Freedom of Speech Book-of-the-Month Program Announced

The American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression (ABFFE) has announced the launch of the "ABFFE Book of the Month," a campaign to promote books about free speech via a new feature on its website, www.abffe.com. Each month, one new title will be highlighted, along with a list of other recently published works relating to free expression issues.

"Free speech is a hot topic in our country, and publishers are producing a growing number of important books on the subject. We want to help them get the attention they deserve," said ABFFE President Chris Finan.

The first ABFFE Book of the Month is Speechless: The Erosion of Free Expression in the American Workplace by Bruce Barry, a professor of management and sociology at Vanderbilt University and the president of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.

ABFFE notes that the June title from Berrett-Koehler Publishers shows how, "contrary to what most Americans believe, they enjoy few protections for free speech on the job.... It is even legal for an employer to fire a person whose car sports a bumper sticker boosting the 'wrong' candidate."

An interview with Barry about efforts to control employee speech -- both on and off the job -- can also be found on the ABFFE site.