LACPA’s Winter Book Club Selection:

James by Percival Everett   

Book Summary

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize (2025) and the National Book Award (2024), Percival Everett’s novel James recreates Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the perspective of the slave Jim.  James is beautifully written with intelligence, emotional sensitivity and humor.  Currently the book is in development as a feature film to be produced by Steven Spielberg.

James understands and teaches the slave children living with him how to speak and interact with their slaveowners as survival skills.  This imperative to hide one’s abilities, and thus an aspect of one’s identity, is prominent throughout the novel.  During one gripping adventure, James must pass as one of a troupe of white men who entertain their white audiences by pretending to be black. The importance of identity is one of several themes; other important issues include resilience under oppression, the powerful and close relationship between Huck and James, and the racism in America at the brink of the Civil War.  Since these issues are prominent throughout the novel, it’s anticipated that our discussion groups will be timely, relevant and thought-provoking.  

Awards and Recognition

In addition to the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award, James was a Kirkus Prize winner, a National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist, Shortlisted for the Booker Prize, and recognized as a Best Book of the Year by: The New York Times Book Review, LA Times, Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Economist, TIME, Vanity Fair and more.

A Sample of Positive reviews on Amazon

“Using nuance and vulnerability to emphasize Jim’s humanity, [Everett leaves a] stamp on the literary landscape as he dismantles the stereotypes of the enslaved humans depicted in Twain’s classic. . . Percival Everett has accomplished more than humanizing a marginalized voice. He has, once again, delivered a seminal work of literary reparation.”
—Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Blasted clean of Twain’s characterization, Jim emerges here as a man of great dignity, altruism, and intelligence. . . Clever, soulful, and full of righteous rage, [Jim’s] long-silenced voice resounds through this remarkable novel. Subversive and thrilling, James is destined to become a modern classic.” 
—Esquire

" [JAMES] is a masterpiece that will help redefine one of the classics of American literature, while also being a major achievement on its own. . . I almost cannot imagine a future where teachers assign The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn without also assigning James alongside it. . . Everett is one of the most, if not the most interesting writers working today.”
—The Chicago Tribune

“Playful and resonant. . . Everett has plenty of derisive fun here, dissecting and subverting damaging stereotypes. . . For a writer who often plays by few rules, Everett has drawn on what he knows best here – that freedom can be won, one word at a time. Add levity and serious intent and you have a novel that's a class act.”
—Minneapolis Star Tribune

The Next Three Book Choice in 2026

The Grieving Brain: The Surprising Science of How We Learn from Love and Loss by Mary-Frances O’Connor

Necessary Losses by Judith Viorst

Tribal: How the Cultural Instincts That Divide Us Can Help Bring Us Together by Michael Morris 

Please RSVP directly to the Book Club facilitator

Westside – on Zoom

Sunday, February 22nd at 3:00 PM

Hosted by Dr. Cris Scaglione 

[email protected]

(949) 939-1943

Encino – on Zoom

Sunday, February 22nd at 3:00 PM

Hosted by Dr. Pamela McCrory

[email protected]

(818) 999- 4126 

Santa Clarita – In person

Saturday, March 14th at 10 AM

This will be an In Person meeting at the home of Dr. Janet Stier

Address will be provided upon RSVP

RSVP to Dr. Lynne Steinman

[email protected]  

(661) 259-0144

Join us for great discussions with LACPA members!