I’d hazard to guess that most people who argue that the book is racist do so because they don’t read into the deeper meaning of the book. What I imagine most of the people who find this offensive see is a black man who is portrayed as an uneducated slave and who is introduced to the reader as a childlike, not very bright, and superstitious. Then they see they the liberal use of the “n-word” being thrown around and draw their conclusion based on that alone without ever realizing that instead of showcasing slavery Twain is instead showcasing the ugliness of societies view of slavery. In doing so, Twain causes the reader to challenge their first impression of Jim and societies view of slavery that is presented in the book.

Your summary, SqueezePlay, is great. I’m sure you are right. But don’t people read the rest of the book? That is a whole ‘nuther topic, of course. I suspect that “Huck Finn” is fairly difficult going for most people today.

Anyway, most of the challenged books on the ALA list are books that try to move people away from racist, sexist or homophobic viewpoints - not promote them, aren’t they?

Mark Twain was, arguably, the greatest writer of his generation - and one of the greatest of all time, and Huckleberry Finn might be the best book he ever wrote. It is anti-slavery to the core and probably the first American book where the hero of the story is a black man. Huck Finn relates the story, but he comes to age when he decides to help Jim escape - even if he’s damned to hell for it. It is Jim who is the only character in the book that behaves nobly and does the right thing throughout, regardless of the consequence to him.

So why do people today view the book as racist? Language, first and foremost. Mark Twain was a master of dialect, and he captures the rhythm and cadence of mid-19th century English as spoken in Missouri. But the way people spoke, and what they said - especially in the way white people talked and treated black people - wouldn’t be tolerated today. What people forget is that this book was the first step in changing the attitudes and behavior of white people toward black people in the US.

Second is that people simply don’t read the book. It’s much easier to have your opinion and mind made up by someone else - and, in fact, a lot of the comment on the book is verbal rather than written (even easier to digest).

Third (and I’m cheating because this is language again) is the widespread use of the N word in the book. This is a loaded word for black people today - especially when used by a white person - and many of them cannot move past its use. Regardless of context.

So how do you get past all of this? It isn’t easy - because you have to have an open mind - you have to understand history to a degree - and you have to work at actually reading the book. It’s a shame so many people can’t, because Huck Finn is one the greatest books in the English language, and a book that raises your soul with the message that it brings.

Don, you’re right on all counts. I guess we can also remember that an author’s tone is sometimes difficult for readers. Remember some people actually thought Jonathan Swift was advocating eating babies in his satire, “A Modest Proposal.”