Book club questions for James by Percival Everett take an in-depth look at this cultural phenomenon. There will be spoilers, so for more context about the story, check out my spoiler-free review first.
James is a five-star read. It is so compelling and fascinating, and I love the story choices Percival Everett made.
After all, it’s a reimainging! The same old story wouldn’t have been that exciting.
That said, there are certain elements I would have loved more details about. Let’s take a closer look.
Summary
James is a remainging of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn told from the perspective of the enslaved Jim. And instead of a play-by-play retelling, James goes in a different direction.
We find out what was happening to Jim when he and Huck were separated (terrible things). But a big plot point is the reveal that Huck is, in fact, Jim’s son. While in the original story, there is more of a bond due to the situation and a budding respect. But in James, it becomes much more.
I was totally fine with this and was surprised to see so many people outraged. This reveal made Jim’s motivations more sense to me. For instance, this is why Jim was willing to save Huck so many times, even when it sidetracked his goal of rescuing his wife and daughter.
However, I would have loved a bit more context and even more about Jim and Huck’s mother relationship. Jim says they were friends since kids, but even a flashback scene might have been interesting.
There are also not that many scenes left between Jim and Huck after this reveal. I would have enjoyed more, but I understand why the author didn’t.
Another big change was the climax and ending. In James, the story takes a tonal shift and almost becomes a Tarantino movie, with a high-stakes rescue of Jim’s wife and daughter. They then go to Iowa, where Jim takes on the name James.
It’s up to the reader to decide if James gets arrested or gets to move on with his life as a free man with his wife and daughter.
The tonal shift made sense to me. We see Jim experience the horrors and witness the deaths and abuse of many slaves. Jim is forced to take all the racist jokes and attitudes with a smile. And he was tired of it. It was time to take matters into his own hands. So I actually thought the revenge fantasy aspect totally worked, and you can see it building the entire time.
Anyway, those are my quick thoughts on some key changes. Let me know what you think about the book in the comments section below!
Book Club Questions for James
- Have you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Why do you think that book has such lasting power?
- What were your expectations going into James? What was your first reaction after finishing it?
- A key difference between the two stories is the use of code-switching, where the slaves use bad grammar to hide their strengths from the white slave owners. How did you feel about this addition to the story? What was the author Percival Everett trying to convey with this reveal?
- While Jim and Huck are together for the first part of the story as runaways, eventually they are apart. What were some of the most surprising elements of Jim’s journey? What stuck with you the most?
- While there’s some humor, the story is harrowing and shows the brutality of slavery. Several people are killed in the story. Why was it important for the book to not shy away from the horrors of that time?
- There’s a pivotal scene where Jim has to pick who to save: Huck or Norman (the man who was helping Jim save his wife and daughter). Why did he choose Huck?
- Now, onto the reveal that Jim is, in fact, Huck’s real father. Were you surprised? Why did Jim tell Huck in that moment? How did it change how the reader views their relationship?
- What is your overall impression of the relationship between Jim and Huck? What was the significance of Jim finally dropping his character for Huck and talking to him in his real voice?
- Did you wish they had more scenes together after the reveal, or do you understand why they didn’t?
- This book really tackles the idea of identity. For Jim, while his identity is a slave, he knows no one can truly ‘own’ him. For Huck, he learns he’s mixed race, but he’s white passing so he gets the benefits that come with it—same with Norman. Let’s unpack the theme of race and identity that is displayed in the book. What does the word identity mean to you?
- James takes a tonal shift after Jim finds out his wife and daughter have been sold to a slavey-breeding plantation. Jim first kills a rapist slave owner, and then goes on a mission to free his wife and daughter. Let’s talk about the climax of the story. What was your reaction to the violent tone?
- The story ends with Jim, his wife, and daughter arriving in a free state at the start of the Civil War. Jim also takes on the name of James. What is the significance of Jim changing his name to James?
- What happens next for James and his family? Will they be free? Will Huck ever see them again?
- Was the ending satisfying for you?
- On page 73, Jim says, “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 go from them. They couldn’t even know I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out, or comprehending them. It was a complete private affair and completely free and therefore completely subversive.” How do you interpret this passage?
- Did you highlight any sentences or passages? If so, please share with the group.
Additional Recommendations
Hope you enjoyed the book club questions for James! Here are some more recommendations, along with links to discussion questions.
The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett
Another impactful book about race and identity is The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett.
The Vignes twin sisters will always be identical. But after growing up together in a small, southern black community and running away at age sixteen, it’s not just the shape of their daily lives that is different as adults; it’s everything: their families, their communities, their racial identities.
Many years later, one sister lives with her black daughter in the same southern town she once tried to escape. The other secretly passes for white, and her white husband knows nothing of her past. Still, even separated by so many miles and just as many lies, the fates of the twins remain intertwined. What will happen to the next generation when their own daughters’ storylines intersect?
Check out my spoiler-free review here. And a link to my book club questions here.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
For a novel that is receiving a ton of book club buzz, check out The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon.
The story is set in 1789 in Maine during wintertime, a very brutal winter that year. When the Kennebec River freezes, entombing a man in the ice, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine the cause of death. As a midwife and healer, she is privy to much of what goes on behind closed doors in Hallowell. Her diary is a record of every birth and death, crime and debacle that unfolds in the close-knit community.
Months earlier, Martha documented the details of an alleged rape committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen—one of whom has now been found dead in the ice. But when a local physician undermines her conclusion, declaring the death to be an accident, Martha is forced to investigate the shocking murder on her own.
Check out my review here. And a link to my book club questions here.
Happy reading!
