Terrell has told us, "So, my thinking is, if you don't know how to tell your children what kind of language is appropriate to use at home, school, playground, church, mosque or synagogue -- and especially what kind will get the bejeezies beat out of you -- then you don't have any business raising kids anyway." I've known for six plus years, now, that I don't have much business raising kids, but I've got two and must do my best. And to tell the truth, I'd hate to be the one to teach my first-grader the word "nigger." It's not that I couldn't explain the context; it's just that I'm not sure she'd be up for listening to nuances. Nor do I trust her judgment even if she did understand. My wife has read her _Harriet the Spy_, and even though my daughter did understand that Harriet's behavior is objectionable, she copies it regularly. So I'll read _Huck_ to her when she's quite a bit older. But friends of mine have successfully read the book to children who were quite young. Apparently they knew their children could handle it. And more importantly, they knew THEY could read to their children without THEIR embarrassment getting in the way. So I guess I second Terrell's last point: if you're going to read the book, go in, as Huck would have it, the whole hog, but I wouldn't do it if I were just learning the book for myself, nor if I weren't comfortable with the issues the book raises. Gregg Camfield