Reviews tagging 'Slavery'

James by Percival Everett

183 reviews

jeggert10's review

adventurous challenging funny hopeful fast-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? No

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Hate crime, Racial slurs, Rape, Slavery, Torture, Violence, and Murder

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child abuse, Confinement, Gun violence, Pedophilia, Blood, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Body horror, Cursing, Homophobia, Mental illness, Sexism, Terminal illness, Excrement, Antisemitism, Grief, Medical trauma, Fire/Fire injury, and War

awildpreciouslife's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I hope this is taught in tandem with The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn in undergrad English classes in the same way Jane Eyre and Wide Sargasso Sea was. Powerful.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery and Violence

jocockwell's review

adventurous challenging emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective fast-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

Read it. It’s brilliant. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery

juliagracethomas's review

adventurous dark emotional funny reflective tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Slavery

Moderate: Rape

realmagellen's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional hopeful informative reflective sad tense medium-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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Slavery, and Violence

cassieloo2's review

adventurous dark emotional sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, and Slavery

penguins_save_lives's review

adventurous challenging emotional tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Hate crime, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual violence, Slavery, Torture, and Trafficking

Moderate: Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Incest, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Gun violence, Excrement, Vomit, Alcohol, and War

caitlin_bookchats's review against another edition

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.

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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.

jlcolumbe's review

adventurous dark emotional reflective tense fast-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? It's complicated

3.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Racial slurs and Slavery

Moderate: Racism, Rape, and Violence

irenelee's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny hopeful reflective 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? No

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Cursing, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Slavery, and Violence

Moderate: Rape