Author Floyd Abrams, as a young attorney, became the lead counsel after the Washington Post's legal firm (of 150 years standing) would not represent them; this was after the Post had printed excerpts of what became known as the "Pentagon Papers."

This started Abrams on a career specializing in the protection of the First Amendment's guaranteed protection of "Freedom of the Press." A free press is not necessarily an accurate or wise one, but is necessary for democracy to occur.

The book ends with current First Amendment issues being discussed, including Justice Anthony Kennedy's ruling "The right to think is the beginning of freedom, and speech must be protected from government because speech is the beginning of thought."

--Cindy King