Nat Hentoff (1925–2017)
Author of The Day They Came to Arrest the Book
About the Author
Nathan Irving Hentoff was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 10, 1925. He graduated from Northeastern University in 1946. After several years with a Boston radio station, he moved to New York in 1953 and covered jazz for Down Beat until 1957. In 1958, he was a founding editor of The Jazz Review show more that lasted until 1961. He wrote for The New Yorker from 1960 to 1986, for The Washington Post from 1984 to 2000, and for The Village Voice from 1958 to 2009. During his freelance career, his work appeared in Esquire, Harper's, Commonweal, The Reporter, Playboy, The New York Herald Tribune, Jewish World Review, The Wall Street Journal, and The Washington Times. In 1995, he received the National Press Foundation's award for lifetime achievement in contributions to journalism. He wrote more than 35 books during his lifetime. His nonfiction works included The Jazz Life, Peace Agitator: The Story of A. J. Muste, The New Equality, Living the Bill of Rights, and Free Speech for Me - but Not for Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other. He wrote several memoirs including Boston Boy and Speaking Freely. In 1955, he co-edited with Nat Shapiro Hear Me Talkin' to Ya: The Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It. His young adult novels included Jazz Country, This School Is Driving Me Crazy, Does This School Have Capital Punishment?, and The Day They Came to Arrest the Book. He died on January 7, 2017 at the age of 91. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Series
Works by Nat Hentoff
Hear Me Talkin' to Ya: The Story of Jazz as Told by the Men Who Made It (1955) 200 copies, 2 reviews
Free Speech for Me--But Not for Thee: How the American Left and Right Relentlessly Censor Each Other (1992) 167 copies, 2 reviews
Jazz: New Perspectives On The History Of Jazz By Twelve Of The World's Foremost Jazz Critics And Scholars (1974) 65 copies
Associated Works
Reading Jazz: A Gathering of Autobiography, Reportage, and Criticism from 1919 to Now (1996) — Contributor — 228 copies, 4 reviews
The Bob Dylan Companion: Four Decades of Commentary (The Companion Series) (1998) — Contributor — 39 copies
The John Coltrane Companion : Five Decades of Commentary (Companion Series) (1998) — Contributor — 25 copies
The American folk scene; dimensions of the folksong revival (1967) — Contributor, some editions — 16 copies, 1 review
TO BE YOUNG IN BABYLON: A Dramatic Personal Account of Teen-Age Radicals — Introduction — 1 copy
Goin West by Grant Green (2004-02-24) — Notes, some editions — 1 copy
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Legal name
- Hentoff, Nathan Irving
- Birthdate
- 1925-06-10
- Date of death
- 2017-01-07
- Gender
- male
- Education
- Boston Latin School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Northeastern University (BA)
Harvard University - Occupations
- journalist
civil liberatarian
young adult fiction writer
fiction writer - Organizations
- Village Voice
New Yorker
Washington Post
Down Beat - Awards and honors
- American Bar Association Silver Gavel Award
- Cause of death
- natural causes
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
- Places of residence
- Boston, Massachusetts, USA
New York, New York, USA - Place of death
- New York, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- New York, USA
Members
Discussions
Nat Hentoff is finally afraid of a White House administration in Pro and Con (September 2009)
Reviews
There's a note of hysteria on starting out, but once the various opinions of the censoring of "Huckleberry Finn" are described, the book settles into thought-provoking prose. Obviously, this being authored by Nat Hentoff, Huck is saved from restricted-shelf oblivion. But the story nicely demonstrates that intellectual freedom is not a black/white topic; each side has compelling arguments for or against Huck. This will get readers pondering where they stand on intellectual freedom. (A little show more bit dated as well since it cites Communists and Russia. Definitely written in response to the Reagan years and the rise in book banning!) show less
Essential essays by an extraordinary yet little-known (to most people) American: A.J. Muste, radical pacifist, political organizer, Dutch Reformed minister, and pragmatic philosopher.
Muste did not espouse a pallid, weak pacifism. His pacifism was fiery and impassioned, one that was solidly built on the recognition that peace is not possible without social justice. A Gandhi of America, he deserves to be read and remembered. This reissue makes it possible.
"The problem after a war is the show more victor. He thinks he has just proved that war and violence will pay. Who will now teach him a lesson?" (A.J. Muste, 1941) show less
Muste did not espouse a pallid, weak pacifism. His pacifism was fiery and impassioned, one that was solidly built on the recognition that peace is not possible without social justice. A Gandhi of America, he deserves to be read and remembered. This reissue makes it possible.
"The problem after a war is the show more victor. He thinks he has just proved that war and violence will pay. Who will now teach him a lesson?" (A.J. Muste, 1941) show less
Lovely comfort reading of a book I fondly remember from being young. Although the position of the author is very clear in who the good guys and bad guys are, the views of the opposition are at least aired articulately. I am amused (and embarressed) how much more I sympathise with the other side now I am older!
Nat Hentoff creates an exemplary story that is strikingly relevant to censorship issues and issues of political correctness gone-amuck in today's society. The main characters are high school stakeholders---students, parents, teachers, the principal and the librarian. As a high school teacher who has been censored in subtle ways by administrators this books strikes a deep cord. Although the main protagonists are high school students and the subject-matter sophisticated, the language and show more readability make it accessible to middle school students. It would serve as a great introduction to censorship in the middle or high school classroom. I feel students could connect with the student who wants Huckleberry Finn banned as well as the students who want to rescue the book. In that struggle lies the complexities not often touched upon in discussions of the 1st amendment in classrooms today. show less
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Awards
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Statistics
- Works
- 52
- Also by
- 22
- Members
- 1,975
- Popularity
- #13,021
- Rating
- 3.8
- Reviews
- 22
- ISBNs
- 119
- Languages
- 7
- Favorited
- 1