In response to Mark Midbon,
        As a high school English teacher in a conservative area of Northwest
Florida, I read with fear your message about the fight to remove "Huck" from
public schools in Arizona.  I have taught the novel for 23 years with
wonderful results;  however, I have encountered some hostility when I have
introduced the novel to students.  After our discussion, though, even the
most militant students recognize what Twain was trying to do.  Just this
summer I directed a production of "Big River," the musical version of the
novel (and the most true-to-Twain dramatization of "Huck" in existence) for
Pensacola Little Theatre.  At auditions, there was not a single performer
who could carry the role of Jim, and I was devastated.  We searched the
community of African American singers and had only hesitant response until
these singers heard the music from the show.  Ultimately I was able to cast
the perfect Jim, a young man who insisted that the word "nigger" remain in
the script to maintain authenticity.  Our pre-show publicity addressed the
racial charges against the book, and we sold out every performance and
received a standing ovation for every one of them.  The relationship between
Huck and Jim in the show was carried over into the relationship between the
boy and the man who played them.  In fact, "Huck" had a terrible time
actually saying the word "nigger."  "Jim" took him aside and said, "Look me
in the eyes and say it five times and don't flinch.  I am not bothered by
the word; I know what it's doing, and so should you."  There is hope, even
in the rural South, of enlightenment.  "Big River" was the most fulfilling
experience of my life, and it effected change in our community.
                                                               Gayle Cowley