In 1885 the year of its US publication, a number of public libraries banned The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn from their stacks. According to the American Library Association, it was the fifth most-frequently-challenged book in the United States in the 1990s. Despite strong arguments that the book supports positive racial themes, Huck Finn has been controversial from the beginning.  Last year NewSouth Books published a sanitized edition, effectively keeping this book in the news and on the minds of both those who have loved and hated this classic American book.  When was the last time you visited Huck Finn? Interested in learning more and sharing your ideas?

Join us next week for a panel discussion of this story that continues to both attract and repel members of our community. Does Huckleberry Finn belong in the literary canon and in our schools? What does it reveal about race relations, art and the power of language?

Guest panelists include Randy White, director of the Cardinal Stage production of Big River, Suparna Bose, Bloomington parent and Master's student at the IU School of Education, and Dr. Frederick L. McElroy Associate Professor of African American and African Diaspora Studies at Indiana University.  The panel discussion will take place on Thursday, May 3 from 7:00-8:30 p.m. in the Downtown Library Auditorium.