James

James by Percival Everett (2024) There must be other of retellings of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884), though I haven’t read any, but this one, told from the point of view of the slave, Jim, is by Percival Everett, who takes it further and in crazier directions that I can imagine anyone else doing—with humor, horror, and surreal adventure—it kept surprising me. If you haven’t read Twain’s “Huck Finn” in a while, you might not remember how totally nuts it is—and this book is a worthy retelling on that front. I felt there was a sense of inevitability in exploring the consciousness of Jim (James). He is secretly (in order to protect himself) literate—not just full of wisdom and practical knowledge. His journey is to survive, be reunited with his wife and daughter, and document his existence. The depiction of slavey in the United States, historical or in fiction, is of course horrifying and depressing, and more so when it includes graphic illustrations of torture, rape, and murder—but it’s important to remember this, as it’s a part of who we are. For most reading audiences, in order to stomach the horror, we need some depictions humanity and love to get us through—and stories of beating the odds, bravery, ingenuity, determination, inspiration, and retribution. It’s all in this book—there’s a lot here. My favorite parts are the examinations of the power of language, verbal acuity, reading and writing. Which is also where much of the humor comes in—the confusions inherent, understandings and misunderstandings—incredibly complex convolutions of identity. As they navigate a world with alarming exhibitions of greed, hypocrisy, cruelty, and insanity—along the vibrant Mississippi River—we also get tales of the harsh side of nature and man’s heroic and tragic attempts to use it and control it. There’s enough craziness here for several volumes. It’s satisfying how Everett can combine so many things—satire, experimentation of form, outrage, page-turning adventure, historical asides, regional lore, fraught travelogue, and a Hollywood ending—and why not. We end up loving these characters.

8.13.25