Banned!: Book Censorship in the Schools

"In a highly instructive presentation, Rogers looks at the case histories of nine censorships battles of the 1970s involving school texts or library books. Each discussion describes the offending material, looks at the arguments of those who want it removed, and then reports on the court action that followed. Rogers is especially good at relating the cases to each other by showing how the legal precedents established in one may be central to the judgments in another. Final chapters place the cases in historical perspective: there were waves of book banning in the 1920s and 1950s, but only the 1970s provoked legal challenges against censorship. Indeed, of the nine cases Rogers covers, six were decided in favor of right-to-know interests. However, the author notes that the more conservative political appointments of the Reagan administration may result in a shift of opinions to those favoring the need-to-protect school of thought. Despite the controversial nature of his topic, Rogers remains an objective reporter. His efficient coverage will certainly serve students well; librarians wanting to educate themselves on the legalities of the recent censorship cases (some of them still going on) will also find this useful."