Common Sense Media Review
By Barbara Saunders
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gripping fictional memoir of Huck Finn's friend Jim.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 15+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
When JAMES begins, an enslaved man called Jim lives with his wife and daughter in Hannibal, Missouri. He secretly knows how to read and write, and he trains the other enslaved people how to switch between communicating eloquently among themselves and playing dumb in conversation with their White enslavers. James learns that he's about to be sold away from his family, so he runs away. He is joined by Huckleberry Finn, a young White boy trying to steer clear of his alcoholic and abusive father.
Is It Any Good?
This imaginative, immersive retelling of Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of Jim meets its biggest challenge: comparison to the classic novel that inspired it. James: A Novel by Percival Everett stands on its own through exciting plot twists and clever flights of fantasy (where Jim, in dreams and moments of delirium) has imaginary conversations with Enlightenment philosophers. There's no need to read (or reread) Huck Finn to appreciate this story, but it may inspire readers to do so. Written for adults, this book is recommended for strong and mature readers, due both to the violence and the intellectual content.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the theme of compassion in James. Why should we cultivate compassion for people we don't understand or who we're told are dangerous, immoral, or otherwise "inferior" or "bad"? Is being compassionate enough?
How do teamwork and communication compensate for the lack of justice in James? How might you apply the lessons from the novel to your own attempts to make social change?
In James, the main character must persevere, or he may literally die. How do you keep going when it would be easy to give up?
Book Details
- Author :
- Genre : Literary Fiction
- Topics : Adventures , Friendship , History
- Character Strengths : Communication , Compassion , Perseverance , Teamwork
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
- Publication date : March 19, 2024
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 18 - 18
- Number of pages : 303
- Available on : Paperback, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : September 18, 2025
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