The following collection of thematically related readings is available in The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Related Readings in McDougal Littell's Literature Connections series.

"The Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes
(from Selected Poems, © 1926)
Summary: A poem about important rivers in African-American history.

"Three Days of Forest, A River, Free" by Rita Dove
(from Museum, © 1983)
Summary: How does it feel to run for freedom?

Narrative of Daniel Fisher by Daniel Fisher
Summary: The true story of one slave's escape.

"The Outlaws" by Selma Lagerlšf
Summary: An outcast chooses between society and his friend.

Excerpt from Nine Pounds of Luggage by Maud Parrish, © 1939
Summary: An unhappy wife runs to Alaska.

"Freedom" by William Stafford
(from Stories That Could Be True, © 1977)
Summary: The speaker of this poem discusses the nature of freedom, starting with Mark Twain's image of going down the river.

Excerpt from Mississippi Solo: A River Quest by Eddy L. Harris, © 1988
Summary: The contemporary Mississippi.