Diane Rehm Book Club: “James" by Percival Everett

The September 2024 selection of The Diane Rehm Book Club is "James" by Percival Everett. This bestselling novel is a reimagining of “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,” told from the point of view of Huck’s enslaved sidekick, Jim. Recently shortlisted for the prestigious Booker Prize, the judges described the work as, “A captivating response to Mark Twain’s classic that is both a bold exploration of a dark chapter in history and a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.” Through Everett’s lacerating observations, we see the agency, intelligence and compassion of a beloved character in American literature in a radically new light. For this month's book club discussion, Diane is joined by Dana Williams, dean of the graduate school and professor of African American literature at Howard University; Maureen Corrigan, book critic for NPR's Fresh Air and a distinguished professor of the practice in literary criticism at Georgetown University; and Matt Seybold, associate professor of American literature and Mark Twain studies at Elmira College, resident scholar at the Center for Mark Twain Studies and host of The American Vandal podcast.