From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act

The first comprehensive history of free speech in America for a general readership, from a respected historian and free speech activist A 2007 Book Sense Selection In this lively history of our most fundamental and perhaps most vulnerable right, Christopher Finan traces the lifeline of free speech from the War on Terror back to the turn of the last century. The story of the fight for free speech in times of war and peace--when writers, publishers, booksellers, and librarians are often on the front lines--is essential reading. "At a time when America's freedoms and liberties are under attack in Washington, Finan's book is a powerful reminder of why we must carry on the fight to preserve the central underpinning of the American democratic system." --Senator Bernie Sanders "A marvelously readable account of the struggle for free speech in the United States." --Geoffrey R. Stone, author of Perilous Times "A welcome and much-needed change from the simplistic good-versus-evil treatment this subject often gets. Could be the definitive study of a perpetually complex, contentious issue." --Booklist, starred review "American history is marred by recurrent episodes of hate--Red scares, super-patriotism, fear of sexual expression. Christopher Finan brilliantly paints that record, and shows how courageous Americans have fought for freedom." --Anthony Lewis, author of Gideon's Trumpet and Make No Law "Finan's colorful narrative . . . shows how much progress we have made--and how far we have to go." --Nadine Strossen, president of the ACLU and professor of law, New York Law School "A book with enormous relevance for post-9/11 America." --Gene Roman, America Magazine

Chris Finan is the president of the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression and the chair of the National Coalition Against Censorship. He is also the author of Alfred E. Smith: The Happy Warrior. Finan lives in Brooklyn, New York.