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AUTHOR: NAT HENTOFF
He is a well-known staff writer for The Village Voice. He is the
author of Jazz Country, Iīm Really Dragged but Nothing Gets Me
Down, This School Is Driving Me Crazy and Does This School Have
Capital Punishment?.
TITLE: THE DAY THEY CAME TO ARREST THE BOOK
SETTINGS: George Mason High School
CHARACTERS:
Barney Hagstrom is 17 years old and editor of the George Mason Standard. He thinks that it isnīt right to remove a book.
Michael Moore is the princial of George Mason High School. He thinks that teenager shouldnīt read violent, immoral or racist books. Thatīs the reason why he tears out pages of the Bible.
Nora Baines is the history teacher of George Mason High School. She thinks that Huckleberry Finn isnīt a racist book and everybody should read it.
Deirdre Fitzgerald is the librarian. She has the same opinion as Mrs. Baines and Mrs. Crowley.
Maggie Crowley teaches the subject American Problems, which she had created.
Gordon McLean is the black pupil who complaints about Huckleberry Finn because he thinks it is a racist book.
The class of Mrs. Baines have to read Huckleberry Finn. Gordon McLean complaints about that book because he thinks it is racist. His father tells Mr. Moore that the book have to be removed from the classroom and the library. Mrs. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Crowley and Mrs. Baines are against that. A big fight starts at George Mason High School. The problem becomes public and a trial starts. Barney speaks with Mrs. Salters, who was the librarian before Mrs. Fitzgerald. She tells him that Mr. Moore had removed books when she was librarian. He also had teared out pages of the Bible.
Barney writes an article about that and publishes it in the Standard. First the review committee decides that Huckleberry Finn is no longer allowed to use in classwork and in the library it has to be under heavy restrictions. But then four committee members of five decide that the book is allowed to read in class and also in library.
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