My Review of Percival Everett's "James"

 A Literate Runaway Slave on the River

 

Percival Everett has written an alternative version of Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.” Instead of Huck being the central character, the protagonist is Jim, the runaway slave. While Jim in public speaks like a slave, in private he is James, a very literate man who communes with the likes of Locke, Rousseau, and Voltaire. He has to keep himself from speaking like a man of letters because his owners and the public at large would become very suspicious.

 

The original Huckleberry Finn took place around 1840, Everett’s takes place in 1861. Similar to the original novel much of it takes place on a raft on the Mississippi around Missouri. We watch Huck and Jim fish, float on their raft, and run from slave hunters. The dangers on the river are apparent through unpredictable currents, river traffic and boats burning. Through it all Jim remains focused on his mission to free his wife and daughter who were sold to a slave breeder.

 

Through Everett we witness the everyday horrors of being enslaved. There are whippings, rapes, and the daily indignities of kowtowing to their masters. To me the book started slow, but after a while I caught up with its rhythm and humor and became thoroughly engrossed in the adventure.