In Mark Twain's Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, the titular character and runaway slave Jim travel south on the Mississippi River, encountering a series of perilous mishaps that repeatedly separate the pair. That classic of American literature is narrated by Huck, and when Huck and Jim get separated, the story naturally follows Huck.
In James, Everett retells the story from Jim's point of view. And in this book, Jim is an eloquent, educated man who plays up the stereotypical vernacular and dumbs himself down in the presence of white folks (his way of thinking is that it seems a good way to stay alive, being the dumb slave they expect). Along the way, Jim and Huck encounter many people who wish Jim harm, as well as some who claim to be anti-slavery but still refuse to treat Jim as an equal (or even someone worthy of decent treatment).
This is an excellent retelling of an American classic, bringing extra dimensions to the shared adventures with Huck and filling in the gaps where Huck and Jim are separated. While it's definitely possible to enjoy this fantastic book without reading Twain's original first (that's the boat I'm in), I have a feeling it would be even better with that book in your reading history. Either way, it's well worth a read and worthy of the many accolades that it's sure to acquire.
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