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A review by caitlin_bookchats
James by Percival Everett
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What an invigorating and challenging read. Having barely remembered The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn mere months after I read it and not caring enough to re-read, I found myself 19 years later acquiring a copy immediately upon finishing James so I could better interrogate how it is in conversation with Twain's text.
Everett managed to bring additional meaning to famous scenes from Twain's work by shifting the perspective and write believable new adventures that fit in well with the tone of what happened to Huck (and Tom Sawyer) while still building James (Jim) as his own person.
I'm hoping I can talk my friends into reading this one as well so we can discuss because I truly believe it's a book that begs to be examined, with new revelations to find in its depths.
I switched between the audiobook and the hardcover and found both reading experiences to be excellent.
Everett managed to bring additional meaning to famous scenes from Twain's work by shifting the perspective and write believable new adventures that fit in well with the tone of what happened to Huck (and Tom Sawyer) while still building James (Jim) as his own person.
I'm hoping I can talk my friends into reading this one as well so we can discuss because I truly believe it's a book that begs to be examined, with new revelations to find in its depths.
I switched between the audiobook and the hardcover and found both reading experiences to be excellent.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape and Slavery
Moderate: Death of parent
James is considered a runaway slave and doesn't shy away from the violence and cruelty of slavery in the society around him. Things he describes unflinchingly but in varied levels of detail include a lynching, being whipped, being condescended to and treated as unintelligent and inhuman, the rape of an enslaved woman, strangling an overseer, the implied circumstances of a "breeding farm" for the enslaved, the casual cruelty of white people who are not enslavers towards the enslaved, the active cruelty of enslavers, Blackface and a Jim Crow show .
This list may not be complete.