Description
Book SynopsisQuesting the educational suitability of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" in the classroom, this work argues that the book teaches misguided lessons about race relations. It aims to challenge the typical understanding of "Huck Finn", and guides readers through an analysis that demonstrates how racism functions in the book and the classroom.
Trade ReviewIn this pathbreaking book, law professor Sharon Rush raises critical questions about the iconic American novel The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, giving us a controversial and deeply critical analysis of the racist context, text, and implications of Mark Twain's masterpiece. Rush does not argue that all young readers should be kept away from the book, but rather that Huck Finn should not be government-mandated reading for children in elementary, middle, and high schools because most of them are not emotionally and intellectually prepared to deal with a book that presents the 19th century United States in such an intensely racist and white supremacist fashion. -- Joe R. Feagin, Texas A&M University
…powerful and moving…This is more than a cognitive critique of racism and a position statement, but the heartfelt appeal of a mother and a lover of democracy—a carefully woven project that elicits empathy slowly but surely. -- Eileen O'Brien, College of William and Mary
Table of ContentsPart 1 Part I: Huck the Novel Introduction: What Is the Problem? Chapter 2 1. Twain and the Color Line Chapter 3 2. The Legal Roots of Racism during Twain's Lifetime: The "Separate but Equal" Doctrine Chapter 4 3. Huck and Emotional Segregation: A Culture of Disrespect in the Classroom Chapter 5 4. Huck and the Canon of American Literature Part 6 Part II: Teaching the Novel Chapter 7 5. Teaching Democratic Values Chapter 8 6. How a Decision to Teach Huck Conflicts with Teaching Democratic Values and Authenticity Chapter 9 7. What Do Children Know about Race Chapter 10 8. Emotional Intelligence: A Culture of Respect and Equality in the Classroom Chapter 11 9. So What Do We Do with Huck?
