{"product_id":"just-plain-filthy-the-story-behind-book-bannings-trial-of-the-century","title":"Just Plain Filthy: The Story Behind Book Banning's Trial of the Century","description":"\n\u003ctable align=\"center\" border=\"0\" cellpadding=\"2\" cellspacing=\"0\" width=\"100%\"\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd class=\"productDetailSmallElements\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIntroduction: Bible Drill Meets \u003ci\u003ePenthouse\u003c\/i\u003e Forum \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e1. Faithful Watchdogs \n\u003cbr\u003e2. Killing Reason Itself \n\u003cbr\u003e3. Too Bloody Stupid \n\u003cbr\u003e4. Diagnosis: Censor \n\u003cbr\u003e5. Desperately Seeking Sources \n\u003cbr\u003e6. To Cull a Mockingbird \n\u003cbr\u003e7. Battle of the Books \n\u003cbr\u003e8. Hello, Newman \n\u003cbr\u003e9. Supreme Court, B1t[hes! \n\u003cbr\u003e10. Keep Suing. Keep Fighting \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Appendix: Supreme Court opinion \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Quotes\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\"A brief but potent look at how one court case fits in the broader context of book banning, which is more relevant than ever.\" --\u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"A vividly personal case for books that teach young readers how to cope with desire and live a life of self-acceptance.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"...an engaging, thought-provoking work.\" -- \n\u003ci\u003eChristianity Today\u003c\/i\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\" \n\u003ci\u003eJust Plain Filthy\u003c\/i\u003e is a readable, even personable look at the historic context of today's surge in censorship. Aycock writes engagingly about the legal arguments and specific details of the cases brought before the U.S. Supreme Court about our First Amendment rights. He concludes with what seems a likely prediction: Pico is headed for a revisit - and the longstanding precedents that have underwritten our understanding of intellectual freedom may not survive.\" --James LaRue, author of On Censorship: A Public Librarian Examines Cancel Culture in the US \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"Using his own life as a framework, Anthony Aycock has written a history of book banning that is both specific and comprehensive in scope. The Island Trees v Pico US Supreme Court case provides a perfect historical case for understanding our current intellectual freedom landscape.\" --Emily J.M. Knox, Professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\"This book is essential reading for anyone concerned about book bans and free expression. Aycock shows how libraries, students, and school boards, as well as judges and juries, shape the First Amendment in real-life applications.\" --John Chrastka, Executive Director, EveryLibrary, USA \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eBiographical Note\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eAnthony Aycock\u003c\/b\u003e is the legislative library director at the North Carolina General Assembly. He is a writer, teacher, and librarian and has spent 25 years working in government, academic, and private law libraries, as well as teaching academic and creative writing. A frequent contributor to Medium and Information Today, he has also written for Slate, the \n\u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, Literary Hub, Reactor (formerly Tor.com), the \n\u003ci\u003eMissouri Review\u003c\/i\u003e, the \n\u003ci\u003eGettysburg Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \n\u003ci\u003ePloughshares\u003c\/i\u003e, and more.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher Marketing\u003c\/strong\u003e:\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWith the threat to intellectual freedom increasing around the country, this book takes a look at the first ever school book ban case to be decided by the high courts, and offers insights into how we can use history to help the future.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn 1975, the school board members of a small Long Island town did what they thought was a no-brainer: they ordered the removal of nine books from a high school library. The books included some classics - Richard Wright's \n\u003ci\u003eBlack Boy\u003c\/i\u003e; Desmond Morris's \n\u003ci\u003eThe Naked Ape\u003c\/i\u003e; Kurt Vonnegut's \n\u003ci\u003eSlaughterhouse-Five - \u003c\/i\u003ebut that didn't matter to board chair Richard Ahrens, who called the collection \"anti-American, anti-Christian, anti-Semitic, and just plain filthy.\" Maybe he thought the town was with him. Maybe he thought nobody would care. He certainly didn't think he would be sued by seventeen-year-old Steven Pico or that the case would end up before the United States Supreme Court, the first and only book ban dispute ever to do so. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThe only one so far. Recent years have seen a surge in book challenges, and it is only a matter of time before another reaches the high court. \n\u003ci\u003eIsland Trees v. Pico\u003c\/i\u003e ended in a loss for the school board, but not a resounding one. It left enough daylight for the current justices to reach a different conclusion. What was the court's ruling? How did it come about? What was the book ban climate in the 1970s and 80s, and how did it differ from today's? \n\u003ci\u003eJust Plain Filthy \u003c\/i\u003eis the first book to tell the complete story of \n\u003ci\u003eIsland Trees v. Pico\u003c\/i\u003e, the flawed yet fascinating case that is the cornerstone of intellectual freedom in America. For now. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReview Citations:\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eBooklist\u003c\/span\u003e 05\/01\/2026 (EAN 9798216196471, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cspan class=\"italic\"\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/span\u003e 05\/15\/2026 (EAN 9798216196471, Hardcover)\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eContributor Bio:\u003c\/strong\u003eAycock, Anthony\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAnthony Aycock is the legislative library director at the North Carolina General Assembly. He is a writer, teacher, and librarian. He is a regular reviewer for \u003ci\u003eBooklist\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eBlue Ink Review\u003c\/i\u003e, and a frequent contributor to \u003ci\u003eMedium\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eInformation Today\u003c\/i\u003e. Aycock has also written for \u003ci\u003eSlat\u003c\/i\u003ee, the \u003ci\u003eWashington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eLiterary Hub, Reactor\u003c\/i\u003e (formerly Tor.com), the \u003ci\u003eMissouri Review\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003ethe Gettysburg Review, Ploughshares, Creative Nonfiction\u003c\/i\u003e, and other venues. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eHis first book, \n\u003ci\u003eThe Accidental Law Librarian\u003c\/i\u003e, was released in 2013. In addition, he has spent 20+ years working in government, academic, and private law libraries, as well as teaching academic and creative writing. You can find him at www.anthonyaycock.com. \n\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\n\n\u003cbr\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n","brand":"Bloomsbury Libraries Unlimited","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51496084996374,"sku":"9798216196471","price":43.2,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0857\/9910\/8886\/files\/9798216196471.jpg?v=1783052899","url":"https:\/\/lusper.myshopify.com\/products\/just-plain-filthy-the-story-behind-book-bannings-trial-of-the-century","provider":"Lusperbooks","version":"1.0","type":"link"}