Geez... it just, I just - I want... geez.

A Kansas City woman wants John Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men - the single greatest American short story published to-date - to be removed from the USD 500 required reading list. She objects to the "obscene" and "violent" use of the word nigger.

Spokesperson for the school district, David Smith, responded, "It's not a pleasant part of our history, but kids these days need opportunities to learn about it, understand it - not in a sanitized, 21^st-century way - because that's how we move forward in society."

The mother said of the novella, "The N-word is used more in this paragraph than most rap songs, and I think that's absolutely ridiculous." She continued that she did not want the book banned entirely, just removed from the required reading list.

The Weirding wonders what she will think when her son picks up Huckleberry Finn?

© C Harris Lynn, 2008