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Originally Posted by DiapDealer
An enjoyable listen. It has been quite a while since I've read this.
But I'd be remiss if I didn't mention the elephant in the room. So to all those who espouse the "that''s just the way it was back then" defense of the rampant racism and misogyny in Tom Sawyer: I don't remember cringing nearly as often when reading other books written during the same period/culture. The shock value is significant. It would be much easier for me to recommend other, less disturbing, classics to young people than to try to explain why they should look past women and people of color being treated so casually horrible to the slightly above average literature beyond. *shrug*
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You've intrigued me; I'll give this a try in the near future. It's been decades, so to say that my memory is imperfect is to understate. I remember clearly the major events, but the nuances? Not at all. That said, it was always obvious to me that while you could "overlook" issues with
Huckleberry Finn because it's great literature (which it is),
Tom Sawyer is 19th century kidlit by a great author, which is a critical distinction.