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4.51 AVERAGE
4.51 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
reflective
fast-paced
James is nothing short of a revelation. With scalpel-sharp prose and a command of satire that is both admirable and rare, Percival Everett reimagines " The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" through the eyes of the man most often overlooked: Jim—now James—a three dimensional and , and intellectually rich Black man navigating the grotesque absurdities of antebellum America.
I'm not sure why critics and reviews call this book "outrageously funny." The satire is darkly comical, but more harrowing than amusing. Satire isn't always meant to make us laugh. The senselessness of the rape, violence, and murder is hard to get through. Everett really brought the inhumanity of slavery to light for an audience that's desensitized and/or ignorant of it. I can already hear the red hat wearing, book burning mafia on their way to tell me that antebellum slavery wasn't as bad as all that...
I was never a huge fan of Huck Finn in grade school- not for any profound reason, I just didn't rock with it as an 11-year old. "James" was thoroughly enjoyable, and breathes new life and also holds up a mirror to the original story. It's not just a re-telling, it's a total re-orientation.
I'm not sure why critics and reviews call this book "outrageously funny." The satire is darkly comical, but more harrowing than amusing. Satire isn't always meant to make us laugh. The senselessness of the rape, violence, and murder is hard to get through. Everett really brought the inhumanity of slavery to light for an audience that's desensitized and/or ignorant of it. I can already hear the red hat wearing, book burning mafia on their way to tell me that antebellum slavery wasn't as bad as all that...
I was never a huge fan of Huck Finn in grade school- not for any profound reason, I just didn't rock with it as an 11-year old. "James" was thoroughly enjoyable, and breathes new life and also holds up a mirror to the original story. It's not just a re-telling, it's a total re-orientation.
adventurous
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Favorite Quote: “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.”
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
medium-paced
Retelling of Huck Finn from a slaves view point. Excellent audio book!
adventurous
sad
fast-paced
Hard but necessary read. Everyone should read it, but it’s hard to love it. Slavery and slavers are so evil. Author did an amazing job of making the reader feel the evil of the world for slaves without agonizing over the brutal details. I was routing James the whole way!
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.5
Dialogue heavy, but I enjoyed that.
The ending, phew.
Dialogue heavy, but I enjoyed that.
The ending, phew.
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
informative
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No