Tim DeRoche Talks with KPCC's Alex Cohen About His LA Reboot of Huckleberry Finn

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, first published in the United States in 1885 and considered one of the greatest works of American literature, tells the story of a boy's travels along the Mississippi River and his friendship with a slave named Jim.More than 130 years later, Mark Twain's classic has been rebooted with a distinctly modern, Southern California flavor with writer Tim DeRoche's new novel, The Ballad of Huck & Miguel, illustrated with beautiful linocut prints by artist Daniel Gonzalez.Here's an excerpt from the interview:Alex Cohen: This book comes out at a time when immigration is one of the most hotly debated issues in America. What do you hope readers will take away from this book on that front?DeRoche: Very early on in this project, I was talking to Twain scholar Laura Trombley, who told me the original "Huck Finn" is not about slavery, it's not about race. This is a story about an abused kid looking for a safe haven." That really resonated with me and gave me the feeling I was on the right track.But Huck's perspective changes and the book shows how young minds can change...DeRoche: Yes, and that's something that I took directly from Twain. Huck undergoes a change in Twain's original in terms of how he sees the slave Jim. And Huck goes through a similar change in this book.Alex Cohen: Daniel, when Tim first approached you to illustrate a book about a young boy and a man referred to as "an illegal Mexigrant," what was your thought?Gonzalez: I was really intrigued because I grew up next to the river in Boyle Heights. Running around the river and seeing all these layers of people who had been there before excited me. These people were very real for me. I started thinking about different family members who've had similar experiences being undocumented in the U.S. It turned into a collaboration because Tim was very open to my suggestions about the character Miguel.For the full interview, click here.