” Jim says. “That would be the correct incorrect grammar.”<br>The “correct incorrect grammar” is a perfect metaphor for the rigid but absurd structure of American racism that James contends with. Every situation, he insists, must be carefully engineered to preserve the illusion of Black inferiority. At a nighttime meeting that reads like an HR training session in hell, James explains that Whites’ fragile sense of generosity, justice and ease is constantly threatened by their own brutality and their victims’ humanity. “White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them,” he says. “The better they feel, the safer we are.”<br>Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer are back — and all growed up<br>Even if you haven’t read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” since high school, you’ll catch Everett’s reenactments of many scenes from Twain’s novel. But each one has been reset in surprising ways. Here, for instance, it’s not Huck’s fault that a rattlesnake bites James, and in his delirium, under the effects of the venom, James debates the meaning of equality with Voltaire.<br>Later, those familiar scoundrels, the King and the Duke, shoulder their way onto the raft. Everett can do their shtick well, but he keeps them on a shorter leash. That’s partially because James is less impressed by these con men than Huck is, but also because Everett has a firmer control of his plot. This is not a story told by a boy drifting down a river; it’s a story told by a man racing against chaos to retrieve his family.<br>Of course, that means some memorable moments are entirely missing, including anything that Jim doesn’t witness in Twain’s story, like the feud between the Grangerfords and the Shepherdsons. Personally, I can never get enough of Emmeline Grangerford — her maudlin poetry! her spidery portraits! — but as compensation, Everett gives us evocative new incidents, such as James’s stint as a member of a blackface singing group, which is a pitch-perfect example of the author’s contrapuntal satire.<br>Other omissions are more strategic and more telling. Everett dispenses with the inane trip to Phelps’s farm that spoils the end of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Instead, “James” leans in hard on its thriller elements and gathers speed and terror like a swelling storm. Its conclusion is equally shocking and exhilarating.<br>What book has the most disappointing ending?<br>What’s most striking, ultimately, is the way “James” both honors and interrogates “Huck Finn,” along with the nation that reveres it. What does it mean that — in Hemingway’s words — “all modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called ‘Huckleberry Finn’”? How did we manage to privilege the story of a White boy’s moral insight over the plight of a Black man’s existential peril? For all Twain’s comic genius and social courage, “Huckleberry Finn” allows White readers to talk about slavery while remaining at the center of the story. Like Huck, we can feel warmed by bravely resolving to go to hell for Jim without getting burned.<br>In the opening pages of Everett’s novel, Miss Watson notices something amiss. She asks James, “Have you been in Judge Thatcher’s library room?”<br>“You mean dat room wif all dem books?”<br>“Yes.”<br>James laughs and says, “What I gone do wif a book?”<br>Just wait and see.</div><div id="rfd_274628466" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_274628466"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_274628466" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_274628466" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_274628466"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/derailer" target="_top">derailer</a> | Nov 4, 2024 | <a href="/review/274628466"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_274550520" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award finalist is a subversive retelling of Mark Twain’s classic book <em>The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn</em> from the perspective of the Black slave Jim rather than of the young white boy Huck. <br><br>Like this new version, the original began in Missouri just before the outbreak of the Civil War. Huckleberry Finn, who is 13 or 14, wanted to escape his father’s beatings, so he faked his own death and ran away. He joined up with 27-year-old Jim, a slave who went on the lam after learning that his owner planned to sell him, regardless of the fact that he had a wife and child. (As Jim later explained to Huck, having a family “don’ mean nuffin if’n you a slave.”) <br><br>They both needed money, not only just to eat, but Jim wanted to earn enough to buy the freedom of his family. Thus they set out on a raft headed down the Mississippi River to Cairo, in the free state of Illinois. [“Free” is understood to be a relative concept however; when they eventually made it to Illinois, Jim asked some Black men he encountered if he were actually in a free state. “The men laughed. ‘Boy, you’re in America.”]<br><br>Everett makes clear that fleeing their homes and rafting down the river may have been an “adventure” for Huck, but it was a life-threatening harrowing journey for Jim. Jim’s situation is all the more perilous because of Huck’s presumed death, since Jim would invariably be blamed for it and lynched if he were caught.<br><br>The narrative point of view is only part of the uniqueness of this retelling. Language and perception also play a major role in the story, reflecting their historic centrality in differentiating the oppressed from the oppressors. In <em>James</em>, the Black characters not only speak in an “uncultured” way when they are around whites, but they engage in code-switching, or language alternation, when they are among themselves. As Jim explained to his daughter and other slave children:<br><br>“‘White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them,’ I said. The only ones who suffer when they are made to feel inferior is us. Perhaps I should say ‘when they don’t feel superior.’”<br><br>Jim understood that in fact, holding a pistol up to a white man wasn’t nearly as frightening to him as speaking his language. If you sound the same, might that not imply a shared humanity? <br><br>And so, he counseled his daughter, “let’s pause to review some of the basics.’”<br><br>As an example, he asked his daughter how she would respond when asked how she liked the terrible cornbread her mistress made. <br><br>Lizzie intoned: <br><br>“‘Miss Watson, dat sum conebread lak I neva before et.’ <br><br>Try ‘dat be,’” [Jim said]. ‘That would be the correct incorrect grammar.’”<br><br>[As Everett <a href="https://electricliterature.com/percival-everett-interview-novel-james/" rel="nofollow" target="_top">explained</a> in an interview, ". . . accents and poor grammatical construction are frequently used to designate inferiority. And it sort of causes people to forget that there is a distinction to be made between stupidity and ignorance. There are people who don’t have the privilege to learn correct grammar who are geniuses, whereas there are many people who use English perfectly and they’re idiots. So none of it is a clear marker but language has always been used by the oppressors to isolate the oppressed."]<br><br>Jim also answered the difficult question posed by a Black child who wanted to understand why God made some people masters and some slaves. He explained:<br><br>“There is no God, child. . . . Their religion tells that we will get our reward in the end. However, it apparently doesn’t say anything about their punishment. . . . Religion is just a controlling tool they employ and adhere to when convenient.” <br><br>[Nevertheless, Jim notes, “the more you talk about God and Jesus and heaven and hell, the better they feel.” And the better they feel, the children understood, the safer they were. He later further elucidated to Huck: “Folks be funny lak dat. Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ‘em.”]<br><br>Jim is not only more articulate than he lets on, but is well-read in addition, having surreptitiously read books from his master’s library over the years. Thus we see him, when in a snake-bit induced delirium, imagining an argument with Voltaire over slavery and the idea of natural liberty. “Natural liberty” doesn’t apply to a slave, as Jim well knows: his opinions or desires didn’t matter at all; “I was the horse that I was, just an animal, just property, nothing but a thing….”<br><br>As the story progresses, Huck and Jim found out the Civil War was starting, and Huck expressed astonishment by the very concept. He asked Jim: “To fight in a war.. Can you imagine?” Jim responded, “Would that mean facing death every day and doing what other people tell you to do? … Yes, Huck, I can imagine.’”<br><br>Jim thought about the northern white position against slavery:<br><br>“How much of the desire to end the institution was fueled by a need to quell and subdue white guilt and pain? Was it just too much to watch? Did it offend Christian sensibilities to live in a society that allowed that practice? I knew that whatever the cause of their war, freeing slaves was an incidental premise and would be an incidental result.”<br><br>The story ends a bit differently than the original; it was a more rose-tinted ending, but after all that preceded it, I thought it felt unrealistic.<br><br><strong>Discussion:</strong> In this book, slaves are humiliated, beaten, raped, killed over even the suspicion of disrespect to a white master, and of course, they are bought and sold just as if they were horses. It’s so hard to look through Jim's eyes and see all of the justifiable rage, impotency, and sense of injustice of it all, and yet it is a quintessential American story that needs telling, especially in these times of banning “uncomfortable” versions of history from the schools.<br><br>It is also depressing that some 160 years later, we are still fighting racism, misogyny, and the dehumanization and otherization of minorities. In fact, with the advent of MAGA, such attitudes are enjoying a shocking renaissance, with empathy and compassion perceived as "woke" rather than desirable character traits. <a href="https://electricliterature.com/percival-everett-interview-novel-james/" rel="nofollow" target="_top">As Everett shows</a>, "Slavery enslaves more than just the slaves. It punishes the slaves but it still exists as a cultural phenomenon that has consequences on everyone."<br><br>Even those elements of the novel meant to be humorous, like the fact-based practice of minstrel troops using blackface even on Blacks so they would satisfy stereotypes of Blackness for the audience, didn’t seem so funny to me.<br><br>Nevertheless, this is an outstanding book that I wish would be taught in all high schools. Americans are apparently not past needing to be reminded that humanity is a function of content of character rather than color of skin, and that the monsters that walk among us often wear a guise similar to our own. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_274550520" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_274550520"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_274550520" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_274550520" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_274550520"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/nbmars" target="_top">nbmars</a> | Nov 3, 2024 | <a href="/review/274550520"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_274524685" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>A retelling of the classic Huckleberry Finn, but from Jim's point of view. Jim is enslaved, yet is educated. He teaches his children how to speak like a slave in the presence of white people. He, along with Huck, travel the Mississippi River, and encounter scam artists masquerading as the Duke and Dauphin. Huck faked his death to escape his abusive father, with Jim running from being sold to a slave owner in New Orleans, which would separate him from his family. Jim agrees to protect Huck on this journey, but also wants to find a way back to his wife and daughter. <br>Interesting perspective on this classic tale. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_274524685" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_274524685"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_274524685" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_274524685" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_274524685"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/rmarcin" target="_top">rmarcin</a> | Nov 2, 2024 | <a href="/review/274524685"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_274402626" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Excellent, new favorite author <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss9.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_274402626" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_274402626"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_274402626" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_274402626" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_274402626"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Bibliofemmes" target="_top">Bibliofemmes</a> | Oct 31, 2024 | <a href="/review/274402626"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_274047497" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This is the second book I've read as part of a book club and I haven't really liked either of them. The author took a risk telling this story as a black slave even though he is white. I expected to see more backlash in comments and reviews. <br><br>Several things bugged me about this book:<br>- James the character shares the space with women in historical fiction who express feminist views from the past 50 years. <br>- There are some tedious sections in the book where the white people in the book are extremely caricatured and one-dimensional, is this supposed to be humorous? to show that one-dimensional characters are nonsensical no matter whether they are black or white?<br>- I am not surprised it is being considered as source material for a movie. It reads like a movie script and checks all the boxes for tragedy, adventure, and triumph.<br><br>On the other hand I found James fascinating. His thought processes and decision-making were plausible yet had a perspective unfamiliar to me. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_274047497" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_274047497"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_274047497" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_274047497" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_274047497"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/lbspen" target="_top">lbspen</a> | Oct 25, 2024 | <a href="/review/274047497"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273843659" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Narrated by Dominic Hoffman. This retelling of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" is told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. It's a sharp, incisive commentary on enslavement and race relations. The plot twists are mind-blowing, even meta in a couple of notable scenes (see the purchase of Jim from a non-owner; also, the minstrel blackface). Hoffman brings dignity and depth to his portrayal of the nuanced and perceptive Jim. A riveting presentation that suits the narrative perfectly. Lib notes: Several uses of the N word; disturbing to hear but within the historical and social context of the time period. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273843659" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273843659"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273843659" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273843659" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273843659"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Salsabrarian" target="_top">Salsabrarian</a> | Oct 25, 2024 | <a href="/review/273843659"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_271573104" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This is a retelling of Mark Twain’s classic novel Huckleberry Finn. In that story Huck escapes from his abusive father and meets up with N***** Jim, an escaped slave. At the time, it was considered an enlightened but scandalous novel as Huck struggled with his casual racism while eventually becoming good friends with Jim, seeing each other through various dangers.<br><br>In this retelling, Jim is the protagonist and we meet a completely different Jim. He’s a type I had never considered before, but having read this book, now I am gobsmacked that I had never imagined this type of enslaved man – when of course they must have existed. <br><br>There’s not much to say about the plot without giving away much of the depth of the story; only that it follows the events of Twain’s novel pretty faithfully. I emerged from this with a new view of slavery and the enslaved. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_271573104" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_271573104"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_271573104" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_271573104" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_271573104"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/streamsong" target="_top">streamsong</a> | Oct 25, 2024 | <a href="/review/271573104"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273463064" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I listened to this in audiobook format.<br><br>James is the tale of Huckleberry Finn but told from the perspective of Jim, the slave, and follows him through his travails to gain freedom and reunite with his family. At first it's a series of predicaments that all resolve but there are some unexpected twists and turns and a very powerful ending. I enjoyed the book; the narrator is one of my favorites. This is a fairly short and approachable novel and I think most people would like it and take something away from it. Not sure I see it as amazing enough to be shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and National Book Award, but they didn't ask me. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273463064" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273463064"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273463064" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273463064" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273463064"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/technodiabla" target="_top">technodiabla</a> | Oct 21, 2024 | <a href="/review/273463064"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273692301" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>So Everett uses a high-concept gimmick, sprinkles in some sociology de jour, and then uses his main characters as a mouthpiece for his own fragmentary understanding of a broad range of academic knowledge. The Stephen King of Important Satire, but none of it is funny or biting. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss4.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273692301" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273692301"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273692301" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273692301" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273692301"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/macando100" target="_top">macando100</a> | Oct 20, 2024 | <a href="/review/273692301"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273633940" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>While some people believe Percival Everett's James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, is a must-read, I found it to be self-serving and subversive. The book examines issues of violence, language, and the risks associated with claiming one's own language, but these topics alone did not convince me to read the book. The book gives Jim a fresh start in the first section, and James is a vividly imagined human being.<br>In my opinion, the book exploits the moments in Huckleberry Finn when Jim and Huck are apart. Everett's language games can be humorous at times, and there are touching and humorous moments in the book. I thought the book ended in a way that left the reader wondering if James was actually captured.<br><br>I feel conflicted about this one. I adore how the author retells the traditional Huckleberry Finn story while reclaiming Jim's story. However, I also thought that the narrative was very forced. Retellings are difficult, and in my opinion, hearing Jim tell his own story differs greatly from Huck's point of view. But I struggled to connect. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss6.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273633940" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273633940"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273633940" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273633940" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273633940"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/jwhenderson" target="_top">jwhenderson</a> | Oct 18, 2024 | <a href="/review/273633940"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273620819" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Interesting retelling even for someone who barely remembers Huck Finn. I appreciated the POV and how time and understanding have changed the narrative. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273620819" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273620819"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273620819" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273620819" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273620819"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/jenbanks208" target="_top">jenbanks208</a> | Oct 18, 2024 | <a href="/review/273620819"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273358743" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>“It’s only fair”, says author Percival Everett, that the character of Jim in Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” is given a voice.(1) <br><br>Everett’s 2024 Booker nominated novel, JAMES, is written in the first person from the perspective of Jim, a key character in “Huckleberry Finn”. Some readers may be aware of the historical figure, William Wells Brown, who after being born into slavery eventually escaped and went on to become a celebrated American author. The character James may be drawn from this inspiring figure, as James is a highly articulate and erudite man, ruminating on the philosophy of Voltaire and musing about the Treaty of Westphalia. Everett uses the knowledgeable James as a vehicle to educate the reader about pre-Civil War ideas that enabled or questioned slavery.<br><br>The plot of the novel matches key moments in the reference text, Huckleberry Finn; but JAMES is a rollicking read on its own terms, with a dramatic plot and lively vernacular dialogue propelling the story. The exploration of language registers and styles of speaking are a component of the book. I note that in Twain’s introduction of Huckleberry Finn he takes pains to explain to the reader his desire to articulate the nuances of a range of dialects of the American south. Similarly, this focus on language is ever present in this interesting book.<br><br>JAMES is a novel that adds to the subjective record of slavery, extending and challenging its narrative. The author Percival Everett has said that he doesn’t view his novel as a corrective but rather seems himself in conversation with Mark Twain. In the light of the banning of Twain’s novel in various US states, Everett has, in my mind, solved the standoff between cancelling Huckleberry Finn altogether and maintaining its elevated position as an American literary masterpiece. In this, JAMES makes an essential companion - and answer - to Huckleberry Finn.<br><br>Ref. (1) PBS NEWS Hour from ARTS AND CULTURE series Canvas (2 April 2024) accessed online 3 October 2024 <a href="https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/percival-everett-on-his-novel-retelling-huckleberry-finn-from-jims-point-of-view#audio" rel="nofollow" target="_top">https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/percival-everett-on-his-novel-retelling-huckle...</a> <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273358743" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273358743">1</span> <img title="1 member found this review helpful" id="rvi_273358743" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273358743" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273358743" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273358743"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/HazelFinn" target="_top">HazelFinn</a> | Oct 13, 2024 | <a href="/review/273358743"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273349036" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a timeless classic for many reasons. Twain’s wit and humor surpass almost every other American author. His moral clarity about America’s enduring troubles about race still instruct today. For these reasons, it continues to be taught in American high school classrooms. However, the story is told from the perspective of Huck, a white person, someone with inborn privilege. What would the story look like when told from the perspective of the enslaved person in the story, Jim? Percival Everett imagines just that scenario as he retells this classic in the first person. He does so with flare, and his product gripped me until the very last pages.<br><br>This transformed account of Jim – also known as James – makes the story less about the dominant white society’s nagged conscious about racial injustice. Instead, Everett’s narrative becomes one of self-determination and self-actualization by granting Jim agency. Jim knows how to read and write. Curious about literature like Voltaire’s Candide, he becomes not only philosophical but also self-aware. He becomes the intelligent master of his own life in a society that couldn’t care less about people like him, despite the Civil War.<br><br>As a privileged white man, I draw personal courage from this tale of Everett’s Jim. Honestly, I lack the resourcefulness that Jim has throughout this account and admire his determination. I also learn to empathize with the adversity that many African Americans still tragically face. Twain’s storytelling might lie behind Everett’s plot, but the modern black experience also informs the verbiage. Particularly strong are Jim’s relatable sentiments towards his family, represented by countless letters of former enslaved persons seeking family members. With Everett’s recast, he becomes by far the most human actor in the book.<br><br>I’m not sure I’ll ever see this book taught in a high school classroom in my lifetime in my Tennessee home. Themes of racial justice and even revolution still threaten too many white interests. Nonetheless, this book should reach a broad audience, exemplified by its Pulitzer nomination. It conveys essential truths about how we humans still too easily exploit each other and about how people of any skin color don’t always fit our preconceptions. It creatively demonstrates how skin color can be one of the dumbest ways of categorizing a person’s social contribution. If you’re looking for something that’ll teach you about lingering racial injustice in a story format, this book might be written just for you! <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273349036" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273349036">1</span> <img title="1 member found this review helpful" id="rvi_273349036" alt="vote" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/voteup-y.gif"></span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273349036" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273349036" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273349036"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/scottjpearson" target="_top">scottjpearson</a> | Oct 12, 2024 | <a href="/review/273349036"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_273038632" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Extraordinary.<br>I should say, I have not read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. <br>It may add another dimension to have read it, but it certainly isn't a prerequisite IMHO. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_273038632" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_273038632"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_273038632" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_273038632" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_273038632"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/ldefillipo" target="_top">ldefillipo</a> | Oct 7, 2024 | <a href="/review/273038632"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_272998254" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I did not reread Mark Twain's original, but I thought it was a thoughtful tribute by the author: "His humor and humanity affected me long before I became a writer". The rest of the quote is cryptic, as I find common in reading Percival Everett. This novel contains the best dialogue and inner thoughts of a character that I've read. The most amazing feat is the author's usage of modern day "code switching", wherein Black people in "white" situations speak differently than they do with their Black peers. Jim, enslaved, uses "proper English" when communicating with other enslaved people, but reverts back to Black patois when he's with white people and his life depends on it. Jim and Huck's relationship, as father and son, is also stunningly revealed. I don't think this was the case in the original. I am sure this modernization is an improvement over the original in every way. My review does not do it justice - I am almost wordless in admiration. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_272998254" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_272998254"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_272998254" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_272998254" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_272998254"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/froxgirl" target="_top">froxgirl</a> | Oct 6, 2024 | <a href="/review/272998254"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_272153461" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>In this retelling of Huck Finn, author Everett has taken control of the narrative, centering James, aka Jim instead of Huck. The experiences of the characters are similar to those in Twain’s novel, but the descriptions are more visceral. Everett takes us through a range of emotions, fear, anger, pain, betrayal and underneath it all, there is tenderness from James to Huck and Huck to James. This was an easy 4.5 rating for me. The half star off is for the ending which I felt came about too quickly…a minor problem for me and should not deter others. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss9.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_272153461" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_272153461"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_272153461" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_272153461" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_272153461"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/beebeereads" target="_top">beebeereads</a> | Oct 4, 2024 | <a href="/review/272153461"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_246826226" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>This book has all the buzz, so I don’t really need to say much except go read some published reviews, most of which are glowing. For example, <a href="https://www.npr.org/2024/03/19/1239377175/james-reimagines-twains-huckleberry-finn-with-mordant-humor-and-horror" rel="nofollow" target="_top">NPR’s review</a>, pointing out that retellings of famous novels from the POV of secondary characters are all the rage right now, says, “So, when is a literary gimmick not a gimmick? When the reimagining is so inspired it becomes an essential companion piece to the original novel, so much so that you can't imagine ever again reading one without the other. Such is the power of <i>James.</i>”<br><br>There are some interesting divergences from, and additions to, <i>Huckleberry Finn,</i> two of which I found particularly interesting: the code switching by, not just James, but all the slaves, and James’s hallucinatory interactions with Enlightenment philosophers:<br><blockquote>“I was even more afraid of further unproductive, imagined conversations with Voltaire, Rousseau and Locke about slavery, race and, of all things, albinism. How strange a world, how strange an existence, that one’s equal must argue for one’s equality, that one’s equal must hold a station that allows airing of that argument, that one cannot make that argument for oneself, that premises of said argument must be vetted by those equals who do not agree.”</blockquote><br>A later envisioned conversation with John Locke is even more pointed, and amusing. I think both the “Standard American English” and the philosophers’ cameos are Everett’s way (by no means the only ways) of not letting white Americans off the hook, of calling attention to whose voices are heard and the underpinnings of American liberalism, even today:<br><blockquote>“It would have been easy enough to understand him as mocking me, but somehow he sounded more like he was practicing, or even trying to make me feel comfortable, which was at once evidence of some sort of kindness and terribly offensive.”<br><br>“My anger fascinated me, still. It was certainly not a new emotion, but the range, the scope, the direction of it, was entirely novel and unfamiliar.”</blockquote> <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_246826226" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_246826226"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_246826226" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_246826226" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_246826226"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/Charon07" target="_top">Charon07</a> | Oct 1, 2024 | <a href="/review/246826226"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_271749569" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I listened to the audio version of this book, wonderfully narrated by Dominic Hoffman. I think this is the best way to “read” “James” because of the nuanced dialects used in the story, which are essential to a full understanding of this new version of an old story. “James” is the re-telling of the classic tale of Huckleberry Finn. The story is cleverly told from the perspective of James, known in the Twain version as slave Jim. James is an articulate, self-educated slave who lives much of his life as a runaway attempting to regain his wife and daughter’s freedom. If you have read the Twain classic, you’ll doubly enjoy this book, sure to become a modern classic. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_271749569" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_271749569"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_271749569" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_271749569" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_271749569"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/FormerEnglishTeacher" target="_top">FormerEnglishTeacher</a> | Oct 1, 2024 | <a href="/review/271749569"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_272583677" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>Enjoyable look at the Huck Finn story from the perspective on the black enslaved man Jim. A few modern twists, like code switching in front of white people, and being quite educated while pretending to be ignorant. Portrays slavey for the horror it is, and does a pretty good job of putting white slave owners in the context of being oblivious to the plight of their fellow men. No holds barred on the cruelty. I only wish there had been a scene from Django Unchained thrown in.<br>The narrator of this audio book was excellent. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_272583677" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_272583677"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_272583677" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_272583677" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_272583677"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/jsmick" target="_top">jsmick</a> | Sep 28, 2024 | <a href="/review/272583677"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_272518080" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div><b>The Short of It:</b><br><br>Nothing short of remarkable.<br><br><b>The Rest of It:</b><br><br>Have you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? I ask because James is a re-imagined Huck Finn but from Jim’s point of view. While I was reading this, I was surprised at how many people I know who have not read Finn, so let’s begin there. <br><br>In the The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Huck flees from his abusive father with a slave named Jim. The two run for their lives, loot for what they can and have “adventures” on the river. Jim and Huck are very close which is unique in that a young white boy’s attachment to a black slave does raise eyebrows.<br><br>In James, Jim is the one fleeing because he desperately wants freedom and his entire goal is getting his wife and daughter out of slavery. But Huck is not having it. He finds himself by Jim’s side. They fish for their food, steal boats and canoes as needed and head down the river hoping to hit a free state, whatever that means. But a white boy and a black man cannot easily navigate those waters without raising suspicion.<br><br>Things happen. Crimes are committed.<br><br>As they continue their journey, the bond between the two strengthens and often these moments are beautifully shared. Huck is a smart boy, and he loves Jim. Everything he does is out of respect for Jim. The threats they encounter along the way highlight the difficulties that such a relationship brings.<br><br>Everett is a wonderful storyteller. I first read Telephone for book club a few months back and it was a very unique story. After that discussion I knew I would read him again and sure enough, James was chosen for this month’s club discussion. We met the other night to discuss it and it was a very good discussion.<br><br>Highly recommend.<br><br>For more reviews, visit my blog: <a href="http://bookchatter.net" rel="nofollow" target="_top">Book Chatter</a>. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss8.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_272518080" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_272518080"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_272518080" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_272518080" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_272518080"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/tibobi" target="_top">tibobi</a> | Sep 27, 2024 | <a href="/review/272518080"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class="bookReview"><div class="bookReview_content"><div id="brtext_265474216" class="commentText brslop"><div class="brev_cover"><a href="/work/30591436" data-workid="30591436" class="" ><img src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX100_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg" srcset="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX200_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 2x, https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/P/0385550367.01._SX300_SCLZZZZZZZ_.jpg 3x" class="bookReview_cover cover" /></a></div><div class="commentHeader"></div>I enjoyed the narration by Dominic Hoffman. His voice is clear, and commanding. He also narrates for author James McBride, books such as Deacon King Kong and The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store. Wonderful job!<br><br>The author appears to be correcting a wrong in this book by bringing awareness to the hate, racism that so consumed and consumes the views of hatred towards one or other races and religion. Everett says in chapter 2 that ‘…they enjoy the correction and thinking you’re stupid…’ and ‘Religion is just a controlling tool they employ and adhere to when convenient.’<br><br>The Mississippi River, The Big Muddy, the Big River, Ol’ Man River, Old Blue, The Gathering of Waters. The river played a major role in this novel as James and Huckleberry traversed on and near the river that served as their beacon for freedom. Also, the symbolisms of books, a pencil, and a notebook had profound meaning to a man demanding respect and humanity amidst racism and stereotypes.<br><br>What an adventure this reimagining of the classic tale of “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” published in 1885 by Mark Twain, which is the continuation of the classic of “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" published in 1876. I have not read either novels in their entirety, but referenced a synopsis, summary of the stories prior to reading “James.”<br><br>The tragedies in this novel, even though it is fictional, it compares with the themes of factual, historical events. The overt racism, the violence and beliefs of the past and present of the dehumanizing of black Americans and dangers faced as a Black boy or man in the South and in America.<br><br>The minstrel act, black faces on an already black man and doing the cakewalk in mockery the irony was reminiscent to a passage I read in The Queen of Sugar Hill: A Novel of Hattie McDaniel by ReShonda Tate’ Novel where she performed in a one woman act, whilst the audience, ignorant of what McDaniel was really saying. A mockery of the unjust system, made ‘Mammy’ a character and a characterization, a parody (Chapter 7). But, in James, and the era it would have been catastrophe to have the audience know that a black man was in attendance in the auditorium, so he had to be white under the makeup and look black to the audience for appearances. Wow!<br><br>The rising action begins when Huck and Jim encounter the King and the Duke claiming to be royalty that are really con men employing various scams, resulting in Huck coming to terms with what civilized society actually resembles. <br><br>It was genius how every event interlocked with another character and connected the stories together. The secrets that were hidden and during a moment of decisions did the most shocking one come to light. The true essence and morality of this story to me, was the fear of a slave, a black man who didn’t conform to a white man, a slave masters expectations that he could read and write and speak in eloquent language. The fear that Jim, the slave didn’t care any more of his crimes.<br><br>This was my first read by Everett and I am stunned by his words and writing style. I definitely have plans to read The Trees that was shortlisted for the Booker Prize 2022, as well as an award winning literary fiction titled Erasure that was adapted into the Oscar-nominated major motion picture, American Fiction in 2021. James is In development as a feature film to be produced by Stephen Spielberg. The novel is an instant New York Times Bestseller and longlisted for the Booker Prize. A reimagining of Huckleberry Finn, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view. <span class="rating">( <img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/ss10.gif"> )</span></div><div id="rfd_265474216" class="reviewFlagDialogBox"></div><div class="commentFooter"><span class="reviewMods"><span class="reviewVoteInfo"><span class="reviewVoteCount" id="rvc_265474216"> </span> </span><!-- reviewVoteInfo --><span class="reviewFlags"> <img id="rfi1_265474216" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"> <img id="rfi2_265474216" src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/flag-trans.gif"><span id="rfrf_265474216"> </span></span></span> <!-- reviewMods --><span class="controlItems ci3"><a href="/profile/DonnasBookAddiction" target="_top">DonnasBookAddiction</a> | Sep 25, 2024 | <a href="/review/265474216"><img src="https://image.librarything.com/pics/permalink.gif" width="16" height="7"></a></span> <!-- controlItems --></div></div></div><div class='reviewnav'><!-- languagenav --><div 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