Published in the U.S. in 1885, Huck Finn is the fourth most banned book in schools, according to “Banned in the U.S.A.” by Herbert N. Foerstal, a retired college librarian who has written several books on First Amendment issues.
Gribben conceded the edited text loses some of the caustic sting but said: “I want to provide an option for teachers and other people not comfortable with 219 instances of that word.”
In addition to replacing the N-word, Gribben changes the villain in Tom Sawyer from “Injun Joe” to “Indian Joe,” and “half-breed” becomes “half-blood.”
Gribben knows he won’t change the minds of his critics, but he’s eager to see how the book will be received by schools rather than university scholars.
“We’ll just let the readers decide,” he said.
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