*Sigh.* The trouble is that the self-righteous, mealymouthed do-gooders behind this understand very little about history, literature, or education -- and possibly all three. Read this response. See also this comment that refers to the end of Chapter 15 of the book, in which Huck regrets playing a mean trick on Jim and states that he never did so again, even while stating too that he would never have done what he did if he knew it would cause Jim so much grief. It is a powerful rejection of racism and human cruelty, though you'd never know it if you read the bowdlerizers. In fact, the entire book is a repudiation of racism.
Of course, bowdlerization is a old sin against literature -- but it is still a sin. If you can't handle the literature as it was written, then you should go away and read something else instead of trying to reshape the original text to fit your personal desires. This is all of a piece with the habit of certain people to refuse to look at reality as it is (and was), and this most frequently appears in approaches to history and literature (between which an essential and vibrant nexus does exist). Add also the pernicious idea that nobody must ever be even in the least bit uncomfortable in school about anything. Sheer foolishness, really, because sometimes you should be discomfited if you're doing education right. Anyway, I imagine Mark Twain, himself a colorful character, would have some choice words for the current manglers of his work.
UPDATE: More here, along with still more proof that nothing is so wrongheaded that a New York Times columnist won't support it.
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