About this item
Highlights
- With a foreword by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and an afterword by Nadine StrossenA new edition of the most important free speech book of the past half-century, with a new essay by the author on some of the top First Amendment controversies of today "If Aryeh Neier had done nothing else in his absolutely towering human rights, civil liberties career other than write Defending My Enemy, that still would have made him a hero and a giant.
- About the Author: Aryeh Neier has been the National Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, a co-founder of Human Rights Watch, and the President of the Open Societies Institute.
- 208 Pages
- Political Science, Civil Rights
Description
Book Synopsis
With a foreword by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and an afterword by Nadine StrossenA new edition of the most important free speech book of the past half-century, with a new essay by the author on some of the top First Amendment controversies of today "If Aryeh Neier had done nothing else in his absolutely towering human rights, civil liberties career other than write Defending My Enemy, that still would have made him a hero and a giant."
--Nadine Strossen, former president, American Civil Liberties Union
When Nazis wanted to express their right to free speech in 1977 by marching through Skokie, Illinois--a town with a large population of Holocaust survivors--Aryeh Neier, then the national director of the ACLU and himself a Holocaust survivor, came to the Nazis' defense. Explaining what many saw as a despicable bridge too far for the First Amendment, Neier spelled out his thoughts about free speech in his 1979 book Defending My Enemy.
Nearly fifty years later, Neier revisits the topic of free speech in a volume that includes his original essay along with a new piece addressing present-day First Amendment battles, including the Charlottesville march, book bans, the heckler's veto, attacks on free speech on college campuses, and the threat to overturn the U.S. Supreme Court decision in The New York Times v. Sullivan.
Including a foreword by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton and an afterword by longtime free speech champion Nadine Strossen, Defending My Enemy offers razor-sharp analysis from the man Muck Rack describes as having "a glittering civil liberties résumé."
Review Quotes
Praise for Defending My Enemy:
"Aryeh Neier's Defending My Enemy is as relevant today as it was when it was first published. The book is a powerful reminder of why free speech matters--not just for the voices we agree with, but for the voices we abhor. Neier's story of defending Nazis' rights to speak in Skokie underscores a timeless truth: If we want to preserve freedom for our selves, we must be willing to defend it for others, no matter how deeply we disagree. At a time when censorship is on the rise globally, Defending My Enemy stands as a bold and principled call to action. Every advocate of free expression needs to read this book--and more importantly, live its lessons."
--Greg Lukianoff, president and CEO, Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE)
"Aryeh Neier's work is a classic that should be read and reread. Its republication by The New Press is a timely gift to the nation."
--Robert Post, professor of law, Yale Law School "Defending My Enemy is more than a historical account of the ACLU's commitment to defending everyone's right to speak freely--it's a blueprint for principled advocacy in a time of deep division. Aryeh Neier, who led the ACLU during one of its most defining chapters, offers a powerful account of standing up for the First Amendment--even when it meant defending the rights of those with abhorrent views. His story speaks to the core of what it means to uphold civil liberties in a democracy. As debates over free speech, protest, and democratic norms grow more urgent today, the questions Neier confronted remain strikingly relevant. This book is not just a reflection on a pivotal chapter in our past--it's a call to courage and clarity in the ongoing struggle to defend freedom for all."
--Anthony D. Romero, executive director of the ACLU
"Aryeh Neier is an icon of justice and fearlessness, and no one--really, no one--has shaped the fields of human rights and civil liberties more profoundly. To reread this book is to be reminded of how immensely fortunate we've been to have had him as a leader for so many decades."
--Jameel Jaffer, director of the Knight First Amendment Institute, Columbia University "Aryeh Neier's remarkable Defending My Enemy, which tells the extraordinary story of the ACLU's courageous defense of the First Amendment right of members of the Nazi Party to march in Skokie, Illinois, almost half a century ago, is brilliantly insightful and compelling--and it is especially important today in light of the terrifying efforts of Donald Trump to silence the views of those with whom he disagrees. This is a book that brings to life, for all Americans, the profoundly essential nature of free and open speech in a truly democratic society."
--Geoffrey Stone, professor of law, University of Chicago
About the Author
Aryeh Neier has been the National Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, a co-founder of Human Rights Watch, and the President of the Open Societies Institute. In addition to writing half a dozen books on civil and human rights, he has authored over three hundred op-eds for venues including the New York Review of Books, the New York Times Book Review, and Foreign Policy. He lives in New York City.