Gauntlet: Exploring the Limits of Free Expression/Number 3, 1992

With contributions by journalists, cartoonists and novelists, this well-intentioned but inconsistent anthology tracks censorship developments in areas as diverse as music, fiction, Gulf war coverage and the raging debate over what is politically correct. The best contributions provoke intellectually--as in point/counterpoint articles on naming alleged rapists while withholding the victims' names--and emotionally, as in Joe Reedy's reminiscence of being fired as editor of the Kutztown (Pa.) Patriot for his anti-Gulf war editorial. Other highlights include newsworthy updates on 2 Live Crew; interviews with controversial artists, such as Mad magazine founder William Gaines and performance artist Cheri Gaulke; and Skipp Porteous's encounter with the Rev. Donald Wildmon of the censorious American Family Association. The section of censored fiction is weak, however; for instance, Nancy Collins's "Freakbabies," about a man who mutilates infants, illustrates little besides the author's ability to shock. Former Philadelphia Mayor W. Wilson Goode's challenge to the press to become the voice of society's victims offers superficial analysis, as too many of the articles do. Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.