A review by ninaprime
James by Percival Everett

3.0

3.5 stars - this retelling of Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" adds depth and humanity to the stereotypically-drawn slave Jim by centering his perspective, making him well-educated with a strong moral compass, and by developing his relationship with Huck. Everett incorporates satire, like when James joins a minstrel troop that puts him in blackface to fool the townspeople, and philosophy, such as when James hallucinates arguments with Voltaire on equality, to comment on hypocrisy, performative allyship, and injustice. However, I didn't find this as transformational and compelling as other retellings (ex. Demon Copperhead) and I found some of Everett's narrative decisions odd

Spoiler

(ex. when James said Huck is his son)

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GU Book Club, June 2024.