Catherine Sevcenko on Academic Freedom

Marjorie Heins' Priests of Our Democracy chronicles New York City's efforts to root out Communist Party members and sympathizers from the public schools in the 1940s and '50s. As Heins notes in her book—and as Catherine Sevcenko stresses in her review—restrictions on academic freedom are still with us today. By delving into the damage this censorship causes, Heins reminds us why freedom of expression, especially on campuses, is so vitally important.