The Warsaw Public Library Book Club met on Tuesday, Aug. 4 to discuss “James” (a “take off” on the “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”) by Percival Everett with the ratings ranging from 3-4. The group considered the book a “good read” that astutely conveyed the “brutality of enslavement,” even in Hannibal, where “life wasn’t extremely cruel.” Some members agreed with Kent Naderhoff’s assessment of Everett as a “great writer” whose emphasis on propaganda, incomplete character development, and an “axe to grind” detracted from a focused message about racism. Rosemary McNeil, who led the conversation, noted that the book won the 2025 Pulitzer Prize only after two other novels that tied for the honor were discarded.
The conversation focused on the impact of physical environment in developing internal and external identities with McNeil, Donna Naderhoff, and Linda Leffler noting that Jim, an escaped slave, “exploited the underdog theme” to his advantage by using simple language. The character was “what people would anticipate him to be,” so as not to appear “smart or uppity.” It is noteworthy that he changed his name to “James” when he wanted to be perceived as a “gentleman.”
Huckleberry Finn struggled with his identity after becoming close to Jim. He is faced with the choice of intertwining his identity with the black community or the white one. Otis Thompson expanded on the way we identify ourselves, and how other facets of one’s identity “come from the people around us.” He also noted that our identities can differ when interacting with various people. Donna commented that people “inherit their identities from their relatives” as they tell stories and observe traditions.
The Warsaw Public Library Book Club invites other bibliophiles to join this group for stimulating discussion and fellowship on the first Tuesdays of the month at 6 p.m. in the Warsaw Public Library conference room. The members will review “Last Bus to Wisdom” by Ivan Doig on Tuesday, Sept. 1, and “Peace Like a River” by Leif Enger on Oct. 6.