Author Percival Everett to deliver Go Big Read keynote on Nov. 4

“In language, and in ownership of language, there resides great power, and resides an avenue to any kind of freedom that we’re going to have.”

For author Percival Everett, this is not an abstract statement. It is the engine of his novel, “James,” winner of the Pulitzer Prize and this year’s Go Big Read selection.  

Everett will discuss this — and more — in person at the Go Big Read keynote at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 4, at Varsity Hall in Union South. No tickets are required for the free event, which will also be livestreamed. To access the livestream on the date of the event, please visit gobigread.wisc.edu.  

Chancellor Jennifer Mnookin will join Everett for a discussion about the power of literacy, language, and perspective, followed by a Q&A with the audience. In addition, Everett will be meeting with students during his visit to campus to answer questions and participate in discussions.

“James” reimagines Mark Twain’s “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn” from the perspective of Jim — now James — an enslaved runaway who understands that survival depends on who controls the narrative — and the language used to tell it. Everett’s James is literate in every sense of the word: he reads, he writes, and has extended, imagined conversations with Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Voltaire and John Locke.

“My Jim — he’s not simple,” Everett said. “I hope that I have written the novel that Twain did not and also could not have written.” 

To prepare for writing “James,” Everett reread Twain’s novel fifteen times in a row until the words blurred. Then he set the book aside and didn’t return to it again. But he didn’t set out with the goal of “correcting” Twain’s novel, Everett has said of his approach to rendering Jim with much greater depth and nuance. “Rather, I see myself in conversation with Twain.” 

“James” debuted to widespread acclaim, spending 42 weeks on The New York Times bestseller list.  In addition to the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, it also won the 2024 National Book Award and was a finalist for the Booker Prize.  

Everett’s prolific body of work also includes “Erasure” (adapted into the Oscar-winning film “American Fiction”), “The Trees” (a Booker Prize finalist), and “Telephone” (a Pulitzer Prize finalist). 

Everett’s keynote is part of a series of events exploring “James” and its themes. Others coming up include: 

• “The National Legacy of Slavery: Wisconsin’s History as a Mississippi River State“ — a public discussion on how Everett’s novel speaks to Wisconsin’s past, will be on Nov. 17, 5:30–7 p.m. at Madison Central Library.

• Community book discussions are being held at local libraries throughout the Madison area, and UW–Madison faculty are incorporating “James” into classrooms across campus. 

The Go Big Read program is an Office of the Chancellor initiative aimed at engaging members of the campus community and beyond in a shared, academically focused reading experience. For more information, including discussion, marketing, and teaching toolkits, visit Go Big Read.