Join OTown Reads, our community-wide book club, as we read James, by Percival Everett.
The accolades keep on coming for this brilliant, action-packed reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and darkly humorous, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. An instant New York Times bestseller, James has been named a Best Book of the Year, so far, for 2024, by the New York Times Book Review. Here’s a taste of what others have said, as well:
"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
Sign up for OTown Reads and purchase the book at Hudson Valley Books for Humanity for 10% off the cover price. Then join us on Thursday, August 1, for an in-person gathering to discuss the book. We think you’ll love this selection. But you be the judge.
Please RSVP here or in the store (when you purchase the book).
Not sure? Here’s more about James from Goodreads:
When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond.
While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river’s banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin…), Jim’s agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light.