From the Inkwell, From the Vein.....

Working in a bookstore, I've seen a lot of strange things and a lot of stranger customers--- some things I've mentioned on this blog, most things I haven't (though I probably should have, just for the sheer entertainment). But, once in a while, I'll hear/come across something that gives me pause... like a customer I had a few days ago who was looking for a copy of Mein Kampf . Customer : I'm looking for a copy of Mein Kampf . Me : We usually have a copy or two in...      (walk over to the Biography section, where the book normally is, but we're sold out) Me : Looks like we're out, I could order you one, though... Customer : Does it have a black cover? Me : Yes, it does. Customer : I don't want that one. Me : Okay, we can go back to the computer and look up other editions, see which one you might want. Customer : I don't trust most translations--- there's too much taken out... Me : Yeah, I can understand that... some might be ...

I am infuriated, disgusted, distraught and more than dismayed that there will shortly be a "new" version of Huckleberry Finn releasing on shelves. Apparently, it has become so difficult to read because of its inclusion of the hateful word, nigger , that a certain Auburn university professor, Alan Gribben, will release a NewSouth edition---- sans the N-word. Never-mind the fact that the sole purpose of including the word was to make people feel exactly the way they are feeling. The word itself holds so much emotion that it is difficult for most people to read, let alone speak or hear. The point of the story was to illustrate conflicting moral issues within the context of racism--- the book itself is NOT racist. We can't teach our children how horrible slavery was if we "band-aid" and "clean-up" the truth of our past. This book was meant to be difficult to read. It was meant to make you feel disgusted. It was meant to show what horrors we could...