So, in this novel, we’re following a slave named Jim while he’s fleeing from his master who was going to sell him and make him leave behind his family. On this journey, Jim has help from a little boy named Huckleberry Finn who has run away from his abusive father. Together, while evading the law, they ponder what it means to be human, the equality that ALL people are supposed to have, and what makes evil people so evil. 

There’s not a whole lot I can tell you about this novel that you wouldn’t already know about from the blurb. What I found so special about this novel, though, is the perspective it leads its readers. Many people try to brush what happened under the metaphorical rug of our nation. But the fact of the matter is that we were (and still are to some extent) racist and full of bigotry and hate. The South held slaves captive, tore families apart, raped women, and so many more horrible things. James brings this back to the light and demands that it be seen. Because the second we start to forget our history, that is when we are surely doomed to repeat it. 

This story as a whole is obviously based on Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and (don’t slaughter me for this), I have never read it in its entirety, so I can’t say how similar the two actually are. I will say, though, that I love the emphasis on reading as power and writing as power. There is so much to be taken from being able to read and write and yet many of the youth in our country don’t even know how to use English properly (or even want to learn how in the first place). Without words and stories we are nothing. James does a good job of emphasizing the power that they hold. 

Overall, this isn’t a huge review, but just know that this novel deeply impacted me and made me remember all over again how important it is to keep our history in mind so that we never make that same mistake again. After all, we are all human. We all deserve to be treated fairly and equally. 

Source: Audiobook from Libby Public Library

(P.S. You can read this book for free by signing up for a free trial of Everand, which gives you three free audiobooks or ebooks of your choice!)