[NFBV-Potomac-Announce] Book Club Questions for our March Meeting

[John Halverson]

Hello,

Our chapter book club will meet on Wednesday March 4 at 7:00 PM by Zoom.

The book is James the Novel. Patty will lead the discussion.

The proposed questions are attached in below.

Also please find a reminder of our Zoom credentials.

John Halverson, Corresponding Secretary.



1 Have you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Why do you think that book has such lasting power?

2 What were your expectations going into James?

3  What was your first reaction after finishing it?

4 A key difference between the two stories is the use of code-switching, where the slaves use bad grammar to hide their strengths from the white slave owners. How did you feel about this addition to the story?

5 What was the author Percival Everett trying to convey with this reveal?

6 While Jim and Huck are together for the first part of the story as runaways, eventually they are apart. What were some of the most surprising elements of Jim's journey? What stuck with you the most?

7 While there's some humor, the story is harrowing and shows the brutality of slavery. Several people are killed in the story. Why was it important for the book to not shy away from the horrors of that time?

8 There's a pivotal scene where Jim has to pick who to save: Huck or Norman (the man who was helping Jim save his wife and daughter). Why did he choose Huck?

9 Now, onto the reveal that Jim is, in fact, Huck's real father. Were you surprised? Why did Jim tell Huck in that moment? How did it change how the reader views their relationship?

10 What is your overall impression of the relationship between Jim and Huck? What was the significance of Jim finally dropping his character for Huck and talking to him in his real voice?

11 Did you wish they had more scenes together after the reveal, or do you understand why they didn't?

12 This book really tackles the idea of identity. For Jim, while his identity is a slave, he knows no one can truly 'own' him. For Huck, he learns he's mixed race, but he's white passing so he gets the benefits that come with it-same with Norman. Let's unpack the theme of race and identity that is displayed in the book. What does the word identity mean to you?

13 James takes a tonal shift after Jim finds out his wife and daughter have been sold to a slavey-breeding plantation. Jim first kills a rapist slave owner, and then goes on a mission to free his wife and daughter. Let's talk about the climax of the story. What was your reaction to the violent tone?
The story ends with Jim, his wife, and daughter arriving in a free state at the start of the Civil War. Jim also takes on the name of James. What is the significance of Jim changing his name to James?

14 What happens next for James and his family? Will they be free? Will Huck ever see them again?

15 Was the ending satisfying for you?

16 On page 73, Jim says, "At that moment, the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I go from them. They couldn't even know I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out, or comprehending them. It was a complete private affair and completely free and therefore completely subversive." How do you interpret this passage?


Join Zoom Meeting
https://nfb-org.zoom.us/j/8297256345?pwd=IxBkHB29q0XT0lucFjOe3vrA9ViSOU.1&omn=98155870236

Meeting ID: 829 725 6345
Passcode: 20201940

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1 Have you read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Why do you think that book has such lasting power?

2 What were your expectations going into James?

3  What was your first reaction after finishing it?

4 A key difference between the two stories is the use of code-switching, where the slaves use bad grammar to hide their strengths from the white slave owners. How did you feel about this addition to the story?

5 What was the author Percival Everett trying to convey with this reveal?

6 While Jim and Huck are together for the first part of the story as runaways, eventually they are apart. What were some of the most surprising elements of Jim’s journey? What stuck with you the most?

7 While there’s some humor, the story is harrowing and shows the brutality of slavery. Several people are killed in the story. Why was it important for the book to not shy away from the horrors of that time?

8 There’s a pivotal scene where Jim has to pick who to save: Huck or Norman (the man who was helping Jim save his wife and daughter). Why did he choose Huck?

9 Now, onto the reveal that Jim is, in fact, Huck’s real father. Were you surprised? Why did Jim tell Huck in that moment? How did it change how the reader views their relationship?

10 What is your overall impression of the relationship between Jim and Huck? What was the significance of Jim finally dropping his character for Huck and talking to him in his real voice?

11 Did you wish they had more scenes together after the reveal, or do you understand why they didn’t?

12 This book really tackles the idea of identity. For Jim, while his identity is a slave, he knows no one can truly ‘own’ him. For Huck, he learns he’s mixed race, but he’s white passing so he gets the benefits that come with it—same with Norman. Let’s unpack the theme of race and identity that is displayed in the book. What does the word identity mean to you?

13 James takes a tonal shift after Jim finds out his wife and daughter have been sold to a slavey-breeding plantation. Jim first kills a rapist slave owner, and then goes on a mission to free his wife and daughter. Let’s talk about the climax of the story. What was your reaction to the violent tone?
The story ends with Jim, his wife, and daughter arriving in a free state at the start of the Civil War. Jim also takes on the name of James. What is the significance of Jim changing his name to James?

14 What happens next for James and his family? Will they be free? Will Huck ever see them again?

15 Was the ending satisfying for you?

16 On page 73, Jim says, “At that moment, the power of reading made itself clear and real to me. If I could see the words, then no one could control them or what I go from them. They couldn’t even know I was merely seeing them or reading them, sounding them out, or comprehending them. It was a complete private affair and completely free and therefore completely subversive.” How do you interpret this passage?