This is a pleasure to read. I have listened to it unabridged on tape 3 times and hope to listen to it more. Full of humor and sadness, it is not a book for children as is Tom Sawyer. Huck is an abused youth who narrates an odyssey that he, the runaway son, and Jim, the runaway slave, have on the river. It is unfortunate that films cannot capture the Huck's narrative.

The temptation to teach Huck to high school students must be taken seriously. No matter the racial makeup of the class, the "N" word has to be defused before reading begins. We can explain and discuss and meltdown some of the ascerbity of the word, but unless the issue is fully resolved, the 200-plus appearances of such a slander will eventually work us back to tender. Background reading on Twain is a must. His short story, "Disgraceful Persecution of a Boy," about a boy returning from Sunday School who stops to stone a Chinaman (in San Francisco) makes a pointed comment about the "teaching" of prejudice. This story makes good pre-reading since a reference with a similar point is made in "Huck Finn." When a river boat has an accident, a riverside discussion goes: "Was anybody hurt?" "Nope. Killed a N- though." This bit of dialog slipped in and overheard is painfully offensive and yet such a perfect contrast to Huck's feelings and the "teaching" he has received, both from the Widow Douglas and from life itself. Jim, of course, is the subject of Huck's racial feelings. Throughout the story, Jim is a father, brother and friend to Huck, but never a servant. He is everything, a good man tormented with love for his lost family and Huck, yet in his world, he is literally bound (by chains and threats) and so cannot come close to the dignity of African Americans of today. Huck and Jim's world requires that we board a mental time-machine and accept both the life on the raft and the values on shore as they were then, not now. Teach the book with joy after preparing with compassion.

What I appreciate most from this book is its ability to create rollercoaster sensation, in which the reader participates aside with the characters within the novel. The life seems unimagineable but it's that very reason that makes it memorable.
Mark Twain's The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn explores the human flaws of an American society through the eyes of Huck Finn, who ultimately triumphs over societal expectations; Twain argues that in order for one to genuinely perceive flaws of a body of people, one has to be truly detached and thus objective of that group. Huck Finn is the epitome of an intrepid individual, who ignores societal expectations, when he learns that it is not he that is abnormal, but the others that are unusual. It is not until then that he truly assumes an objective stance and investigates and analyzes the slave-oriented society. Able to prevail against the initial despairs of isolation, Huck Finn ultimately overcomes through his eventual apathy towards the people's views. He does exactly what the others do not expect him to do so. Instead of diminishing, Finn firmly stands even stronger than before, an attitude that irate the rest. It is then that the individual truly undermines the established norm and understands societal flaws. Following one's moral compass, anyone can rise against and unjust conformity, upholding one's genuine beliefs.
The reason you should read this book is that it becomes good source, as it is cited and referred to in allusions.