Ernest Hemingway wrote: “All modern American literature comes from one book by Mark Twain called Huckleberry Finn.”

The book Papa Hemingway credits has been the subject of controversy since its publication in 1884.

It is an unblinking portrait of American society during slave times, as seen through the eyes of the title character, who narrates the tale.

Thirteen-year-old Huck runs away from his alcoholic and abusive father in a stolen canoe. Hiding on a wooded island, he comes upon a slave named Jim, who is also fleeing–from slavery.

The two set off down the Mississippi on a piece of a raft, each in search of his own kind of freedom. Some critics have condemned Huck’s attitudes towards slavery, his treatment of Jim, and his derogatory language, citing it as evidence that Mark Twain was a racist.

But noted African American author Ralph Ellison rejects this criticism, saying “one also has to look at the teller of the tale, and realize that you are getting a black man, an adult, seen through the condescending eyes — partially — of a young white boy.”

This Mark Twain In Person Library recording of Huckleberry Finn is an approximation of Mark Twain’s own voice, just as his family might have heard the story for the first time in the family library.

Author:

Mark Twain, born in 1835 in Missouri, is widely regarded as the Father of American Literature. His stories often exposed the Damned Human Race during the reign of the Slavery Industrial Complex brought him much fame–and infamy.

Performer/Narrator:

For over forty years, Richard Henzel has performed as Mark Twain in thousands of performances across the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain. His other audiobooks include Puddnhead Wilson, Those Extraordinary Twins, and Life on the Mississippi.

Paul Gigante is a narrator of such classic audio books as Beyond the Highland Mist, Blood Brothers, The Highlanders Touch and many more. He has been nominated more than once for an Audie Award, the highest award available to audio book narrators. He is also an actor, director, and producer. He is at his best when narrating horror audio books.

This is the story of a mother’s experience of facing up to the fact that hes son was diagnosed with autism.
One morning, Jenny McCarthy sensed something was wrong and ran into her two-year-old son Evan’s room to discover he was having a seizure.

In that moment, Jenny was thrust into the midst of a medical odyssey. After numerous misdiagnoses and many harrowing, life-threatening episodes, Evan was finally diagnosed with autism.

Jenny didn’t know what to do next and found herself alone, without any resources except for her determination to help her son. Realizing that she’d have to become a detective, Jenny spoke with many doctors, parents, governmental agencies, and private foundations and became an expert of Google research.

At last, she discovered a combination of behavioral therapy, diet, and supplements that became the key to saving Evan from autism. Here, she shares her experiences and knowledge and offers a roadmap for other concerned parents.

Kennebunk Free Library now has offering Playaway — the first self-playing digital audio book — in the library adding the innovative digital format to its existing audio book collection.

Half the size of a deck of cards and weighing two ounces, Playaway is a simple way to listen to a book on the go and — with no tapes or CDs — and can hold as little as two or as much as 80 hours of content on each unit. Playaway gives listeners the ability to move back and forth within or between chapters and alter the speed of a narrator’s voice. It even has an automatic bookmark feature that remembers where you left off.

Additionally, Playaway has a universal headphone jack that works with almost any type of headphone or mobility accessory.

“Playaway’s simplicity and usability separate it from other audio book formats,” said Janet Cate, assistant library director. “We are excited to offer Playaways to our patrons and we welcome your feedback about this new format.”

The library is offering 48 titles in this format. The collection includes titles by the following authors: Jaspe Fford, Charlene Harris Diana Gabaldon, Vince Flynn, Tony Hillerman, Elmore Leonard, Jodi Picoult and Jane Smiley.

Literary magazines

A literary magazine is devoted to literature and usually publishes short stories, poetry and essays literary criticism, book reviews, biographical profiles of authors, interviews and letters. They often will feature the work of people who are not yet widely published.

KFL subscribes to the following literary magazines: Writer’s Digest; Atlantic Monthly; The Sun; The New Yorker; and The New York Review of Books.

And for kids, KFL subscribes to Cricket, Ladybug and Cobblestone.
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