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Percival Everett, the author of "Erasure" (the basis of the Oscar-winning film "American Fiction"), returns with a comic novel, "James" (Doubleday), that retells Mark Twain's "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" through the eyes of Huck's enslaved friend, Jim.
Read an excerpt below.
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Amidst the tall grass, those sneaky rascals lurked. The moon, not quite full but bright, cast its glow behind them, illuminating them in the deep night. Lightning bugs danced in the darkness, while I stood at Miss Watson's kitchen door, idly tapping a loose step board, anticipating her request for me to fix it the next day. I awaited a pan of cornbread, made from my Sadie's recipe, that Miss Watson had promised me. Waiting was a significant part of a slave's existence - waiting for orders, for food, for the day to end, and ultimately, for the promised reward in the afterlife.
Observing me were those mischievous white boys, Huck and Tom, engaged in one of their imaginative games where I was either the villain or the prey, always at their disposal. They frolicked in the yard, accompanied by chiggers and mosquitoes, but made no progress towards me. Knowing it was wise to comply with the desires of white folks, I ventured into the yard and called out into the night,
"Who goes there in the darkness?"
They fumbled about, giggling. Their attempts at stealth were as futile as trying to sneak up on a deaf and blind man amidst a cacophony of music. I would have preferred counting lightning bugs over dealing with them.
"I reckon I'll just settle these weary bones on this porch and keep an eye out for that noise again. Perhaps there's an old demon or witch lurking about. I'll stay right here where it's safe." Exhausted, I sat on the top step and leaned against the post, closing my eyes.
The boys whispered excitedly to each other, their voices as clear as a church bell.
"Is he already asleep?" Huck inquired.
"I reckon so. I heard n*****s can fall asleep jest like that," Tom said and snapped his fingers.
"Shhhh," Huck said.
"I say we ties him up," Tom said. "Tie him up to dat porch post what he's leaning 'ginst."
"No," said Huck. "What if'n he wakes up and makes a ruckus? Then I gets found out for being outside and not in bed like I'm supposed to be."
"Okay. But you know what? I need me some candles. I'm gonna slip into Miss Watson's kitchen and get me some."
"What if'n you wake Jim?"
"I ain't gonna wake nobody. Thunder can't even wake a sleepin' n*****. Don't you know nuffin? Thunder, nor lightning, nor roarin' lions. I hear tell of one that slept right through an earthquake."
"What you suppose an earthquake feels like?" Huck asked.
"Like when you pa wakes you up in the middle of the night."
Excerpted from "James" by Percival Everett. Copyright © 2024 by Percival Everett. Excerpted by permission of Doubleday, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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"James" by Percival Everett (Doubleday), available in Hardcover, Large Print Trade Paperback, eBook, and Audio formats
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