Democracy Speech

One of the most fiercely debated issues of this era is what to do about "bad" speech—hate speech, disinformation and propaganda campaigns, and incitement of violence—on the internet, and in particular speech on social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter. In Social Media, Freedom of Speech, and the Future of Our Democracy, Lee C. Bollinger and Geoffrey R. Stone have gathered an eminent cast—including Hillary Clinton, Sheldon Whitehouse, Mark Warner, Cass Sunstein, and others—to explore the various dimensions of this problem in the American context.

“A historical demonstration of the indispensability of the First Amendment [and] … an earnest and timely argument for [its] enduring value.” —Kirkus Reviews "Great storytelling about the history and importance of the First Amendment, from someone who has spent his life...

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A “visionary” (The Guardian) exploration of freedom—what it is, how it’s been misunderstood, and why it’s our only chance for survival—by the acclaimed Yale historian and author of On Tyranny “[Snyder’s] deep political and philosophical examination...

It's Not Free Speech considers the ideal of academic freedom in the wake of the activism inspired by outrageous police brutality, white supremacy, and the #MeToo movement. Arguing that academic freedom must be distinguished from freedom of speech, Michael Bérubé and Jennifer Ruth take aim at explicit defenses of colonialism and theories of white supremacy that have no intellectual legitimacy. They argue that the democracy-destroying potential of social media makes it very difficult to uphold the traditional liberal view that the best remedy for hate speech is more speech.

INSTANT #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR “A cri de coeur that takes aim at the tech industry for abandoning its history of helping America and its allies.”—The Wall Street Journal From the Palantir co-founder, one of Time’s 100 Most Influential People of...

A “timely and brilliant original” (Michael B. Mukasey, former US attorney general) look at freedom of speech—our most basic right and the one that protects all the others. Free speech is a human right, and the free expression of thought is at the very essence of being human. The United...

A global history of free speech, from the ancient world to today Hailed as the “first freedom,” free speech is the bedrock of democracy. But it is a challenging principle, subject to erosion in times of upheaval. Today, in democracies and authoritarian states around the world, it is on the...

A New York Times Bestseller A timely collection of speeches by David McCullough, one of America’s most honored historians—winner of two Pulitzer Prizes, two National Book Awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom—that reminds us of the enduring principles at the heart of the American...

An urgent manifesto for global democracy from Joshua Wong, the 23-year-old phenomenon leading Hong Kong's protests - and Nobel Peace Prize nominee - with an introduction by Ai Weiwei With global democracy under threat, we must act together to defend out rights: now. When he was 14, Joshua Wong...

From the beginning of American history, free speech has been crucial for the pursuit of justice and expansion of democracy. Yet today, we are seeing growing attempts to roll back free speech protections in America: cultural warriors are banning books from library shelves at a level not seen in decades, and elected officials are attacking free speech principles to undermine other rights and consolidate their own power.

John Perry Barlow’s wild ride with the Grateful Dead was just part of a Zelig-like life that took him from a childhood as ranching royalty in Wyoming to membership in the Internet Hall of Fame as a digital free speech advocate. Mother American Night is the wild, funny, heartbreaking, and often...

A powerful debunking of First Amendment orthodoxy that critiques "reckless speech," which endangers vulnerable groups, and elevates "fearless speech," which seeks to advance equality and democracy. Freedom of speech has never been more important—or more controversial. From debates about what's...

Internationally bestselling author Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells the stirring story of her search for a new life in America, recounting dramatic stories of her family and the challenges they faced adapting to Western society as Muslim immigrants. Ayaan Hirsi Ali captured the world’s attention with...

Exposes how companies like Visa, Chase, PayPal, Bank of America, and Mastercard use their power to silence dissenting voices and hurt democracy through the practice of financial censorship Civil liberties activist Rainey Reitman introduces readers to the concept of “financial censorship”—a...

When the United States government passed the Bill of Rights in 1791, its uncompromising protection of speech and of the press were unlike anything the world had ever seen before. But by 1798, the once-dazzling young republic of the United States was on the verge of collapse. Suddenly, the First Amendment, which protected harsh commentary of the weak government, no longer seemed as practical. So that July, President John Adams and the Federalists in control of Congress passed an extreme piece of legislation that made criticism of the government and its leaders a crime.

A New York Times Book Review New & Noteworthy Book “For democracy’s weary champions, White’s time-tested prose is a shot of adrenaline.”—Madeleine Albright A collection of essays, letters, and poems from E. B. White, “one of the country’s great literary treasures” (New York...

In the modern world, it is vitally important to comprehend how democracy functions! Decision-making is revolutionised by the strong link between interest groups and money-driven, covert influences. These days, social media, mass media, and populism are important components of this dynamic equation, where the amount of money at stake dictates the degree of influence on politicians and success prospects. With the help of this book, readers will be well-prepared to handle this high-stakes game and possibly emerge as important players in the future. Prepare yourself to explore this fascinating ...

Learn to recognize how hatred is manufactured—before it’s too late. If Manufacturing Consent showed how power shapes agreement, Manufacturing an Enemy reveals something even darker: how propaganda creates enemies. This book examines the Nazi propaganda playbook through one of its most effective laboratories: Nazi films produced in Nazi Germany. By analyzing key examples of Nazi film and Nazi Germany movies, the book exposes the rhetorical, psychological, and cinematic techniques used by the Nazis to transform human beings into threats—and entire societies into accomplices. Far from ...

College campuses have become flashpoints of the current culture war and, consequently, much ink has been spilled over the relationship between universities and the cultivation or coddling of young American minds. Philosopher Sigal R. Ben-Porath takes head-on arguments that infantilize students who speak out against violent and racist discourse on campus or rehash interpretations of the First Amendment. Ben-Porath sets out to demonstrate the role of the university in American society and, specifically, how it can model free speech in ways that promote democratic ideals.

Inez Victor knows that the major casualty of the political life is memory. But the people around Inez have made careers out of losing track. Her senator husband wants to forget the failure of his last bid for the presidency. Her husband's handler would like the press to forget that Inez's father is a murderer. And, in 1975, the year in which much of this bitterly funny novel is set, America is doing its best to lose track of its one-time client, the lethally hemorrhaging republic of South Vietnam.