Every year New York City’s three library systems tally up what books were borrowed the most times in the past year. This year was James by Percival Everett. The book continues the story of Mark Twain’s Hunk Finn from the perspective of the escaped slave Jim. James brings the life of its protagonist into sharp relief against the realities of slavery and war. The novel looks at the intimate life of Jim and his relationship with Hunk. It involves the smarts of James against his enslavers and the ready turn to violence to stay free. The book has already won the National Book Award and the Pulitzer Prize for Literature.
Here is my review of the book. While the chronology is not born out by Twain’s record, James sets off at the end of the book to join the United States Colored Troops during the Civil War.
New York City has three public library system. The New York Public Library has 92 branch locations in Manhattan, the Bronx, and Staten Island. It’s most widely known library is on 42nd Street, where two lions guard its collection. It has the second largest collection in the United States, after the Library of Congress. Brooklyn also has its own library system. There are 61 branches of this library throughout Brooklyn. The Queens Public Library has 62 branches in Queens.
Normally literary fiction is not the lead in most borrowed books. This year it was an excellently written novel on a subject dear to my own heart.
Here is my review of this novel.
The full list from the NYC libraries.
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