Starred Review for Kirkus Reviews (Wed Nov 30 00:00:00 CST 2022)

A comprehensive history of free speech from ancient to modern times.In this well-researched and highly readable book, Copenhagen-based writer Mchangama, host of the podcast series Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech, traces the history of free speech around the world, examining the views of both its advocates and its suppressors. The author effectively demonstrates how much we have gained by the spread of free speech as well as what we stand to lose if we allow its continued erosion. Mchangama begins with ancient civilizations-"Judging from surviving law codes and writings, the great ancient civilizations protected the power and authority of their rulers from the speech of their subjects, not the other way around"-and ends with a discussion of the current content moderation and transparency problems of social media platforms, which allow the spread of disinformation and hate speech. Throughout history, Mchangama shows, numerous groups and individuals have diligently worked on the advancement of free speech, including Socrates, Johannes Gutenberg, John Milton, Franklin Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela. While fighting for their cause, champions of free speech have faced leaders who have tried to rein in speech when they felt threatened. These efforts at suppression have included the banning of books, distribution of propaganda, attacks on the media, and even the imprisonment or murder of journalists. Today, as we continue to fight to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, censorship, lies, and conspiracy theories abound, and the legitimacy of the current presidency is being erroneously questioned. However, notes Mchangama, "while online expression may sometimes lead to real-life harm, it does not necessarily follow that placing restrictions on free speech is an effective remedy." At the same time, as the author points out with respect to attempts to overthrow democracy, free speech should be accompanied by "a zero-tolerance policy toward organized threats, intimidations, and violence by groups seeking to establish parallel systems of authority."A well-structured and compelling examination of the costs and benefits of free speech.

Kirkus Reviews (Fri Oct 04 00:00:00 CDT 2024)

A comprehensive history of free speech from ancient to modern times.In this well-researched and highly readable book, Copenhagen-based writer Mchangama, host of the podcast series Clear and Present Danger: A History of Free Speech, traces the history of free speech around the world, examining the views of both its advocates and its suppressors. The author effectively demonstrates how much we have gained by the spread of free speech as well as what we stand to lose if we allow its continued erosion. Mchangama begins with ancient civilizations-"Judging from surviving law codes and writings, the great ancient civilizations protected the power and authority of their rulers from the speech of their subjects, not the other way around"-and ends with a discussion of the current content moderation and transparency problems of social media platforms, which allow the spread of disinformation and hate speech. Throughout history, Mchangama shows, numerous groups and individuals have diligently worked on the advancement of free speech, including Socrates, Johannes Gutenberg, John Milton, Franklin Roosevelt, and Nelson Mandela. While fighting for their cause, champions of free speech have faced leaders who have tried to rein in speech when they felt threatened. These efforts at suppression have included the banning of books, distribution of propaganda, attacks on the media, and even the imprisonment or murder of journalists. Today, as we continue to fight to contain the Covid-19 pandemic, censorship, lies, and conspiracy theories abound, and the legitimacy of the current presidency is being erroneously questioned. However, notes Mchangama, "while online expression may sometimes lead to real-life harm, it does not necessarily follow that placing restrictions on free speech is an effective remedy." At the same time, as the author points out with respect to attempts to overthrow democracy, free speech should be accompanied by "a zero-tolerance policy toward organized threats, intimidations, and violence by groups seeking to establish parallel systems of authority."A well-structured and compelling examination of the costs and benefits of free speech.

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

McHangama, founder of the Danish think thank Justitia, documents centuries-long tensions over -equal and uninhibited discourse- in this impassioned defense of free speech. Making a persuasive argument that free discourse is essential to democracy, breaking down systems of oppression, and challenging existing social hierarchies, McHangama profiles advocates, including 19th-century liberal philosopher John Stuart Mill, who warned against the -stifling effects of social norms- on freedom of speech; founding father James Madison, whose draft of the First Amendment described freedom of the press as -one of the great bulwarks of liberty-; and the ninth-century Persian physician al-Rāzī, who -was highly critical of the restrictions religious fanaticism placed on free thought.- McHangama also incisively analyzes -the process of entropy- that leads political leaders--no matter how enlightened--to -inevitably convince themselves that now free speech has gone too far,- and debunks arguments in favor of censorship, including claims that the lack of prohibitions against totalitarian propaganda in Weimar Germany facilitated the rise of the Nazis. Readers on both the right and the left seeking insights into modern-day debates over free speech will welcome this evenhanded and wide-ranging history. (Feb.)