Reviews with content warning for Racial slurs - The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn

Huckleberry Finn escapes his alcoholic and abusive father by running away, bumping into runaway slave Jim only days later. The two flee down the Mississippi River, running into criminals, swindlers, and a mix of good and bad people. Through the course of the book, Huck realizes that Jim is just as worried and protective of him as his own family, and that he (Huck) doesn't want to see anything happen to Jim either.

I selected this book as my first Banned Book of 2024 challenge. I vaguely remember this book from school but I was well aware of the general storyline before I read it read it again. Full disclosure: I read this because I wanted a refresher on the story before I read "JAMES". Anyway...

I'm not sure why this book got so much acclaim. Maybe it was ahead of its time, or maybe because it was written as a kid, but the story was so convoluted and hard to follow what was actually important or relevant. It's a coming-of-age story with character growth, but the style in which its written makes it difficult to understand that's what's happening. Sorry, Mark Twain. I don't get why people like your style so much.

As a historian, I can understand the excessive use of the N-word and the historical context but as a modern person, I can also appreciate why this book wouldn't be encouraged for pliable minds of children who grab on hard to "bad words". Frankly, I think there are a lot of books out there that can get across the point of racism and character growth much, much better than this.

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karaswils's review against another edition

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I knew it was racist but geez. I couldn’t get past it. The only reason I wanted to re-read it was to have context for reading James by Percival Everett. I’ll just go ahead and read that instead.

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kathieboucher's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Read as prep for James: a Novel. Somehow I'd missed ever reading much by Mark Twain. Many levels to this book--for one thing, I saw it as a window into language and mores of the 19th century. I remember my grandmother (born 1880) talk about "in all my born days..." and "land sakes...".

But the 21st century elephant in the room is of course the n-word, used liberally, as one might expect, in a pre-Civil War Southern setting. Context is everything--it's a period setting and the characters tend to be uneducated whites living in rural settings. My vote is for never sanitizing the language. Kids should read it with guidance and lots of discussion.

It's noteworthy to see Huck struggle with his conscience about turning in Jim. He finally rationalizes helping Jim because Jim has been good to Huck, not because of the wrongness of slavery itself.

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