Reader's Choice Book Club--Frisco Public Library discussion
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James
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1. James is a retelling of Mark Twain’s 1885 novel Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, which is widely regarded as a classic work of American literature. Have you read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn before? How does Everett subvert Twain’s original text? Did this reimagination change your perspective on the original novel?
2. Twain is well-known for his satirical writing. Where does Everett use humor and satire in James? What social and cultural conditions does the novel’s satire mock or critique?
3. Reflect on Jim’s narration. Why does he switch between vernacular and standardized English? How did this code-switching affect your reading experience?
4. Describe Huck’s role in the story. How does Jim’s fugitive status, as well as race, color, class, age, and education, influence the relationship between the two characters?
5. James depicts the brutalities of slavery, particularly the violence inflicted upon enslaved women and girls, through the stories of Sadie, Lizzie, Sammy, and Katie. What are the unique threats that these characters must navigate? How does Jim react to the gendered violence that he encounters?
6. Return to Jim’s travels with the minstrel group. What does the novel say about the performance of race? How do blackface minstrelsy and racial passing complicate or undermine racial classification? Can all the characters be seen as performers of race?
7. Jim’s quest for freedom parallels his quest for literacy. Discuss the key moments on his journey to writing his story. What are the texts that he studies? Who are the characters who give him the tools and encouragement to write?
8. James references author William Wells Browning, composer Daniel Decatur Emmett, and philosophers John Locke, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Voltaire. Consider researching these figures. How do they influence your understanding of the historical period?
9. Discuss the use of religion and superstition in the story.
10. Were you surprised by Jim’s revelation in chapter one of part three? Returning to earlier passages, can you identify any moments of foreshadowing from Everett? How would you characterize Huck’s reaction? Have you ever learned something shocking about your family’s history?
11. James features an ensemble of fugitive and enslaved characters. How does Everett affirm the humanity of these characters in his writing? Was there one who was particularly memorable to you?
12. The Mississippi River is central to the landscape of the novel. What is the role of the river? How did it shape the political landscape of the region and the events of the novel?
13. Reflect on the title, James. What’s the significance of Jim renaming himself? Why do you think Everett chose to title the novel in this way?
14. What was your reaction to the novel’s ending? What do you think the future holds for James and his family?
15. After reading James, can you think of another character from a classic text that you would like to read as the narrator of their own story?
From: https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...
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1. “White folks expect us to sound a certain way and it can only help if we don’t disappoint them.”
Discuss the way James and the other slaves change their speech (code-switching) when around white people versus in private. Why was code-switching necessary? In what ways does the author portray code-switching as an act of irony?
2. Discuss the importance of Jim renaming himself James. How is his name change symbolic of many of the themes of this novel? Does your name hold any deeper significance to you?
3. “Good ain’t got nuttin’ to do wif da law. Law says I’m a slave.”
Despite his relationship with James, Huck grapples with the fact that, by law, he is ‘stealing’ James by not returning him to Miss Watson. Discuss the relationship between law and morality. Should individuals hold themselves accountable to laws that violate a moral code?
4. Discuss the dynamic between James and Huck. How did their relationship evolve throughout their travels, especially as James reveals their connection?
5. Throughout the novel, James meets several other slaves and runaways (Young George, Easter, Norman, Luke, Sammy, Brock, and several others). How did the author use these interactions to demonstrate the various experiences and mindsets of slaves? Did any of these characters or interactions surprise you?
6. How is religion portrayed in James? Do you believe this perspective is justified?
7. Talk about ‘the pencil’. What does the pencil represent to James? Have you ever assigned a deeper meaning to a physical object?
8. In what ways did James’ character change throughout the novel? Were there any key moments that you felt most contributed to his evolution?
9. What do you think about Norman’s decision to maintain his identity as a black man and runaway slave, even though he was white-passing? Why do you think the author chose to include this narrative?
10. Have you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, and if so, how did that impact your reading of James?
11. Bonus Question (excerpt from BBC discussion with author Percival Everett):
“The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is no longer on the GCSE or A Level syllabus. To modern eyes, it’s too problematic. It’s even been banned by certain schools in America. Everett is opposed to book banning – although he told me, he hopes they might ban his new book ‘only because I like irritating those people who do not think and read.’”
What is your position on book-banning in America and/or in the educational system? Should books portraying specific themes, language, or viewpoints be banned and who, if anyone, should make that decision? Can ‘problematic’ books still teach us something?
Read the entire BBC article “Percival Everett: Why I rewrote Huckleberry Finn to give slave Jim a voice” here: https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainmen...
From: https://libromaniacs.com/james-book-c...
A brilliant reimagining of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—both harrowing and satirical—told from the enslaved Jim's point of view
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 nuanced 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.