Walker, David F. Big Jim and the White Boy: An American Classic Reimagined. Marcus Kwame Anderson, Illus. Addl. Creator Isabell Struble, Colorist. Ten Speed Graphic, 10/2024. 282pp. Graphic. Trade $25.99. 978-1-9848-5772-9. GRADES 6–Adult. OUTSTANDING.
Through thoughtful historical analysis and a fresh perspective, this standout graphic novel retells The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by masterfully shifting Big Jim’s experience into central focus. A profound narrative reveals how dramatically the storyteller shapes the story by providing meaningful insight into Jim’s relationship with his family and the complexity of navigating his actual relationship to Huck Finn, as well as an unflinching account of slavery and his fight for humanity within it. By shifting in time (1850s, 1930s, 1980s, and the present), generations of reflection add to the account, including an adeptly-shared academic summary of the history of race relations. Adopting an innovative solution to the long-standing debate of whether to include or omit racial slurs common within the original 1885 text, the author finds a way to convey both the historical authenticity of slurs as symbolic of brutal oppression, while acknowledging the pain their presence and intent represent. With rich color palettes for each time period, and characters portrayed with both expressiveness and nuance, the graphics heighten the power of each scene; the narrative tone ranges from intensity to lightness and humor to horror, making for a gripping read. The importance of telling one’s own story is powerfully conveyed, and in the last chapter the young reader is challenged to do just that.
Alexandre Petrakis—San Francisco Public Library