The Corner

In Defense of Doubleday

I’m a Doubleday author, so take this with a grain of salt if you must, but I don’t buy Shannen Coffin’s argument that there’s no place for an “Al Qaeda Reader” on our bookshelves. There are a lot of Americans who simply don’t grasp the evil of Islamofascism. If a book helps — especially a book that provides a context for the readings — then by all means let’s have a book. “Our government and military leaders should develop their best understanding of al Qaeda and other Islamic fascist movements,” says Shannen. But a major publisher shouldn’t produce a book that helps them — and the rest of us — realize this goal?

John J. Miller, the national correspondent for National Review and host of its Great Books podcast, is the director of the Dow Journalism Program at Hillsdale College. He is the author of A Gift of Freedom: How the John M. Olin Foundation Changed America.
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