Problem 1: Do you envision books ever again having the power to move the nation as they did in revolutionary or antislavery times and even a few decades ago? Why or why not?
Problem 2: Are you proud of your book-reading habits? Why or Why not? Do you read for fun? How often do you read outside of required school material? When you read, what type of books do you prefer (i.e., mysteries, sci-fi, etc.)
Problem 3: Under what circumstances is censorship permissible? Whom do you trust to make the right decision about what you should and should and should not read? Under what circumstances would you pull a book off the shelves if you were a librarian?
Problem 4: Information was a highly prized commodity in America's colonial period. Do you think it is still so highly valued?
Problem 5: What are the implications of producing school books for children and young adults targeted to the nation's most populous states? Who decides those books? Why are the decisions political?
Problem 6: How does consolidation of the book industry affect the circulation of ideas in an intellectual marketplace?
Problem 7: Why do critics lament that the public does not read when, in fact, book sales increase almost every year?