The consummate and much-awarded author Percival Everett penned this book. It is, without doubt, the best novel I have read this year. One could call it a reimagining of the novel Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, from the runaway slave Jim's perspective. But I found it a stand-alone, book that had some well known characters. This is Jim's story as opposed to Huck's and written by Everett. It is now a different time many years after the first book, so with time, attitudes change. Most everyone is appalled at the history of slavery that took place, especially in the southern American States. Civil rights were fought since then and won. Education has hopefully changed minds and mores of most people, but there are always exceptions. We still see that today. What has not changed is the friendship and respect, both Jim and Huck had for each other. Like Twain's book, this book will be a classic and not forgotten by children who read it today. When I read Twain's book as a child, I remembered their friendship not the ugliness that surrounded them. I expect this will do the same for this generation of kids.