Freedom of Speech: Mightier Than the Sword

by David K. Shipler,
The Philadelphia Inquirer, June 28, 2015

A few years ago, Jessica DeVivo, a junior at Clarkstown High School North in New City, N.Y., brought home The Perks of Being a Wallflower, a coming-of-age novel that addresses abortion, homosexuality, and drug abuse. Convinced the book belonged "in the garbage can," not the classroom or the library, Jessica's mother, Patti DeVivo, declared, "This freedom of speech, it drives me crazy. We have to have some standards."