The Day They Came to Arrest the Book

by Nat Hentoff

Book Overview

Students and faculty at a high school become embroiled in a censorship case over Huckleberry Finn. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0440918146
• ISBN13: 9780440918141
• Release Date: July 1983
• Publisher: Laurel Leaf Library
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 4.4" x 6.7"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Written for kids--but a book every adult should read

Hentoff, one of our nation's most dedicated defenders of the First Amendment right to freedom of speech, has written a story highlighting the absurdity of censorship.While written at a level appropriate and accessible for older children and yuong adults, its message is one everyone should read, and re-read, whenever one is tempted to complain about someone "abusing" the right to free speech.Hentoff has accomplished the rare feat of motivating me to re-read both Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn and the Bible. If this piques your curiosity--good, go buy and read the book!

A Perfect Introduction to the First Amendment

Oh, how disappointed I am that my search on Hentoff revealed that "Free Speech for Me But Not for Thee" is out of print! Thank God "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book" is still readily available. I purchased the two books together, years ago, at a bookstore in Angwin, Calif., and read them consecutively. Taken together, the books provided my first real understanding of the First Amendment and the way it is presently interpreted -- and challenged -- in our present-day society. I was not surprised that another reviewer uses "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book" as an introduction to censorship in an eighth-grade class. Written as a novel for young readers, Hentoff's book presents very adult concepts -- censorship and perceptions of racism and sexism -- in a very easy-to-understand way, but without insulting the intelligence of his young readers. The story may be fictional -- students and parents upset at what they believe to be racist and sexist content in "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" challenge its place in the curriculum at George Mason High School -- but the incidents described within have happened more often than could reasonably be expected in a society that includes the First Amendment within its most sacred governing document. The book tackles the issue of censorship very well -- this is Hentoff, after all -- and all of the characters are presented sympathetically. The people who want to censor "Huckleberry Finn" may be wrong to do so, but they are motivated by good intentions, however misdirected. Who wouldn't want a society that is free of racial or sexual prejudice? But the loss of freedom of speech and thought would be too high of a price to pay. And in this case, the people who challenge "Huckleberry Finn" have missed the book's point completely. It is entirely fitting that a Black character deliver this message, since exposure to a certain word that is scattered very profusely throughout Mark Twain's masterpiece is what the book's censors want to protect him from. Read this book, and then look for "Free Speech for Me But Not For Thee," also by Nat Hentoff. The real life examples of censorship described therein are a valuable reminder that "The Day They Came to Arrest the Book" may be fiction, but the events they describe are true-to-life.

Disturbing, thought-provoking, memorable

An English teacher assigns "Huckleberry Finn" to her class. A black parent picks up the book his son brought home and lights on a certain word. From this, a battle over censorship begins. The students divide into two factions, as do the faculty and the community. Impromptu arguments in the hallways are supplemented by debates. Hentoff relates everything in such a way as to put forward many answers, while making his own strong belief in the right to free speech clear. The opposition is, however, portrayed very fairly--Kate is a prominent and sympathetic character. The fight is not between the good and the bad, but between two groups whose motives are both good; they disagree as to how things should be done and how much power people should have over other people. A very thought-provoking book that the reader will think about at random times for years afterwards. Although in fiction form, this book is more like a modern, YA version of a dialogue of Plato's. It isn't, perhaps, what one expects--although the author's name should have been a tip-off. Kids who like to think will love this book.

Wonderfully-written piece of literature....

This book was great! I felt caught up in the battle over Huckleberry Finn. Kate was my favorite character. She was a character who the protagonist was fighting against, yet she was smart and sensible and made you really like her. The person who claims that this book was written more for adults is WRONG, because I am a 14 year old and I loved this book. The story was engaging and fast-paced. I recommend this book for anyone who enjoys a good hard fight for something they beleive in!

Great intro to 1st Amendment issues

I first read this book when I was perhaps 13 years old, and looking back, it was my first step to a real appreciation of America's civil libertarian tradition. It took me to Hentoff's fascinating and excellent "Free Speech For Me - But Not For Thee," and then Jonathan Rauch's "Kindly Inquisitors," both nonfiction books defending an uncompromising view of the First Amendment. (Which, of course, is the only view that makes any sense.)The story is a fun one, and outlines the issues in a fair (if not balanced) sort of way. One of the book's biggest storytelling strengths is the variety of "censor personalities" -- there is the fire-eating parent who speaks loudly and not only wants his own son not to have to read "Huckleberry Finn," but no one else's kids either. There is the compromising, silky smooth principal whose primary objective is to appease and evade, censoring where it will please anyone. And there is the student censor, who feels strongly about her education -- strongly enough to place control of its content in someone else's hands.Persuasive without being overly polemical or preachy, and written for young adults, this book makes a fine addition to any kid's shelf.