A nonfiction graphic novel
in the World Citizen Comics series, out now from Macmillan!

Drawing on parallels between
10 seminal Supreme Court cases and current events, Free Speech Handbook creates a practical framework for understanding our free speech protections.

An "informative and inspiring guide"!
~Publishers Weekly (Starred Review) 

Freedom of speech is perhaps the most American of virtues. In a nation where everyone wants to speak and be heard, this First Amendment right is vital to our identity and our democracy. These rights have been advanced by people who spoke out and fought in our nation’s highest court, with each decision refining and reshaping what exactly “free speech” means. In Free Speech Handbook, Ian Rosenberg and Mike Cavallaro brilliantly trace this turbulent history across ten seminal Supreme Court cases while drawing parallels with more recent controversies. Rosenberg’s straightforward language combines with Cavallaro’s bold and bright art to create an accessible and engaging crash course on the meaning, reach, and limits of our free speech rights.

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Each chapter in Free Speech Handbook focuses on a contemporary free speech question—from student walkouts for gun safety to Colin Kaepernick’s “Take a Knee” protests, from Nazis marching in Charlottesville to social media trolls— and then tells the story of the people behind the key Supreme Court case that provides the answers. Together these fascinating stories create a practical framework for understanding where our free speech protections originated and how they can evolve in the future. Free Speech Handbook is a tool for fighting authoritarianism, protecting our democracy, and bringing an appreciation of free speech law to people of all ages.

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