New Edition of 'Huck Finn' Purges the 'N' Word

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book.jpgIn Mark Twain’s 1884 classic, Huckleberry Finn, the "N" word appears no less than 219 times. But in New South Books' upcoming edition, it doesn't appear at all. Does replacing the "N" word with "slave" make Twain accessible to young readers or is it censorship that distorts the realities of 19th Century America? Peniel Joseph is Professor of History at Tufts University and author of Dark Days, Bright Nights: From Black Power to Barack Obama.

Credits

Guest:

  • Peniel Joseph - historian and professor at the University of Texas at Austin, founder of the school’s Center for the Study of Race and Democracy - @PenielJoseph

Host:

Warren Olney