A review by bites_of_books
James by Percival Everett

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad tense 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

5.0

A retelling of the classic Adventures of Huckleberry Finn where Jim does not have much to his character beyond being superstitious. In James, we follow Jim as he flees in order to avoid being sold and separated from his family. However, we also learn that he is simply putting on this persona of "Jim" for the white people around him, while with the other slaves he communicates using good grammar and no accent. He also taught himself the ability to read and write, which is something that he loves to do.

I really liked how there is a lot more depth to these characters, including their motivations and dreams. I would recommend this book, especially if you've read the Mark Twain original.