The Day They Came to Arrest the Book

There's a note of hysteria on starting out, but once the various opinions of the censoring of "Huckleberry Finn" are described, the book settles into thought-provoking prose. Obviously, this being authored by Nat Hentoff, Huck is saved from restricted-shelf oblivion. But the story nicely demonstrates that intellectual freedom is not a black/white topic; each side has compelling arguments for or against Huck. This will get readers pondering where they stand on intellectual freedom. (A little bit dated as well since it cites Communists and Russia. Definitely written in response to the Reagan years and the rise in book banning!)

Lovely comfort reading of a book I fondly remember from being young. Although the position of the author is very clear in who the good guys and bad guys are, the views of the opposition are at least aired articulately. I am amused (and embarressed) how much more I sympathise with the other side now I am older!

Nat Hentoff creates an exemplary story that is strikingly relevant to censorship issues and issues of political correctness gone-amuck in today's society. The main characters are high school stakeholders---students, parents, teachers, the principal and the librarian. As a high school teacher who has been censored in subtle ways by administrators this books strikes a deep cord. Although the main protagonists are high school students and the subject-matter sophisticated, the language and readability make it accessible to middle school students. It would serve as a great introduction to censorship in the middle or high school classroom. I feel students could connect with the student who wants Huckleberry Finn banned as well as the students show more who want to rescue the book. In that struggle lies the complexities not often touched upon in discussions of the 1st amendment in classrooms today. show less

This book was probably the first book I read which dealt blatantly with the issues of censureship and book burning. I remember reading it and being awed that people could pull books out of school libraries simply because they didn't aggree with what the book said or thought the book to be offensive. This book also brought to view how quickly problems and power can escalate. The censureship began simply with trying to remove The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from the required school reading list and ended with people threatening to tear pages out of the Bible. The controversy presented in this book really opened my eyes to the difficulties of censorship and the challenges of telling when it is necessary and when it is too much.

It's a fictional story about a parental challenge to "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" a required reading for a high school English class. Eventually the whole community gets involved and the issue becomes national news. The protagonist is a student named Barney who writes an article for the school newspaper to oppose censorship and challenge the principal (a rather shallow character that has no problem quietly taking books off of shelves and sidestepping a formal review committee). Of course, the school librarian has to defend her job and plays a central role in the events as well.

Twain's novel is central to this book for the same reasons it is still controversial today: perceptions of racism, sexism, immorality, and the use of the show more word "nigger". I won't be giving high marks to the literary quality of Hentoff's story: the writing is stunted and for some reason the author has a quirky habit of repeating both first and last names every time any teacher was referred to (which is VERY annoying in the longer sections of dialog). It is obvious what side of the issue the author falls on, as every character that wants to ban the book comes across as short sighted and stubborn. While it contains a good message overall about book censorship, that message is clear from the beginning - which leads to undeveloped characters and plot. It's almost like a book version of an after school special on TV.

However, I do think it would be a good companion to go with the original "Huck Finn" because it does present the "for" and "against" arguments clearly. Although it does not delve too deeply into the controversy, it does present a lot of information about the Huck Finn storyline and how some passages can be understood so differently among readers. About halfway through emotions run so high that the novel "Huck Finn" becomes personified and referred to as if it is someone that is on trial - thus the title's suggestion that the book might possibly be arrested. show less

An interesting fictionalized take on the 'Huckleberry Finn' controversy in schools.

Worth reading for the ideas expressed.