| Every year during Freedom to Read Week at the end of February, the Calgary Freedom to Read Week committee chooses a book to represent the issues of freedom of expression and censorship.
This year’s official book is Stupid White Men by Michael Moore, a logical choice for more than one reason. By now most people are familiar with this book – it has been on best-seller lists around the world since its publication last February – but what most people don’t know is that it almost never made it to store shelves.
In September 2001, Moore submitted a book to his publisher, HarperCollins. Called Stupid White Men, it was going to be a humorous look at the hypocrisy of American society’s elite (politicians, corporate leaders and others who take advantage of the "common man") – a typical Moore theme.
After the attacks of September 11, Moore was told that all new HarperCollins books were on hold. A sensible move, he thought, even as his own Manhattan office was regularly being evacuated for various false alarms. But eventually, when no further word came about his book, Moore realized that this was more than a small delay. HarperCollins told him that they were wondering if a book that skewered the president and many in his administration and inner circle was "too offensive" to be released in a country where that same president had an 80 per cent approval rating.
Although half of the 100,000 copy print run was already complete, HarperCollins told Moore they weren’t going to go ahead with the book unless he rewrote major sections (mostly those that were critical of President Bush) and changed the title and cover art (a graphic of Moore brandishing what appears to be a knife, looming over a boardroom table.) On top of that, the publisher wanted Moore to pay $50,000 out of his own pocket to cover the cost of destroying the copies that had already been printed.
Moore refused to budge. If anything, he believed that his thoughts on George W. Bush, Kenneth Lay (CEO of Enron) and others were more relevant after September 11 than before. He would not tone down his dissent – freedom of speech is a highly valued principle in America, and Moore felt his rights were being compromised.
Eventually, word of the "ban" began to spread, leading to a letter-writing campaign by librarians in the American Library Association that made the issue public. After a lot of media coverage, HarperCollins relented and agreed to publish the book as submitted, with no changes inside or out.
The book was finally given the go-ahead on February 19, 2002, and immediately topped the Amazon.com best-seller chart (they include pre-orders in their best-seller list.) Once the book was released officially, Moore – and now his publisher as well – still ran into resistance, even as it climbed up various best-seller charts. Bookstores refused to stock it. People protested at his signings. Moore was branded as a traitor by talk radio hosts.
But in the end, Moore had the last laugh. Within a week of its release, Stupid White Men was already in its ninth printing. Today, the book remains on many best-seller lists, not only in America but around the world. And perhaps most tellingly, it was the New York Times number one best-seller on the all-American weekend of July 4, 2002. |
