I just received a copy of this book two days ago and I've become
immersed in the broad topic of cultural milieu, then and now.  I'm
rather disappointed in myself for not paying much attention to Andrew
Levy's points all these years.  I don't particularly fit the profile he
draws of most readers today in that I never thought of Huck Finn as
centered on racism.  My own take has always been that this was a story
of an outsider, a waif on the edge of society.  I considered that
Twain's intention was to use this as a vantage point for criticizing
that society.

I've only just begun a close reading and I've already been distracted by
my own research into The Twins of Genius Tour.  I must have read about
it in passing but it was not until now that I've thought about it.  My
first big find in this research was
http://twain.lib.virginia.edu/huckfinn/hftourhp.html
Wonderful job.

Anyway, there seem to be a large number of reviews appearing and all are
very positive.  I'm anxious to hear what Twain-Lians have to say about
this.  I think it's going to stir that pot about the ending of the book.
It seems Tom Sawyer's complex escape plans for Jim may have been the
most popular part of The Twins of Genius Tour, at least Twain's part of
the tour.  Just the reverse view is now held.  My thought on the matter
is that if the racist elements of this segment were eliminated it would
be considered a success.  It would be pure slap stick/vaudeville type
humor, minstrelsy without the blackface, just replace Jim with Laurel or
Hardy or one of the Stooges.

Just some thoughts...