Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain was another book that I thought that I had read, but I hadn’t. I knew that he & Tom Sawyer were friends & had tricked some boys into white washing a fence for them by pretending it was fun. So, I took this to mean that I “knew the story”, but obviously didn’t.

So, I didn’t know the story. I also didn’t know that this book has been banned from some school districts, including my own because it is seen as racist. I’ve written a Pro Con list about this, but even having read the book & the controversy, I still can’t decide how I feel about it. I’ve never suggested that a book be censored before, but I could’ve lived without the language & I see why it’s been banned from some school districts. I just don’t know.

All of the reviews I read of “Nervous System” by Jan Lars Jensen talked about how this book was the true story of how the author used literature to get back in touch with reality after a nervous breakdown. So I was expecting ya know, a story, about ya know, an author who used literature to get back in touch with reality after a nervous breakdown.

Granted, the book jacket didn’t tout this reasoning. Instead, I found the story of an author who had a nervous breakdown. It was still a good story, it just wasn’t as good as it would have been if he would have used literature to regain mental health. On a sidenote, this book had the softest paper of any book I’ve ever read. I would say it was like butter, but who really wants a book made out of butter? Maybe Paula Deen.

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