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by Percival Everett

Historical Fiction | 5⭐️ | 3/19/24 | Knopf Doubleday

“James” by Percival Everett is an imaginative retelling of”The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” told from the enslaved Jim’s Perspective.  When Jim (James) overhears hat he is to be sold and separated from his wife and daughter, he escapes to Jackson Island to give him time to think. Shortly after, Huck Finn arrives after faking his own death to escape his abusive father. The two embark on a harrowing and entertaining journey along the Mississippi. 

This book is a beautifully written and poignant retelling of an American Classic. Everett’s character develop is spectacular with James’s intelligence and compassion shining through. While I did not find the book “funny” there were thought provoking and satirical situations that are a commentary on life during that time.  James is on par to be a classic in the future.