You really shouldn't burn this book.
You should read it. All of it. Edited by Toni Morrison and published in conjunction with PEN International, this volume contains eleven essays contributed by authors like John Updike, Nadine Gordimer, Orhan Pamuk, and Francine Prose (and Morrison, who contributed the opening essay, Peril), each writing about the importance of words and ideas. Some of these essays are original and some are adapted from extant writing (like the Updike) and speeches (like the Pamuk). While not a large book, it generates quite a bit of thought. I was particularly struck by the contribution by Pico Iyer which describes his "penpal" who lives in Burma/Myanmar and how information was important to that trishaw driver (but not too much information, i.e. no political discussion). Orhan Pamuk's essay also provides much thought as he mulls over his transition from silent writer to activist, even though he does not always address political concerns in his novels. This book is also a must-read due to Ed Park's contribution The Sudden Sharp Memory; Park discusses censorship and how young adults encounter literature but instead of a plain essay he makes use of the unique form of Robert Cormier's I Am the Cheese, an often censored or banned YA novel.
Read this book.
