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Allison
I’m kind of obsessed with being chronological so I read 80% of Huck Finn before starting James and am glad I did. It helped me understand exactly what Everett was doing and to understand why he would feel the need. I found Huck hard to get through (finished it right after I finished James) but I was hooked on James from the start. It was a relief to wash the ignorance out of my brain, and to see Jim/James treated with respect.
Amy
I am rereading Huckleberry Finn AFTER reading James. I'm in a book group that's reading both this month and chose to go with this order because I wanted to see how James was on its own merits.
Darrelle
It has also been years since I have read Huckleberry Finn, and I didn't think I remembered much as well. I chose not to reread it before reading James and I still really enjoyed it. It was actually surprising how much I remembered from the book as the story progressed, so that might happen for you as well. So I guess to answer your question, no I wouldn't reread it, but if you want to, I'm sure it wouldn't hurt. I don't remember Huckleberry Finn being an overly long book, so I am sure you could finish it pretty quick.
Lisa
Absolutely, reread it first. I didn't and now I'm left wondering if I missed a deeper connection. Maybe, maybe not, but at least I'd know.
Nelda
It's been at least 3 decades since I read Huckleberry Finn, and I decided not to reread it. I glanced at my old paperback and decided it wasn't something I wanted to reread. I found that I recalled a lot of the characters and locations while reading James. Actually, I think James can stand alone without having read the original. I'm glad, however, that I had that original story buried somewhere in my head!
Jean
I read the plot summary on wikipedia to refresh my memory then read James. What I'd love to do is read them both simultaneously and maybe I will some day.
Christina
If you have read the book at some point in your life, and have a somewhat good memory, you can get away with reading one of the many Huck Finn synopses online. I found that I remembered so much of Huck Finn (h/t Mrs. Sawyer, my eighth grade English teacher) that I only needed to look up certain characters and events in order to stay on track.
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