Though millions of people have read Mark Twain’s classic American “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” novel, most folks have not read it 15 times in a row. Pulitzer Prize- and National Book Award-winning writer Percival Everett did exactly that, though, while preparing to write his best-selling “James.”
The critically acclaimed book reimagines Twain’s iconic 1885 tale (britannica.com/topic/Adventures-of-Huckleberry-Finn-novel-by-Twain), creating a fascinating new story told from the perspective of Jim, the escaped-slave character who accompanies Huck Finn as they together try to flee social and familial violence to find freedom.
Everett’s book was greeted as a revelatory piece of literature and earned multiple awards and positions on “Best Book of the Year” lists after it was released in 2024. A distinguished professor of English at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles and the author of previous well-received books (“Dr. No,” “The Trees,” “Telephone” and others), Everett is a highly sought public speaker (dornsife.usc.edu/news/stories/percival-everett-wins-2025-pulitzer-prize-for-james).
All of this led Contra Costa County Library system directors and staff planning this year’s annual “Read Contra Costa” program to choose Everett’s novel as its focus. The program began Sept. 2 and runs through Nov. 8. Physical copies are available at all Contra Costa library branches, and expanded access comes with options for e-book checkout or listening to the e-audiobook on Libby (ccclib.org/read-contra-costa).
New this year are partnerships with Los Medanos College and the Richmond Public Library, the latter of which is Contra Costa’s only independent library system. Librarian Albert Garcia, an event organizer and representative for this year’s Read Contra Costa program, says the collaboration with Los Medanos provides a larger venue for hosting special events. Among the highlights is an in-person appearance by Everett at Los Medanos College’s student union starting at 11 a.m. Nov. 8.
“A Conversation with Percival Everett” will give the author a platform to share his creative process and themes developed in the novel such as identity, language, oppression, racism, slavery, violence in U.S. history and the pursuit of liberty that continues to be foundational to Americans. Everett’s 40-minute talk with a moderator will be followed by a brief question-and-answer audience session and book-signing.
Alison McKee, the Contra Costa County Library system’s head librarian, in an online letter to library patrons states that she is “thrilled” to have “James” as this year’s Read Contra Costa selection and excited about the “fantastic events” planned. In addition to Everett’s visit, an online and in-person Oct. 30 professor panel discussion at Los Medanos College will introduce guests to an overview and analysis of the book.
The Los Medanos panel will include librarian Cameron Bluford, English professor Tess Caldwell, ethnic studies professor Dr. Adrianna Simone, English professor Alex Sterling and history professor Dr. Russell Weber. Moderating the panel will be Jennifer Saito, an honors director and math and philosophy professor.
Garcia noted in a recent interview that the student union space at Los Medanos is much larger than any the library could provide and that the use of Zoom and a collaboration with CCTV makes the programs viewable from remote locations.
“The main thing for the program is our motto: ‘Bringing options and people together,’ ” Garcia said. “We like to use our space to bring people together — to get an academic panel’s view on a book, to cause people who read a book to think about it more.
“These events create spaces for community discussions. We promote literature and people discussing things they may or may not agree about. Opening the program to readers in Richmond attracts a broader audience and invites in everyone in the county with a vested reason for reading the same book and interest in talking about it.”
During selection committee discussions, the group looked for a book that had rich historical context, was told from a unique or unprecedented viewpoint and was written by a well-known author. Numerous book copies had to be easily available, and while the search began with mostly local authors, it soon breached any geographical barriers. In the final stage, the committee considered books by Louise Erdrich, Ta-Nehisi Coates, Tommy Orange and Everett.
“We had talked about Everett before … , sent out a request and waited to see what happened. Our long list was 16 titles before the final four were targeted. We sent out emails, and when we got the response from Everett, we immediately went with that,” says Garcia.
One consideration never under their control was whether or not a book is published in languages other than English. Last year, Elba Iris Pérez’s award-winning coming-of-age story, “The Things We Didn’t Know,” was available in English and Spanish.
Garcia says that’s not something possible to arrange every year but serves as inspiration — among others — for continuing to develop new approaches that make the program more accessible in coming years. Literature and libraries, he suggests, are vital to a healthy community.
“Any time we get together and talk, instead of only internalizing, there are positives,” he says. “That’s why books are important. They make you stop, think, slow down. The discussions might point us in different directions or cause us to think about history in new ways.”
In a presentation last March at the Pasadena Library, Everett told the audience that the greatest influences on his innate sense of irony and humor (“James” is at times saturated and subtle in applying both) have been his father, Mark Twain, Groucho Marx and Bullwinkle the Moose. He said an episode featuring the latter that he saw at age 8 in which animated characters search for a ruby-laden yacht (a pun on 1859’s “The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam”) remains forever in his memory.
Everett also addressed more serious topics.
“Art is an expression of our lives,” he said and asserted that establishing a new reality in the center of a known work of art frightens some people. He says that having himself read Twain’s words over and over until they became a blur and freed him to write his own words, he doubts he will ever read the book again.
Asked by the moderator what he had learned about Twain during that process, Everett laughed and said, “I learned to hate him by the 12th time,” adding a footnote that 10 times would have been enough to prepare for writing “James.”
Lou Fancher is a freelance writer. Reach her at [email protected].