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The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, told from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man whose story was long overshadowed in American literature. the antebellum South, James gives voice, intellect, and rich humanity to a man previously confined to the margins. In Everett’s hands, Jim—who prefers to be called James—is no longer the caricature history has allowed. He subverts it, reclaims it, and transforms it into something powerful, provocative, and entirely new. James is a masterwork of narrative voice, literary innovation, and historical reckoning, challenging readers to confront long-held assumptions about classic American literature and the people it excludes or misrepresents.
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I think Mark Twain would have liked this story. James is a continuation of Huckleberry Finn's story; however, Huck's friend Jim (the slave) is the main character.
This was an emotional one to get through. Although technically a work of fiction, the keeping, selling and disgusting treatment of slaves was a very real thing. This made every horrendous punishment hit hard when reading it. I admired Jim for educating himself in his speech, reading and writing, even though it wasn't something he could ever act on and had to hide it. Jim also coached the younger 'slaves' how to act the correct way for their 'masters' to ensure they were punished less. Everything from how and when to speak, to body language.This is one of those books that would be perfect for older teens to read with school, to enable them to get an understanding of what those times were like and to ensure it doesn't happen again.
4.5 starsPercival Everett is a very clever writer. Not just in his satire but also in is his ability to speak to multiple audiences simultaneously. I really appreciated both of those in James. It is a deceptively sophisticated novel. What looks like a straightforward retelling of a literary classic, written in accessible prose, following a familiar adventure plot, actually has layer upon layer of meaning. Enslaved Africans had rich and complex interior intellectual and spiritual lives despite the dehumanizing systems they lived and labored under. They responded to the violence they faced in a variety of ways that proved their ingenuity, resilience, and compassion toward one another.I don't really have anything negative to say about this book. And it's interesting that much of the criticism I've read on here seems to reflect either white readers' connection to classic American literature or their deep investment in conventional narratives told about enslaved Africans. Not surprised though.This is the 4th novel by Everett I have read this year. While not my favorite, I still found it deserving of all the praise and accolades.