Nat Hentoff

Sam's oral history project about a legendary jazz musician and a dispute with a troublemaking classmate enliven his first year at Burr Academy.

Reexamines the lives of bona-fide American heroes such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, and reevaluates the legacies of religious figures such as Anne Hutchinson, whose trial for heresy and banishment riveted the colonies in 1637, and unknown martyrs such as Mary Easty and Giles Cory, executed for practicing witchcraft.

For years now, Nat Hentoff has been the best-known lay guardian of the magnificent spirit and letter of the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States. His principled advocacy of free expression for all seems to be needed more than ever today, at a time of appalling assaults on expression not only by traditional opponents on the political right - those offended by what they consider obscene or radical or otherwise taboo - but also from the left - radical feminists calling for the suppression of pornography, members of minorities banning language they consider psychologically damaging, and various other proponents of so-called political correctness. These more recently minted censors are now to be found within such former bastions of free speech as the universities and even the American Civil Liberties Union. This urgently important book is not a mere collection of legal cases; neither is it a history of free expression or a polemic from either left or right. It is rather a wide-ranging report on - and analysis of - the many kinds of conflicts throughout our country between the illusion that this is a land of unfettered free speech and the reality when that illusion is acted upon. It is a book of many stories - of the continuing efforts to deprive students of Mark Twain's masterpiece, Huckleberry Finn, and of attempts to deprive other students of the right not to read books that offend them; of the well-intentioned rulings that result in speech codes and loyalty oaths; of the wide-spread lack of understanding, over the years, of such basic concepts as the marketplace of ideas and of the overriding value of untrammeled speech. Free Speech for Me - But Not for Thee is a book about fear, duplicity, some courage, a lot of hypocrisy, and a good deal of irony. It is a book of dramatic confrontations, of people acting, for better or for worse, on one of the most important of our domestic battlefields. And above all, it presents hopeful, practical suggestions for ways toward saving perhaps the most fragile of our cherished freedoms.

Presents reasoned arguements to support a wide range of literature that has been frequently challenged by would-be censors.

Nat Hentoff has been listening to jazz, blues, country, and gospel since he was eight years old and tuned in (under the bedsheets) to Fats Waller broadcasting from Chicago's Hotel Sherman during the Depression - and he has been writing about it nearly ever since, with ever-increasing passion. This new book is the fruit of long nights of listening to, watching, traveling and talking with, and knowing firsthand jazz musicians and country and gospel singers from all over the nation - a book of truly American originals.

"A Political Life is the compelling autobiography of Norberto Bobbio, one of the foremost political thinkers in postwar Italy. Bobbio guides us through some of the most significant events of the twentieth century, charting their influence on his life and work." "Born in 1909, Norberto Bobbio's early life was marked by the experience of growing up in Mussolini's Italy - an experience that helped to shape his passionate commitment to the anti-fascist cause. As a result of these early experiences, Bobbio has tirelessly emphasized the fundamental, unassailable importance of democratic rights in the modern state. He has been a voice of reason and moderation in a poltical context where democratic values have often been threatened by extremes." "This autobiography traces the development of Bobbio's political thought, providing a penetrating analysis of the changing political landscape of Italy. At the same time, it represents an intimate account of Bobbio's personal experiences, giving a rare insight into the life and work of this distinguished thinker." "A Political Life will be of great interest to students and scholars of social and political theory and of Italian politics, as well as to a general readership interested in political biography and contemporary politics."--Jacket.

A group of high school students and teachers test their various political and philosophical beliefs as they confront social problems in their school and community.

The veteran defender of civil liberties discusses the post-September 11th climate as it relates to the USA Patriot Act and the Act's subversion of constitutional rights.

Nat Hentoff is one of America's foremost and most passionate writers about civil liberties and civil rights. In Living the Bill of Rights, he has taken what is too often thought of as an abstract issue and enlivened it by focusing on representative individuals for whom the Constitution is a vital part of life. Hentoff covers the full range of American life in these inspiring and moving profiles and stories and portrays such fighters for the Bill of Rights as a high school senior in Tennessee who is a born-again Christian; a black Texas lawyer fired by the local NAACP for representing a Klan wizard on constitutional grounds; Justice William Brennan himself; another Supreme Court justice, William O. Douglas, the preeminent supporter of the individual against the government; and a professional basketball star who, for religious reasons, would not participate in a display of mass loyalty to the American flag. In Living the Bill of Rights, Hentoff illuminates the basic necessity - and fragility - of our rights and liberties.

Twelve-year-old Sam, who has a magnetic attraction for trouble, finds it increasingly difficult to attend the school where his father is headmaster.

Examines the nature of jazz, with discussions of the music and the people, customs, history, economics, and styles connected with it.

A collection of essays, interviews, and personal recollections in which Nat Hentoff reflects on the inside history of jazz music and the people who shaped its development. "Nat Hentoff, renowned jazz critic, civil liberties activist, and fearless contrarian -- 'I'm a Jewish atheist civil-libertarian pro-lifer' -- has lived through much of jazz's history and has known many of jazz's most important figures, often as friend and confidant. Hentoff has been a tireless advocate for the neglected parts of jazz history, including forgotten sidemen and sidewomen. This volume includes his best recent work -- short essays, long interviews, and personal recollections. From Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong to Ornette Coleman and Quincy Jones, Hentoff brings the jazz greats to life and traces their art to gospel, blues, and many other forms of American music. At the Jazz Band Ball also includes Hentoff's keen, cosmopolitan observations on a wide range of issues. The book shows how jazz and education are a vital partnership, how free expression is the essence of liberty, and how social justice issues like health care and strong civil rights and liberties keep all the arts -- and all members of society -- strong."--Jacket.