Growing up, “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” was required reading in my high school English class. Like many of you, I struggled with the contradictions of this so-called “American classic.” On one hand, I was told to celebrate it as a groundbreaking work of American literature, a tale of adventure and moral awakening. On the other hand, I couldn’t ignore the crude references to Black people and the portrayal of Jim—an enslaved man—as a prop for Huck’s self-discovery.
I complained to my good-natured, Southern belle of an English teacher, who gave me the usual refrain: “Mark Twain meant well, and the book critiques racism.”
But none of it settled well with me. The dignity of Blackness was not upheld—it was cowered under the weight of whiteness, used for entertainment at best and as a rhetorical device at worst.
Enter “James,” the award-winning masterpiece that finally flips the script. James takes the narrative we all know and shifts the focus from the misadventures of Huck to the powerful, complex truth of Jim—renamed James in this visionary retelling. This book doesn’t just reimagine the story; it reclaims it. It centers the Black voice in a way that is alive, magical, and long overdue.
Finally, we hear from the real hero, the man whose courage and truth-telling Twain only skimmed the surface of. For the first time, I felt seen in this story—my community’s experiences, struggles, and triumphs finally brought to life through the lens of James. The narrative moves beyond the stereotypes, the caricatures, and the compromises to honor the full humanity of a Black man who deserves far more than the scraps of acknowledgment history has given him.
James is not just Huck’s companion; he is a father, a philosopher, and a fighter.
The brilliance of James lies in its unapologetic truth-telling. It doesn’t flinch from confronting the dehumanizing forces of slavery, nor does it shy away from the rich, soulful inner life of its titular character. James is not just Huck’s companion; he is a father, a philosopher, and a fighter.
He is a man who dreams of freedom not just for himself, but for everyone who shares his struggle. And in this story, his voice isn’t an aside—it is the main event. James is a revelation, challenging us to rethink what we consider “classics” and who gets to define the American experience. It reminds us that history is not the sole property of the victors, but a shared and contested space where every voice deserves to be heard.
Reading James, I found myself asking:
What if this had been the story I was assigned in high school?
What if my classmates and I had grown up seeing a Black man as the hero of one of America’s foundational tales, rather than a sidekick to be pitied or patronized?
How might that have shaped our understanding of race, of justice, of humanity?
James is the story I’ve been waiting for all my life. And, it’s one I hope every classroom will make room to ensure the full, complex, and beautiful humanity of Black people.
Dr. Kazique Prince is the founder and CEO of Jelani Consulting, LLC, and has nearly fifteen years of experience in promoting diversity, equity, and inclusion across industries through initiatives like Djembe: Inspiring Inclusive Connections.
