This project began with an intention to write a scholarly article. I am grateful for the encouragement of Gita Manaktala and Amy Brand at MIT Press to expand the argument into this short book intended for an audience of educators. I am also grateful to acquisitions assistant Jesús J. Hernández, production editor Marcy Ross, copy editor Elizabeth Judd, and all those at MIT Press who collaborated with me on this project.
I have worked closely with Gosia Stergios on this project from the start, and owe her endless thanks for her partnership in this work. Her passion and hard work have made this a much better book than it otherwise would have been. Linda Carter Griffith has been my teacher and guide over the past five years at Andover, especially with respect to the essential work of diversity, equity, and inclusion. My colleagues in the Head of School’s office at Andover—Melissa Dolan, Nancy Jeton, and Belinda Traub—have been essential to this project and to making possible all else I’ve been working on. Martha Minow, Jonathan Zittrain, Urs Gasser, and other friends at Harvard Law School have been wonderful teachers and guides with respect to many sides of the argument. I thank the four anonymous peer reviewers who gave thoughtful comments on the proposal and first draft; their constructive criticism has improved this book. Though we have not met, I am indebted to Ken Dautrich for his long-running work on the attitudes of young people toward free expression. Alberto Ibargüen and Sam Gill at the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation, along with Eric Newton (formerly at Knight and now at ASU), have supported essential research into the First Amendment and young people’s views over the past decade, which is crucial to our understanding of these issues on campuses and in society at large. I am grateful for all the help I’ve received, from these friends and others.
As ever, my most enduring and deepest thanks go to my family. Any errors and omissions are mine alone.