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Dear Bookclub,
The layered genius of Percival Everett was evident in his portrayal of Mark Twain's Jim. We were entertained by the clever perspective presented through the power of language, history of attitude towards slaves, and survival instincts. We were also horrified with the clever depiction of the reality of the power of language, the history of slavery and survival. Everett is as fascinating as his work.
Hoping you can access this article from The New Yorker entitled "Percival Everett Can't Say What His Novels Mean":
And here is the great link from Terrie to the PBS News Hour interview:
Researching Everett on the ever-entertaining Wikipedia here are some insightful nuggets:
* named after his father, Percival Everett was an Army sergeant and later a dentist
*his great-great grandmother was once enslaved
*born in Georgia, raised in South Carolina, moved to the "American West", schooled in FL and RI (University of Miami and Brown), settled in Los Angeles
*wrote Seattle, Wyoming (Viertnam Vet), contemporary American West, Grand Canyon, New Mexico, D.C., Mississippi, etc., etc. - the man is a rich tapestry
*brilliantly matched with Danzy Senna, his wife https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danzy_Senna
I am so appreciative of learning about Everett and reading more of his work.
US!
Val's suggestions for an upcoming read:
"Kingmaker" Sonia Purnell *chosen
"Playground" Richard Powers
"The Border Between Us" Rudy Ruiz
Up next:
Happy reading,
LK
