In the face of a rising tide of censorship and suppression, this updated paperback edition of Free Speech Handbook [23rd St Books; August 19, 2025], the acclaimed nonfiction graphic novel, equips readers with a practical framework for appreciating the history?and future?of our free speech protections.
Freedom of speech is perhaps the most American of virtues. In a nation where everyone wants to speak and be heard, this First Amendment right is vital to our identity and our democracy. These rights have been advanced by people who spoke out and fought in our nation’s highest court, with each decision refining and reshaping what exactly “free speech” means.
In Free Speech Handbook, Ian Rosenberg and Mike Cavallaro brilliantly trace this turbulent history across ten seminal Supreme Court cases while drawing parallels with more recent controversies. Rosenberg’s straightforward language combines with Cavallaro’s bold and bright art to create an accessible and engaging crash course on the meaning, reach, and limits of our free speech protections. When first published in 2021, Publishers Weekly said of the book, “This informative and inspiring guide looks past free-speech clichés to home in on how such rights are not chiseled in stone but fought over on an ever-shifting battlefield” in a starred review.
Author Ian Rosenberg explains from his perspective as a New York-based First Amendment lawyer, why this book is more timely now than ever:
“Battles over free speech are currently sweeping the country with an increasing intensity. Censorship efforts—particularly against graphic novels— plague our schools and libraries, attacks on the media continue unrelentingly, and protests on college campuses are prompting extreme efforts to suppress dissenting views in higher education. Given all of this turmoil, it is no surprise that it sometimes feels like the First Amendment legal ground beneath our feet is shifting in ways we cannot predict. Nevertheless, Free Speech Handbook provides a stabilizing framework for understanding our free speech rights even in unsettling times. Unless we truly know our rights as Americans, they are impossible to fully utilize and defend when threatened. This nonfiction graphic novel is a tool for fighting authoritarianism, protecting our democracy, and bringing an appreciation of free speech law to all Americans.”
Free Speech Handbook paperback is now avaialable for purcahse