More Thoughts on Why I Think Banning Books is Lame

Continuing on my rant about institutionalized book banning, I want to discuss yet another great work of literature that was once deemed inappropriate by American public schools. The book is Mark Twain's classic The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn (1884). The reason it was banned is that it chronicles the horrors of slavery. Mark Twain was one of the first American writers to broach this issue-- as well as to depict African Americans as full-fledged human beings-- and that is why he is now considered one of the greatest. Great writers are those who tackle touchy subjects-- even though doing so could cause a firestorm. As for shielding kids from such "bad" literature, school is meant to prepare them for real life, so censorhip essentially defeats the entire purpose of receiving an education. Heaven forbid anyone actually ever learn anything!