'Huckleberry Finn' And "The N-Word"

“Those who wish to ban the use of ethnic slurs in American literature don’t have the manpower to accomplish such a deed. The fact that Mark Twain has been singled out means those who are crusading against the author haven’t read much of American literature. And where would such an enterprise end? Do we censor music lyrics next? Musicals like ‘Showboat?’ Hip hop as we know it would end. Every other song depends upon words that the word patrollers wish to ban.”
 — Writer Ishamel Reed opines on the recent announcement that “a coming edition of Mark Twain’s ‘Huckleberry Finn’ will omit racially-sensitive language, like the n-word…” In related news, Awl Publishing Ventures will bring out its own version of the novel, where the offending word is replaced in every instance with the more comical sounding Yiddish “shvartze.”