The Day They Came to Arrest the Book (1982) is Nat Hentoff’s only novel for young readers, exploring themes of censorship and free speech through a high school controversy over The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. When students and parents at George Mason High object to the book’s language and racial content, tensions rise between advocates of intellectual freedom and those demanding its removal. As student journalist Barney Roth, librarian Deirdre Fitzgerald, and history teacher Nora Baines resist administrative pressure, the conflict escalates into a national debate. The novel offers a thought-provoking look at the First Amendment, academic freedom, and the complexities of confronting offensive ideas in education.
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