Twain certainly spent the majority of his writing career having to censor his true impulses, ideas, and emotions in his writing, but the idea that a positive to come out of Gribben/NewSouth's neutering of Huck and Tom's adventures so as to insure that more students will have the opportunity to be exposed to Twain's texts is ridiculous. Would it be OK if a drug company donated a large amount of antibiotics to a local hospital, whom then proceeded to water down the medicine to suit its own needs? What Gribben is doing to these texts is shameful! My wagon will not circle for him, but act as a blockade to him and any others supporting this endeavor. To think that a scholar would betray and manipulate the material in this way is disheartening--and extremely dangerous. The word "pudd'nhead" comes to mind.
Dustin Zima