The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

Hello Everyone!

So I am not going to say that I like this book, but I do, however, value its meaning. I understand that many of the qualms that I had about it, such as how difficult it was to read Jim's lines, were purposefully included. I understand that though the word nigger is not a word I like to use, it is contextually appropriate for the statement Twain is making through the work. And as I have read this book twice now, once in middle school and once in high school, I understand that more can be understood about Twain's purpose for writing the book now that I am older. However, I refuse to rate the book higher because of the difficulty that I had reading the book, and therefore the amount that I was put off by it. Things to note: I suggest that this novel be read by at least mature 9th graders and up so that they may be able to understand, in part, the reasons why Twain wrote the novel and what he is attempting to say through it. For me personally, the remarks that Twain is making on society, religion, superstition, freedom, development and humanity are more interesting in retrospect than the actual work which they can be found in. I believe that everyone who is not forced to read this book should, at one time or another, read it for the social commentary it is making. I ABSOLUTELY find it necessary to be read in part or solely through an audiobook (There is a specifically good one I can recommend through Penguin or there is a chapter-by-chapter one that is good by Librovx, not the old fashioned kind but the video with the bold white letters on the black background that can be found when searching on Youtube). It is not only easier to understand but it makes the reading experience more enjoyable by eliminating some qualms that I had with the novel, ie. the difficulty of Jim's speaking.

Rating:

2 out of 5 stars

80%

Age:

YA and above

Jaime

#booksof2014 #MarkTwain