From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act

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 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 right to free and uncensored discourse. --Senator Bernie Sanders A marvelously readable account of the struggle for free speech in the United States . . . It is a story every American should know, for it is our nation's greatest achievement. --Geoffrey R. Stone, author of Perilous Times 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 In this masterful work, Chris Finan deftly chronicles the challenges to free speech in the twentieth century; an accessible, thought provoking history that not only informs, but also engages the reader. --Joyce Meskis, Owner, Tattered Cover Book Store, Denver 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 Concisely detailed and researched, From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act reads like high powered fiction. Characters as diverse as Roger Baldwin, Bernie Sanders, Allen Ginsberg, Fatty Arbuckle, Jane Russell, Anthony Comstock, John Ashcroft and Dwight Eisenhower share the stage to tell the tale of a nation at odds with its Puritan heritage. A timely addition to bookshelves as the United States wrestles with issues of privacy and personal freedoms in an age of terrorism tied to an unpopular war. --Kenton Oliver, Intellectual Freedom Committee C