After reading Huck Finn at age eight, and then reading it again in English class at age fourteen, I found that, though this is a delightful book, it is not the moral monster it is made out to be by English teachers everywhere. I don't believe that it should be banned from libraries or schools, having read it at a young age with no particular evils coming from it, but I also don't believe that it is a book that should be scrutinized as it is now. I think that everyone will take away something different from this book, and that it should be discussed, but while reading this in class everyone came up with the "right" answers, not their own personal opinions and ideas.

An extension of Tom Sawyer, Huck Finn is a book that can be enjoyed by people of all ages.
-LJ

This book is the libretto for the musical "Falsettos" which is sung entirely, so unless you have the music, the book is incomplete. But for "Falsettos" lovers this is a must have. The music is a bit confusing with a lot of subtext. The book allows you to analyze each character to find the deeper meaning (and believe me, there is a lot of underlined meaning). The best part of the book is that it includes one version of "In Trousers" (which is vertually unavailable in a sound recording). "In Trousers" was the first of the three one-acts written and tells of Marvin's struggle with his sexuality when he was in high school. There are three versions of "In Trousers": the original, the revision, and a combination of both. This version is the combination. Perhaps "In Trousers" is the most insightful of all three shows, although it is the hardest to understand. If you like to analyze scripts, this one is a welcomed challenge. All three deal with the idea of homosexuality and family life. It is a funny, heart warming, heart wrenching story as you follow Marvin's struggle to accept his homosexuality and still maintain a relationship with his young son and (ex)wife. It has good family values and some beautiful ballads. One of my all time favorite musicals. A definite for any musical library.

Rudolf Steiner described Fingal's Cave as "a temple built by the spirits of nature". Anyone wanting to understand Celtic Christianity should read this book, and anyone visiting Scotland should visit this sacred site, only 5 miles from Iona. This site has had a profound influence on many artists and writers, and the Poems of Ossian are one of the great treasures of spiritual literature. Read, learn and enjoy.

Of course I might be biased since I'm the Steve Schwartz who compiled this book, but if you really do love language or love ideas, you can't beat The Seven Deadly Sins. Put the book on your coffee table and leaf through it from time to time. You'll always be sure to find a quote that will give you pause or make you laugh and make you pick up the phone to read it to someone you like.

Garner takes some of the most beloved childrens stories and turns them into the most perfect polically correct stories possible by removing any possibly offensive thoughts. In doing so, he has turned the idea of political correctness on its ear. By making the story as politically correct as possible, Garner has shown how stupid political correctness truly is. This book is not for the pollitically correct, but for those who want to needle them. Garner used different spellings of women to wommon so there wouldn't be a reference to men with women. He even apologizes in his introduction for not being politically correct enough. This is truly funny and the politically correct will miss the forest for the trees. Highley reccomended.

This is a great series of stories. I bought these for my first daughter when she was still in the womb. We reaad them to her all the time before and after her birth. Now I want them for my niece and nephew. They are more for the adult than the child, but when they are a year and under you'll both love them.

Loved it and hope there's more comin

As an 11th grader in a Greek 2 Honors program I find this book incredibly helpful. It not only explains things well but the vocabulary taught in it corresponds to vocabulary needed to read outside texts. Coming from a student, I would recommend this book to any other student attempting to master Greek. It is very well written and easy to understand.

As a "guinea pig" used for the original edition of this book, I can wholehearedly endorse it as providing an excellent foundation for a lifetime of being able to read Attic and other dialects of Ancient Greek (the primary author was also an excellent instructor).

This book was funny, witty, and had a wry sense of humor. The author, James Finn Garner, has commented on our modern society in a politically correct manner that will have you howling with laughter. He satirizes traditional fairy tales and folk tales and yet they have a charm of their own!! I am sure you will love this book. My hobby is storytelling, and audiences really love these stories.

I found this book rather enjoyable.I've grown rather tired of "happily ever after"stories.I believe that, although the magical aspects of the stories are gone, children will no longer be plagued with the false reality relayed to them through the original fairy tales.In Cinderella, for example, a young girl is led to believe that, instead of going out on her own and solving her own problems, she should wait for a man to cart her away.It may be a classic, but, like other stories, it gives the wrong message to children. In a rather humorus way, James Finn Gardner shows the reader how ridiculous society has become in its quest to become politically correct.

This was very entertaining to me. Read the whole thing with a grin on my face. I really enjoyed the authors humour in telling the stories over only in a politically correct way. Great read for anyone needing a smile.

I love this book very much. Schools should teach kids these stories instead!!!!

This is very funny stuff. I throughly enjoyed everybit. I also suggest you check out "Corporate Fairy Tales". It a similar idea but for the business world.

If you want to show your hunny that there is more to life than just cars and football, give him this awsome book. It's extreemly funny, and very well written!

Garner has taken 5 classic Chrismas fables and turned them on their ear. He uses modern causes mixed with classic characters. My personal favorite was "Rudolph the Nasally Empowered Reindeer". It is Rudolph, but he is organizing the reindeer into a union for better treatment. Everyone of these stories are sarcastic, which makes them even funnier. If you are tired of the same worn Chistmas stories, try these to lighten your mood. Highley recommended.

After picking up Garner's Politically Correct Bedtime Stories I rushed out to pick up PC Holiday Stories just in time for Christmas. I have to say that the majority of the book is just as delightful as the first. This volume consists of five stories: 'Twas the Night Before Solstice, Frosty the Persun of Snow, The Nutcracker, Rudolph the Nasally Empowered Reindeer, and A Christmas Carol. In my opinion, 'Twas the Night Before Solstice was the best of the stories. Garner gives us an incredibly hilarious rendition of The Night Before Christmas including a dreams of lentils and warm whole grain breads (instead of the traditional sugarplums), trees dressed "like a seasonal strumpet", and, in an act of great Christmas good-doing, the kids liberate Santa's reindeer. The only bad part about the book, and it's hard to even call it bad, is the length of A Christmas Carol. Garner's stories are packed with puns and satire, so anything over 10 or 15 pages is a bit much...and A Christmas Carol is somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 pages. That said, if you're in the mood for an off-beat Christmas treat I urge you to pick up this book. It's a quick read and full of laughs.

This book consists of five stories: 'Twas the Night Before Solstice, Frosty the Persun of Snow, The Nutcracker, Rudolph the Nasally Empowered Reindeer, and A Christmas Carol. Garner's stories are packed with spectacular satire, and left me in hysterics. Although I am a true fan of Christmas, and love all of the original versions of these stories I couldn't have been happier about the jest poked in the direction of a society to absorbed in political corectness that it has forgotten the joy of a season. For an off-beat Christmas treat I urge you to pick up this book. It's a quick read and full of laughs.

"Come here, Huck," Aunt Polly called from the front porch where she was washing the clothes, " Don't you dare talk to that nigger again, you hear me, Huck, never!"
"Alright, I am coming I was just making a bargain," Huck yelled back as he slipped the money in his pocket.
My essay is on the book Huckleberry Finn. I read this book and loved it. I think this book shows a friendship between a black slave and a white boy during a time when that was considered an unusual thing.
This book takes place during a time when blacks were not treated equal. Blacks were thought of as property not as humans. An example of this takes place in the down town slave market.
" Cheap niggers, get your cheap niggers," a slave driver called out from on top of the stage. Families are being separated and children are crying while they are standing in shackles and cuffs. This is hatred.
In this book, there is a lot of action. Every time you turn the page somebody is getting into trouble. It even goes as far as to put on a play to rip people off.
" Come see the Play of Nonsense, the best in the world," the duke yelled to the listeners. The duke and so called king are going to put on a play. Their idea is to rip people off and run with their money. It is a smart idea but later on they pay for it. The next night the play starts. Hundreds of people walk in and hand their money to the duke. Right when the play starts, the duke comes out and announces that there have been some misunderstandings and rushes off with
the money he collected from the audience. This book's plot is awesome.
In this story the main characters are laid back and have a great sense of humor. An example this happens when Huck and Jim, a runaway slave, are rafting down the huge river. Jim is in great danger, but they always have time to play tricks on other people.
Also, there is a lot of dirty tricks and cheating. All four characters have a good sense of humor and a mind that is made to get into trouble. An example of this takes place when Huck fakes his own death and fools everybody while he lives on a raft for two years. He left his Aunt Polly behind to mourn about him and fooled everybody else. For a while he stayed on a little island but then decided to raft down a river. He made his own camps and caught his own food. All this to him was a fun vacation. He loved it!
In conclusion, this book is awesome! My four beliefs are: there is a hatred toward blacks in this story; the plot is filled with all kinds of action; the characters are happy, laid back, and have a great humor; and there is a lot of bad trick playing and a whole bunch of cheating in this story. I think Twain was trying to show us an ideal example of friendship.

When I read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain in high school, it was possibly the first book I enjoyed that was assigned by a teacher. Twain's imagery puts the reader right beside Huck while he escapes 'sivilization' and floats down the Mississippi river with his slave-gone-fugitive friend Jim. Huck's innocent outlook on the world is both humorous and adorable. Huck's respect for Jim is admirable. Even though Huck was brought up with Jim being a inferior slave, he still looks up to Jim. Also, I think that although Jim's dialect adds to the effectiveness of the book, it is very difficult to understand. I think Twain writes it a little too much how the dialect sounds. I would recommend this book to anyone. It offers plenty of excitement and surprises.

This is truly one of the great American novels, but not only is it popular with critics and academics, it is a great story for the everyday reader. I was originally assigned to read this book over the summer before eigth grade and thought it was a terrifically fun story about a young boy on an adventure down the Mississippi River, but now several years later I can still relate to it, but on a new level. This book contains fabulous social satire, excellent use of the vernacular, wonderful characters such as the Duke and Dauphin, and several lessons in morality presented by a savvy young boy who doess not realize how intelligent are his instincts. Mark Twain is a marvelous author, this being only one of his fine novels and short stories, and I envy his ability to get in touch with his childhood and create such a genuine and accurate character as Huck Finn. This is a terrific book, and I feel that anyone who has not had the privilege of reading it is missing out on something wonderful.