Booker Prize finalist: ‘James’ boldly reimagines an American classic

FROM code-switching to holding internal debates with philosophers such as John Locke and Voltaire, African-American author Percival Everett’s bold new novel titled James radically changes the narrative perspective in Mark Twain’s classic novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from that of a white boy (Huckleberry Finn) to an enslaved Black man (Jim, or James).

Published in 1884, the source novel provides a direct account of Huck as he embarks on a journey down the Mississippi River to escape his abusive father. He forms a bond with Jim, an enslaved man who had fled upon learning that he will be sold, and who becomes Huck’s sidekick for the rest of the journey. The book explores themes of friendship, freedom and the failed morality of a racially divided society.

While Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is often interpreted as a satire that bravely challenges the pervasive racism of 19th-century America, the novel has also become one of the most frequently banned works in the country. According to the American Library Association, it was the fifth most-challenged book during the 1990s, because of its frequent use of racial slurs and its stereotypical portrayal of Jim as a loyal and submissive slave.