This novel is a National Book Award winner (2024) and a superb read! “James” by Percival Everett is a reimagining of the classic “Huckleberry Finn,” told from Jim’s (James’) perspective, giving us a brand new way to see the story we thought we knew.

The novel remains faithful to the original in format, following James and Huck as they leave Missouri and escape down the Mississippi river. James has learned that he is to be sold to a slaver in New Orleans, separating him from his wife and daughter.

He decides to hide on a nearby island in the river until he can come back to free his family. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death and is running from his abusive father. As they work their way down river on a raft, hoping to reach the free states, they encounter myriad dangers and challenges. 

Personally, I am always hooked by a journey story, and this one did not disappoint. It kept me turning the pages to see if our protagonists would eventually escape danger.

Not only is the plot compelling, but the style of writing made it easy for me to see the characters’ point of view and it put me into the place and time of the story.

Having James as the narrator brings many new aspects to the classic story. One of the  ideas Everett introduces is the language switching technique that James and all of the enslaved people use. Essentially, two different languages are learned and spoken by everyone: The “slave dialect” used in the presence of white people, helps James and others to appear non-threatening and uneducated, while standard English is spoken only in private.

In addition, James has taught himself to read and write, at the risk of death. To me, as a lifelong lover of reading, this overarching theme which explores how literacy and language can bring freedom, is one of the most interesting parts of the novel.

James sums this up best himself:

“At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.”

- Percival Everett, James

Find this journey story, and many others, at your favorite branch of the Lincoln County Library System or in digital format on our Libby app!