Book Review - James, by Percival Everett

During our December week in the Bahamas, I re-read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and followed it up with James by Percival Everett. As much as there are disturbing thoughts and words and very out-of-date pre-civil war culture in Huck Finn, I recommend reading it first. It is not required at all; James stands on its own as a great book, but reminding myself of the counterpoint of view before seeing through James’ eyes is rewarding.

Percival Everett reimagines Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim, the enslaved man who accompanies Huck on his journey. In Everett's retelling, Jim, who prefers to be called James later in the novel, is portrayed as literate and resourceful, further exploring his character and experiences. "By giving Twain’s secondary character much-deserved agency, Everett allows him to be something he couldn’t be before: the hero.” (Time Magazine)

James has been widely acclaimed for its insightful reimagining of a classic tale, offering a profound commentary on race, identity, and the human condition. The novel won the 2024 National Book Award for Fiction and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. This is Percival Everett’s 24th novel, sadly the first I have read. That will have to change.

The novel begins in Hannibal, Missouri, where James learns that his owner, Miss Watson, plans to sell him, which would separate him from his wife and daughters. Determined to avoid this fate, he escapes to Jackson's Island. There, he encounters Huck Finn, a young boy he has known as he grew up. Huck was fleeing his abusive father. The two form an unlikely partnership and journey down the Mississippi River together. Throughout their travels, James takes on a leadership role, most times very subtly, making critical decisions to ensure their safety. The narrative delves into the harsh realities of slavery, the complexities of identity, and the pursuit of freedom. The reader is challenged to reconsider the assumptions embedded in Twain’s classic work.

Major Themes

Identity and Self-Determination:

James's journey is a physical quest for freedom and an exploration of his identity beyond the imposed label of "slave." His decision to rename himself from Jim to James signifies his assertion of autonomy. He is given agency in this book. He has very little, if any, control of his life being enslaved in a white man’s world, but his agency makes him human.

In one particular scene, James is recruited to join a musical group. He then learns from the other members how to whiten up so he can put on blackface to pretend to a white audience he is white and only pretending to be a black man.

The pencil Jim receives from another enslaved man symbolizes his agency. He seeks to use narrative as a tool for self-exploration and resistance. The song on the very opening pages of the book shows even more of the complexity of James’ ability to tell his story as the novel continues.

Language and Perception:

The novel examines how language shapes identity and perception. James's use of a "slave filter" around white individuals underscores the performative aspects of speech imposed by societal expectations. The novel begins with Jim, who, of course, is an enslaved man. Through a series of revelations about his status with his owner, Jim uses refined English with other slaves but switches to slave dialect when there is any chance a whiter person may hear them. Everett gives his reimagined James the ability to be a deft and savvy code switcher.

“Code-switching,” the practice of changing one's style, speech, behavior, or even dress to fit into a particular environment, is a prominent theme. As James says while teaching children to act and survive, “Safe movement through the world depended on mastery of language, fluency.” The novel gave a deeper understanding for me to the code switching that continues today. While different and more subtle, the identity and communication of Black Americans especially are nuanced and mindful depending on their surroundings for their success, reputation, and even safety.

Freedom and Oppression:

Through James's perspective, the narrative delves into the brutal realities of slavery and the multifaceted nature of physical and psychological freedom. Jim’s quest for freedom is more than just literal escape. The portrayal of simple freedom is elusive and incomplete. Jim must struggle to reclaim his identity, autonomy, and the right to define his existence and humanity. The price for this is high.

Relationships and Familial Bonds Under Slavery:

In many different ways, Everett explores how slavery and race corrupt and distort familial bonds. In a society where race determines one’s humanity, color is usually the fundamental determination of race (but not always). The enslaved are systematically raped, bred, bought, and sold; family and their relationship bonds are much more complex than we see on the surface.

A Few of the Major Characters

James (Jim): An enslaved man in his late twenties who seeks freedom to reunite with his family. Unlike in Twain's original, James is literate but conceals his abilities for safety, often using a "slave filter" when speaking around white people.

Huckleberry "Huck" Finn: A young boy escaping his abusive father. Throughout the journey, Huck's relationship with James evolves, and he begins to see James as more than just a slave, challenging his ingrained prejudices.

The Duke and the King: Con artists who join James and Huck during their journey, bringing additional challenges and moral dilemmas to the duo.

Norman: A white-passing former slave who becomes an ally to James. Together, they devise plans to secure freedom for their loved ones, highlighting the complexities of identity and survival.

Miss Watson and Judge Thatcher: while secondary characters in the novel, Miss Watson and Judge Thatcher represent the institutional and societal forces that sustain slavery. Miss Watson’s plan to sell Jim is not only the catalyst for the rest of the novel, but it also highlights her role in the moral hypocrisy of slavery. She has a pious exterior yet is cruel and indifferent to the effects her monetary transactions with her owned slaves have on their family and loved ones. Judge Thatcher is a symbol of the authority of law throughout the story, no matter the morality of that law.

Emmett: He is the leader of a traveling minstrel show. He and his musical group embody the complexities and the contradictions of race. He claims not to be prejudiced, yet his actions reveal his willingness to profit from racial stereotypes.

Lizzie and Sadie: While not prominently featured in the novel's proceedings, they are central to James's motivation and show the personal stakes of his or any quest for freedom.

Memorable Quotes

There is no rhyme or reason for my quote love below. These are just memorable lines that touched me, made me think, or educated me in some way.

“Waiting is a big part of a slave’s life, waiting and waiting to wait some more. Waiting for demands. Waiting for food. Waiting for the ends of days. Waiting for the just and deserved Christian reward at the end of it all.”

When you have no agency, no ability to determine your humanity or control any facet of your future, you wait.

“Safe movement through the world depended on mastery of language, fluency.”

“There is no God, child. There’s religion but there’s no God of theirs. Their religion tells that we will get our reward in the end. However, it apparently doesn’t say anything about their punishment. But when we’re around them, we believe in God. Oh, Lawdy Lawd, we’s be believin’. Religion is just a controlling tool they employ and adhere to when convenient.”

“I had wondered every time I sneaked in there what white people would do to a slave who had learned how to read. What would they do to a slave who had taught the other slaves to read? What would they do to a slave who knew what a hypotenuse was, what irony meant, how retribution was spelled?”

The need to code-switch has not been removed from society even today.

“I am called Jim. I have yet to choose a name.”

Later, he will call himself “James.”

“In the religious preaching's of my white captors I am a victim of the Curse of Ham. The white so-called masters cannot embrace their cruelty and greed, but must look to that lying Dominican friar for religious justification. But I will not let this condition define me. I will not let myself, my mind, drown in fear and outrage. I will be outraged as a matter of course. But my interest is in how these marks that I am scratching on this page can mean anything at all. If they can have meaning, then life can have meaning, then I can have meaning.”

“And so, after these books, the Bible itself was the least interesting of all. I could not enter it, did not want to enter it, and then understood that I recognized it as a tool of my enemy. I chose the word enemy, and still do, as oppressor necessarily supposes a victim.”

The Bible may be the most used weapon or tool of oppressors in the history of man. That is not a comment about the Bible, but of man and our ability to put greed and selfish wants above another. Acting against the very teachings of the book by using the book as a tool for power is heartbreaking.

“At that moment the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I got from them. They couldn’t even know if I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out or comprehending them. It was a completely private affair and completely free and, therefore, completely subversive.”

“Folks be funny lak dat. Dey takes the lies dey want and throws away the truths dat scares ’em.”

“It’s a horrible world. White people try to tell us that everything will be just fine when we go to heaven. My question is, Will they be there? If so, I might make other arrangements.”

“It pained me to think that without a white person with me, without a white-looking face, I could not travel safely through the light of the world, but was relegated to the dense woods. Without someone white to claim me as property, there was no justification for my presence, perhaps for my existence.”

Final Thoughts

Where I sat and read in December.

I’m no expert at Percival Everett books . . . yet. But I’m told they are subversive in differing ways. *James* is right in the vein. NY magazine says his work is “ formally adventurous, rangy yet unified, smart yet readable, funny, and subversive. His writing is often about getting free but not running away” (Vulture). In James, the tension between freedom and bondage is literal, but this work also has much more subtlety.

I don’t like ranking things, but this is my favorite book of 2024. It may also be due to my surroundings while reading this one, but I’ve thought about this book every day since reading it. Is it necessary to read or re-read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn first? I feel it was very helpful for me, and I don’t think I would have enjoyed the book nearly as much or gained as much insight from Everett’s retelling if I had not. Familiarity with Huck Finn provides insight into how Everett subverts and expands upon Twain’s themes, especially the portrayal of Jim. But Everett’s work also stands on its own. It is a powerful novel and a fun read, even with no back story of the first telling.

I highly recommend this book to almost anyone. If you like literary reimaginings, are interested in race and identity, love thought-provoking fiction, are already a fan of Percival Everett, or simply want to read a good adventure, this book is for you. It holds so much for so many people.