FIRST FREEDOM

By Nat Hentoff

A history of free speech in our country from earliest times to some of the controversial court cases of today involving school demonstrations and the right of Nazis to march.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
• Release date: Jan 25, 2012
• ISBN: 9780307799906

Nat Hentoff

Nat Hentoff is an internationally known jazz critic and the only critic ever designated a Jazz Master by the NEA. He is a regular columnist for Jazz.com and the Wall Street Journal, the United Media Newspaper Syndicate, and the Cato Institute, where he is a senior fellow. His many books include Jazz Country; Jazz Is; The Jazz Life; Boston Boy: Growing Up with Jazz and Other Rebellious Passions; Living the Bill of Rights; and the forthcoming Is This America?

Reviews for FIRST FREEDOM

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3807. The First Freedom The Tumultuous History of Free Speech in America by Nat Hentoff (read 26 Oct 2022) This book was published in 1980--more than 40 years ago--but I found it actually not out-of-date so far as I could tell. It names many cases but I was appalled that there is not a legal citation in the book. I know the author is not a lawyer but it would have been easy to make his book better by giving the legal citation of the many cases he refers to. The author was a strong and able proponent of free speech and he well sets out the case for free speech even if the speech is distasteful and repulsive. I think the legal situation as to free speech is still today as he indicates it was 40 years ago. Since it is over 70 years ago that I had a course in constitutional law and and it was not a big factor in the years I was a lawyer and judge I think I learned something by reading the book and so I am glad I did.