James is a retelling of the Huckleberry Finn story, but told from the point of view of the slave (Jim).    Modern themes of inequality, injustice, and institutionalized racism are found in all parts of the novel.    It is a serious story with realistic period characters, but overall, told today with a humanist perspective.    The noble character of James resonates while reading the book, but also afterward.

James won the Pulitzer Prize, the Kirkus Prize, and National Book Award and may be the best book of the decade.

Highly recommended – 4.9/5 stars