Welcome once more to "From Our Shelves," where I highlight a book from our collection I have read. This week is Banned Books Week, so I chose a book that goes with the themes of the week. The book from our shelves for this week is Dangerous Ideas: a Brief History of Censorship in the West, from the Ancients to Fake News.  The book looks at censorship over time and how it has shaped civilization. One of its author's arguments is that everyone engages in some form of censorship or attempt to censor at some point in time. You may or not agree with that statement, but it does invite some reflection. The book makes some important points and provides some context for current events. See below for details of where to find it in our library along with the publisher's book description. 

 

Cover ArtDangerous Ideas by Eric Berkowitz
Call Number: 363.31 B513d 2021
ISBN: 9780807036242
Publication Date: 2021-05-04
A fascinating examination of how restricting speech has continuously shaped our culture, and how censorship is used as a tool to prop up authorities and maintain class and gender disparities Through compelling narrative, historian Eric Berkowitz reveals how drastically censorship has shaped our modern society. More than just a history of censorship, Dangerous Ideas illuminates the power of restricting speech; how it has defined states, ideas, and culture; and (despite how each of us would like to believe otherwise) how it is something we all participate in. This engaging cultural history of censorship and thought suppression throughout the ages takes readers from the first Chinese emperor's wholesale elimination of books, to Henry VIII's decree of death for anyone who "imagined" his demise, and on to the attack on Charlie Hebdo and the volatile politics surrounding censorship of social media. Highlighting the base impulses driving many famous acts of suppression, Berkowitz demonstrates the fragility of power and how every individual can act as both the suppressor and the suppressed.