James (Pulitzer Prize Winner) - Percival Everett

James (Pulitzer Prize Winner)

By Percival Everett

  • Release Date: 2024-03-19
  • Genre: Historical Fiction
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 3,464 Ratings

Description

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • #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 Times


When 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.

Reviews

  • Brilliant

    5
    By KHConde
    One of the most creative and revealing books I have ever read. The idea of flipping a classic such as Huck Finn on its spine and exposing the racism of American history through a misunderstood character that is compassionate, heroic and courageous through a heartbreaking journey. Brilliant and a must read for all Americans.
  • Outstanding

    5
    By Handakina
    What a reading adventure to the other side of the legendary Jim. Brilliant writing and story telling.
  • A Disturbing Twist on Huckleberry Finn

    4
    By Scott's take on things
    What was hard for me about this book was how much James learned on his own. I couldn’t imagines anyone getting to that erudition without any help, in secret, and not getting caught. It helped Everett make manifest the horrors of slavery but he’s is a good enough writer to have done that without creating an almost God like protagonist. James’ erudition, and his imagined conversations with progressive thinkers and philosophers, enables Everett to expose the hypocrisy of “enlightened” thinking at that time. I am not sure how Everett would have been able to do this otherwise, but it seemed a somewhat forced novelistic device. I thought Everett’s depictions of the physical violence of slavery, especially its psychological dehumanization and brutality, was superb. The horror is conveyed but never gratuitously. This book, experienced in conjunction with Twain’s Huckleberry Finn, should be a requirement for any US citizen.
  • Brilliant.

    5
    By Title misfit
    Compelling, enthralling, magnificent.
  • Loved!

    5
    By Lolipop22222222220
    LOVED!!! It was Amazing! I will definitely tell others to read it.
  • Creative and eye opening

    5
    By amwgmail2019
    Captivating, unexpected, and such an easy read.
  • Read it.

    5
    By TGFOW
    Terribly Excellent.
  • Great book

    5
    By Renbrat
    What strange ending . Very interesting
  • Don’t Hesitate - Read It

    5
    By ajgoldbug
    One of he best books I’ve read in the last five years. Extraordinary! Highly recommended.
  • Novel manipulation

    3
    By Novice JR
    It’s obvious why James is a best-seller; the iconic Huck Finn story told through the eyes of the slave Jim. In a time of increased recognition of racism in the history of the US, and during a flood of books accusing whites of racism today, comes James, which cleverly but blatantly manipulates the reader into feeling guilty about past (& present?) racism. All blacks talk “white” English to blacks (with a Southern accent?), but stereotype “slave” English to whites. Among themselves, they are indistinguishable from whites, reminding me of Disney’s Donald Duck stories - they’re just like people, only ducks. But unlike Disney stories, all the whites are uniformly rotten. Even Huck, because it turns out he’s really black. Creative, clever, & entertaining, thoughtfully illustrating how awful slavery was, but too clever by half & too one-sided & manipulative. I felt used after finishing it.