54 pages • 1 hour read
The Day They Came to Arrest the Book
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Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Literature
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain (1884)
This novel about a runaway boy and his companion, an escaped slave who raft down the Mississippi River, has been controversial for several reasons since its publication in 1884. The censorship controversy at the heart of The Day They Came to Arrest the Book centers around this novel.
- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn on SuperSummary
The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson by Mark Twain (1894)
Twain’s humorous story of a white infant swapped at birth with a biracial child in the pre-Civil War South. Like Huckleberry Finn, this satirical novel covers themes of racial and social identity and reflects Twain’s commentary on class structures.
- The Tragedy of Pudd’nhead Wilson on SuperSummary
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)
Originally published in 1953, this is Bradbury’s dystopian fantasy about a world where books are prohibited and reading them is a crime. The premise of extreme literary censorship Fahrenheit 451 resonates with the characters in The Day They Came to Arrest the Book; Luke directly references it within the story.
- Fahrenheit 451 on SuperSummary
Further Reading: Beyond Literature (Nonfiction)
Free Speech for Me--But Not for Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other by Nat Hentoff (1992)
Hentoff discusses his views on freedom of speech for adult readers in this nonfiction work. The Day They Came to Arrest the Book, in contrast, is intended for younger readers.
Further Reading: Video & Podcast Resources
Black Americans in the Civil War: Crash Course Black American History #18
This roughly 15-minute video is a crash course on Black American history during the Civil War period.
This high school discussion regarding the acceptability of flying the Confederate Battle Flag took place in 2015. While informal, the conversation is conducted with open participation among the students, laying the groundwork for proper debates. Many characters in Hentoff’s novel have similar discussions, with varying levels of civility.
The Adventures of Mark Twain, Warner Brothers, 1944
This biopic of the life Mark Twain depicts Twain’s wife, Livy, and others trying to persuade him not to publish Huckleberry Finn.
The Day They Came to Arrest the Book, CBS Schoolbreak Special, 1987
This is a 45-minute film adaptation of Hentoff’s book that moderately deviates from the novel.
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