Think back to high school. Among other classic works of literature, many students were made to read “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn.”
However, until now, a large part of the story was missing, presenting an uneven version of a classic story that left out the perspective of one main character. Percival Everett’s “James”, selected as the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s ‘Go Big Read’ book for this year, explores this version of the same story, adding nuance and perspective.
The Go Big Read program is spearheaded by the Office of the Chancellor. It aims to engage members of the campus community, alumni and beyond through literature. Think of it like a campus-wide book club that teaches valuable lessons and creates opportunities for conversation and sharing ideas.
Whereas the original novel was written from the perspective of Huckleberry Finn, a 13 year-old white boy, “James” is told from the perspective of Jim, an enslaved Black man that accompanies Finn on his journey to escape his abusive father.
“Everett’s extraordinary retelling of this American literary classic prompts us to reflect on how stories are told and whose voices are heard,” UW-Madison Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin said.
The book touches on the same broad concepts that Twain wrote back in 1884; telling a story about a young boy coming of age, including details of his change from passively adopting the racist norms of society to actively rejecting slavery and racism as institutions. In addition, the story is still full of instances where the two young men narrowly escape a sticky situation by the skin of their teeth.
However, “James” more accurately depicts racism in the South during the period; instead of a satire on the brokenness of a racist system like the original novel was meant to be, “James” is more of a realistic fiction that understands the harsh realities of someone enduring the strife of an enslaved person.
Everett has said that one of his main goals for the novel was to show another version of the same story, truly making Jim and Finn equal in that both of their stories are told.
“I hope that I have written the novel that Twain did not and also could not have written. I do not view the work as a corrective, but rather I see myself in conversation with Twain,” Everett, a professor of English at the University of Southern California and Guggenheim Fellow said in an interview with The Booker Prizes, for which he was a two-time finalist.
In the original, the characters speak the way Missourians in 1850 would. In Everett’s retelling, Jim and the other enslaved characters speak with a dignified sophistication comparable to modern, 21st century intellectualism.
But in front of white people, they speak in “slave talk,” or a fictional, seemingly less educated vernacular, similar to the way the characters in the original book spoke. The white characters speak in a formal tone and don’t know that the enslaved people speak the same as they do behind closed doors.
This intentional distinction of the speech patterns between the enslaved and free people in “James” pushes the readers to confront what is believable to them.
“James”’ debut in 2024 was met with high praise and positive reviews, with a 51-week tenure on the New York Times’ Best Sellers List for Hardcover Fiction. It was also selected for the 2024 Booker Prize shortlist.
“It turns a familiar American story upside down and shows us, with the power of dialogue and perspective, an entirely different way of viewing the same world,” Mnookin said.
Copies of the physical novel and audiobook are completely free and can be found in UW-Madison libraries, Madison Public Library branches or may be given to students in courses where “James” is integrated into the lesson plan. Students, faculty and staff may request alternative copies through McBurney Disability Center.
Everett himself will visit the UW campus for the Go Big Read keynote event, which takes place on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025 from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. in Varsity Hall at Union South.
