As an adult, I haven’t read many classics due to bad experiences with classics in school growing up. I was forced to read so many dry, dusty old books that it’s made me hesitant to revisit them, but when I saw that Percival Everett was releasing James as the other side of Huck Finn’s story, I knew I wanted to reread Huck Finn first.

Immediately, I struggled with the language and treatment directed at Black characters in this book. I think it was especially disconcerting because it was so casual. I understand that that was common in the slavery era, but as a modern reader it was extremely jarring and uncomfortable. 

Huck Finn does at least seem to be a more tolerant person than the people around him. He is mostly kind to Jim as they travel down river together, although it is clear that Huck thinks Jim to be of lesser intellect. As the story progresses, it seems that Huck does start to become friends with Jim and that that really begins to shift his views.

I ended up reading James back to back with Huck Finn and honestly, James makes it clear why it is the far superior story. It adds layers of nuance and understanding that Huck Finn lacks. It’s told from the perspective of someone who understands the world all too clearly, where as Huck Finn constantly misses the things happening around him. 

All in all, this reread of Huck Finn won’t change my mind about classics, but I do think that if you plan to read James, you should reread Huck Finn first.