James
Books | Fiction / Historical / General
4.6
Percival Everett
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD WINNER • A brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD FINALIST • ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW'S 10 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR • SHORTLISTED FOR THE BOOKER PRIZE • KIRKUS PRIZE WINNER • A LOS ANGELES TIMES BEST FICTION BOOK OF THE LAST 30 YEARS In development as a feature film to be produced by Steven Spielberg • A Best Book of the Year: The New York Times Book Review, LA Times, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Economist, TIME, and more. "Genius"—The Atlantic • "A masterpiece that will help redefine one of the classics of American literature, while also being a major achievement on its own."—Chicago Tribune • "A provocative, enlightening literary work of art."—The Boston Globe • "Everett’s most thrilling novel, but also his most soulful."—The New York TimesWhen Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a literary icon, this brilliant and tender novel radically illuminates Jim’s agency, intelligence, and compassion as never before. James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature.
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More Details:
Author
Percival Everett
Pages
320
Publisher
Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Published Date
2024-03-19
ISBN
0385550375 9780385550376
Community ReviewsSee all
"An imaginative and heart-felt take on Mark Twain’s Huck Finn, this time a story focusing on Jim, the runaway slave. Jim — or James, as he prefers — is a smart man who hides his deep intelligence behind the slave dialect white folks need to hear in order to understand slaves. He escapes Missouri and meets good and bad people, the bad people invariably white men who treat him like dirt and want to whip him, enslave him, sell him or lynch him. We get a new look at the relationship between Jim and Huck and on the “breeding farm” to which Jim’s wife and daughter were sold. Seeing big black men in chains, Jim asks, “Why do they have you chained up?” “They’re afraid of us,” the first man said, and then they all laughed. “We don’t know. I think they think it makes us feel more like animals. So we can mate like animals.” I felt for James and all the enslaved men and women in US history and the racism that allowed people both then and now to treat fellow humans so awfully. Town-wide book read in Greenwich, CT."
"This had me tearing up on a plane. Historical fiction isn’t my go-to favorite genre, but this book is an exception. I will be recommending this. I absolutely loved Jim and his friendship with Huck. Everett makes it easy to understand what it was like living during this time (Pre-Civil War) as an African American. Incredibly moving. This is incredible work."
"This book moved me by opening up my heart further to the inhumane treatment received by slaves as well as to their adaptations necessary for mere survival. The unjustified cruelties and challenges were more deeply felt because the author brought you to a place of deeply caring for the characters. A real page turner for me. Thank you Mr. Everett. Well done. "
E
Eileen
"I feel like we’re not seeing Percival Everett’s James enough. Barnes and Nobles 2024 book of the year, winner of the National Book Award for fiction and winner of the 2024 Kirkus Prize - this book is a thought provoking work of art. Though James was neither ferociously funny nor a knock out comedy, it was for sure harrowing and brilliantly terrifying. This reimagining of the Adventures of Huckleberry Finn definitely makes me wish I paid more attention in 11th grade American Literature class."