Free Speech 101: The Utah Valley Uproar over Michael Moore

In the fall of 2004, just weeks before the already hostile national elections, the student government at Utah Valley State College (UVSC) made a decision to bring in one of the most controversial figures in America--film maker Michael Moore. The invitation for Moore to speak at a place one reporter described as "one of the most conservative campuses in one of the most conservative counties in one of the most conservative states in the country" resulted in a firestorm of controversy, activity, and heated debate the likes of which Utah County had not seen in years. The story eventually made its way into Time magazine, The Washington Post, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and numerous other publications; it was declared one of Utah's Top Five Stories of the Year.

Written by the student primarily responsible for the decision, Free Speech 101 is the inside story of the decision's consequences: death threats and bribes, an attempted student leader recall, a lawsuit, the recision of donor and legislative funds, and hundreds of letters and emails (both pro and con) when the news became public. The book also gives behind-the-scenes accounts of meetings with donors, legislators, college administrators, and the visits of both Sean Hannity and Michael Moore.

More than just being a narrative of these events, however, Vogel's book plunges beneath the surface, exploring how the visits of Moore and Hannity to UVSC became the catalyst for many important and compelling issues: academic freedom and censorship, the influence of power and money on a university, the divisive and polarized state of politics, the effect of the media, the war in Iraq, patriotism, culture and religion, and faith and fear.

Alternately disturbing and inspiring, Free Speech 101 shows that the First Amendment is by no means easy to uphold. Indeed, it is sometimes viewed as more of a threat than a right, and it takes continual courage and sacrifice to keep this right alive.