While recognizing Banned Books Week, an Oskaloosa bookstore hosted a lecture by the American Booksellers Foundation for Free Expression president last Tuesday.

Christopher Finan spoke to an audience of 12 on Oct. 2 on Tuesday evening. Banned Books Week, which runs until Oct. 6, is supported by several national groups, including Finan’s ABFEE and the American Library Association.

Finan, who was also supporting his book “From the Palmer Raids to the Patriot Act: A history of the fight for free speech in America,” said Banned Books Week is the national celebration of the freedom to read. He described his book as an overview of the history of free speech in America.

Finan said that in the beginning the First Amendment was an afterthought and that the founding fathers disagreed on what it meant. Challenges to the morality of the time were frequently censored, Finan said.

Then there was a “civil liberties meltdown” during World War I, where more than 1,000 Americans were convicted for opposing the war, Finan said.

A dissenting opinion by Supreme Court Justice Oliver Holmes in the 1919 Abrams v. United States case helped to eventually create more free speech rights, Finan said.

“The growth of free speech hasn’t been a straight line,” Finan said. He said the worst erosion came during the Cold War when hundreds of communists were sent to jail. He said in times of fear, the government grabs for all the power it can.

“We’re in one of those periods now,” Finan said. He said the government has issued more than 100,000 national security letters for private information.

Finan said the pushback against censorship has come quicker than during the Cold War or World War I, citing cases where librarians went to court with the FBI to keep Internet and book records private.

School districts are where censorship battles also are fought.

In 2006, Finan said the most banned book by school districts in 2006 was “And Tango Makes Three,” a children’s story about gay penguins raising an egg. Harry Potter used to be the most banned book, Finan said.

Finan said his organization fought battles to keep the books in libraries. He said he doesn’t have a problem with parents deciding what their kids read, but said they shouldn’t decide what other kids can’t read.

After his lecture, Finan held a discussion with the audience, then Nancy Simpson, book vault owner, took the group downstairs for refreshments.

In an interview after answering questions with people that attended his presentation, Finan said Oskaloosa was his fifth or sixth stop while touring for Banned Books Week and supporting his book.

“Basically, I’ve been going to talk to anyone who will listen to me,” Finan said. “I enjoy telling this story.”