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Audiobooks by Christopher M. Finan
Browse audiobooks by Christopher M. Finan, listen to samples and when you're ready head over to Audiobooks.com where you can get 3 FREE audiobooks on us
"An essential look at how, throughout American history, the powerless have exercised their 1st Amendment right to free speech, informing how we can defend democracy today.
'Great storytelling about the history and importance of the 1st Amendment, from someone who has spent his life defending-and using-it.' - Mary Beth Tinker
From the beginning of American history, free speech has been crucial for the pursuit of justice and expansion of democracy. Yet today, we are seeing growing attempts to roll back free speech protections in America: cultural warriors are banning books from library shelves at a level not seen in decades, and elected officials are attacking free speech principles to undermine other rights and consolidate their own power.
Uncovering vivid and engaging stories about 1st Amendment pioneers throughout American history, historian and leading censorship expert Christopher Finan highlights how free speech has been used to advocate for change. In the 19th century, abolitionists, advocates for women's rights, and leaders of the labor movement had to fight for free speech. In the 20th century, the civil rights and anti-war movements expanded free speech, creating a shield for every protest movement that we have seen since.
With sharp insight and page-turning storytelling, Finan demonstrates that the most effective antidote for the growth of hate speech, misinformation, political violence, and anti-democratic efforts by government officials is support for and cultivation of a free and robust marketplace of ideas."
""A historical demonstration of the indispensability of the First Amendment [and] … an earnest and timely argument for [its] enduring value." -Kirkus Reviews
'Great storytelling about the history and importance of the First Amendment, from someone who has spent his life defending - and using - it.' -Mary Beth Tinker
Free speech is not an obstacle to change: it is the way change happens
Uncovering vivid and engaging stories about First Amendment pioneers, How Free Speech Saved Democracy shows how their struggle made possible the surging protests that aim to expand democracy today.
How Free Speech Saved Democracy is a revealing reminder that First Amendment rights have often been curtailed in efforts to block progress, and that current measures to reduce hurtful language and to end hate speech could backfire on those who promote them.
To those who see free speech as a threat to democracy, Finan offers engaging evidence from a long and sometimes challenging history of free speech in America to show how free speech has been essential to expanding democracy.
From the beginning of American history, free speech has been used to advocate for change. In the 19th century, abolitionists, advocates for women's rights, and leaders of the labor movement had to fight for free speech. In the 20th century, the civil rights and anti-war movements expanded free speech, creating a shield for every protest movement we see today.
Written by a historian who became a full-time defender of civil liberties and has spent four decades advocating for the rights of victims of censorship, this book grew out of Finan's desire to address the declining support for free speech that is occurring as our country becomes increasingly polarized.
Through his evocative storytelling Finan demonstrates how the most effective antidote for the growth of hate speech and violence is support for and cultivation of the robust alternative of free speech."
"A social history of alcoholism in the United States, from the seventeenth century to the present day
Today, millions of Americans are struggling with alcoholism, but millions are also in long-term recovery. Alcoholics Anonymous and a growing number of recovery organizations are providing support for alcoholics who will face the danger of relapse for the rest of their lives. We have finally come to understand alcoholism as a treatable illness, rather than a moral failure. Today’s advocates can draw inspiration from the victories of sober drunks throughout American history.
Christopher Finan recounts the nation’s history with alcohol and its search for sobriety, which began among Native Americans in the colonial period, when liquor was used to cheat them of their property. He introduces us to the first of a colorful cast of characters, a remarkable Iroquois leader named Handsome Lake, who dedicated his life to helping his people renounce hard liquor. And we meet Carrie Nation, the wife of an alcoholic who destroyed bars with an ax in her anger over what alcohol had done to her family, as well as the idealistic and energetic Washingtonians, reformed drunks who led the first national movement to save men like themselves.
Finan also tells the dramatic story of Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith, the two drunks who helped each other stay sober and then created AA, which survived its tumultuous early years and has made it possible for millions of men and women to quit drinking. This is narrative history at its best: entertaining and authoritative, an important portrait of one of America’s great liberation movements."
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