Sheila King

This book drew me in from the very beginning. A fascinating take on how a slave views his world and copes with the terrible circumstances of his life. James is a true intellectual and scholar and quickly learns the two languages he must use to survive and switches between “slave talk” around white folk and his own natural way of speaking when in the company of other slaves. He teaches young slaves how to read a situation and speak in a way which hides their intellect and helps them navigate the cruel world they find themselves in. I love the relationships James develops throughout the book, particularly with Huck Finn. His journey to save his family becomes a saga and the ending was amazing.