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A review by brewdy_reader
James by Percival Everett
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Historical Fiction • Litfic • Retelling • Antebellum
Published • 19 March 2024
Thank you @prhaudio for the free audiobook which allowed me to tandem read with the hardcopy I purchased from @aardvarkbookclub
This book wins for the most unassuming cover that was an absolute smash of a read. I loved this one even more than the book upon which it took inspiration: the classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Told from perspective of Jim — the runaway slave, James is so much more than simply a Huck Finn retelling. This book flips the narrative on its head, with Jim as a literate slave trying to keep his family together in a no-win situation. As Jim and Huck travel down-river, layers of racism are revealed from plantation owners and breeders to the more enlightened pro-abolitionist folk who still suffer racism, cultural appropriation, and feeling better-than.
The ingrained sense of white superiority is shown beginning in childhood, making it that much easier to understand how systemic racism takes root early on. I could feel the horror of being on the run, hunted and trapped, with the constant threat of a beating, lynching, being shot at or killed for the crime of being black. Set in Antebellum South, this book was excellent both on audio as well as in physical book format. The narrator’s accent of Jim alternating between two dialects was well done.
The ending of this book was fantastic! Can’t say more without giving it away but I do hope you give this a read.
TW: death, murder, racism, sexual assault, rape, violence.
Published • 19 March 2024
Thank you @prhaudio for the free audiobook which allowed me to tandem read with the hardcopy I purchased from @aardvarkbookclub
This book wins for the most unassuming cover that was an absolute smash of a read. I loved this one even more than the book upon which it took inspiration: the classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. Do yourself a favor and read this book.
Told from perspective of Jim — the runaway slave, James is so much more than simply a Huck Finn retelling. This book flips the narrative on its head, with Jim as a literate slave trying to keep his family together in a no-win situation. As Jim and Huck travel down-river, layers of racism are revealed from plantation owners and breeders to the more enlightened pro-abolitionist folk who still suffer racism, cultural appropriation, and feeling better-than.
The ingrained sense of white superiority is shown beginning in childhood, making it that much easier to understand how systemic racism takes root early on. I could feel the horror of being on the run, hunted and trapped, with the constant threat of a beating, lynching, being shot at or killed for the crime of being black. Set in Antebellum South, this book was excellent both on audio as well as in physical book format. The narrator’s accent of Jim alternating between two dialects was well done.
The ending of this book was fantastic! Can’t say more without giving it away but I do hope you give this a read.
TW: death, murder, racism, sexual assault, rape, violence.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexual assault, Violence, and Murder