Censorship

School Library Journal

Gr 6 Up-- The Langs cover much ground, updating events and legal developments. Their tone is deadly serious; the result is very dull reading. The black-and-white photographs add little, and their captions have inadequate explanations. The chapter on textbook censorship lacks balance; the authors give the impression that anyone who is not a political liberal must be a soulmate of Phyllis Schlafly. Much to its credit, the book leaves readers with something to think about, a roster of emerging censorship issues: politically correct speech, codes of behavior imposed to combat racism and sexism, and the implications of advances in technology for human rights. Melvin Berger's Censorship (Watts, 1982; o.p.) is much livelier, although too much information is packed into too few pages. However, if this was intended to replace it, it does not succeed. --Libby K. White, Schenectady County Public Library, NY

Hazel Rochman

Where do you draw the line between free speech and obscenity? Do you punish insults and hate speech against minorities and women? Should schools limit what kids read? The authors offer no easy answers to the complex censorship issues that are being intensely debated in communities across the country. With many specific examples--from cigarette advertising and rap lyrics to the Pentagon Papers and Madonna--the Langs present an overview of a wide range of issues relating to First Amendment rights. They are fair to opposing viewpoints, but they make it clear that they themselves stand unequivocally on the side of intellectual freedom in the great majority of cases. They argue for the free exchange of ideas and speech, however distasteful, and for expanding debate. Unfortunately, the photographs and illustrations are all together in the center of the book, but otherwise the design includes lots of white space and subheads. Chapter notes to books and articles, many of them recent, will be helpful to students. A good starting point for class discussion and personal reading.