Nazis in Skokie: Freedom, Community, and the First Amendment

This is a great account of the struggle between the town of Skokie, Illinois and the Nazis whom the town wanted to prevent from holding a rally. It gives an inside look at all the major (and some minor) players in this dramatic sequence of events and the conflicts that many of them faced. The really great thing about this book, though, is that it's not the standard ACLU dogma of "we have to protect Nazis or the 1st Amendment is meaningless." Downs shows that there are genuine issues working against unfettered free speech. Interestingly enough, though, when I finished the book, I had come to feel more strongly than I did when I started that the town was wrong. Approach this book with an open mind and you may be surprised how you feel at the end.