Which 1884 novel by Mark Twain is often banned for its racial content?

The 1884 Mark Twain novel often banned for its racial content is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. The story follows Huck Finn and the escaped enslaved man Jim as they travel down the Mississippi River, and it confronts the racism and moral contradictions of the antebellum South.

The novel was controversial almost immediately. Some libraries objected to its coarse language and irreverent humor soon after publication. Later challenges focused more heavily on its frequent use of racial slurs, stereotypes, and depictions of slavery. Critics disagree about whether the book ultimately exposes racism through Huck’s growing empathy for Jim or reproduces harmful stereotypes through its language and comic scenes.

A common mix-up is The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Twain’s earlier novel featuring Huck as a supporting character. Huckleberry Finn is the darker, more socially critical book and is widely regarded as a major work of American literature. Although often called an 1884 novel, its American edition appeared in 1885; the first edition was published in Britain in December 1884.