A review by bibliomich
James by Percival Everett

adventurous dark emotional informative inspiring reflective 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? No

5.0

It is not often that my expectations are *this* high before I even begin reading a book, and it’s even rarer that the actual book far exceeds those expectations, so please listen to me when I say that everyone should (/needs to) read Percival Everett’s James.

This novel is brilliant for so many reasons, but I was mostly impressed by the way it takes a well-known classic (one that I read in middle school and high school and again in college) and not only tells the same story from a different perspective, but shows you how the story was actually never the story we thought it was in the first place. Everett directly challenges assumptions about language, adventure vs. survival, and what it means to be “free” as a Black person in the mid-1800s. While you may recognize many of the characters and scenes from The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the book truly shines when Everett deviates from the original novel.

Thank you so much to Libro.fm for including this as an educator ALC this month.
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