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.