Ten last-minute gifts for free speech fans

From (the inside of your) head to your toes, we've got options for stuffing your stockings and defending free speech

Looking for some last-minute gifts for the free speech lovers in your life? Well, we’ve got some ideas for you! Read on for ten great suggestions to suit any budget or preference, from books to documentaries to cool free speech swag. And while we’re only a few days away from Christmas and Hanukkah, most of these free speech gifts are available right away — whether it’s via e-book and audiobook for the suggested reads, streaming for the documentaries, and express shipping on the super cool FIRE gear.

Don’t wait — give the gift of free expression to your loved ones today!

10. “Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know” by FIRE Senior Fellow and former ACLU president Nadine Strossen.

It is to my shame that I somehow left this essential book (written by a true legend, by the way) off of my list of Required Reading for “Free Speech 101.” But after re-reading it recently, I was reminded of what an excellent overview Nadine’s book provides. This is truly essential reading for anyone who cares about free speech, and also a good primer for someone who might come in skeptical of its value.

“Free Speech: What Everyone Needs to Know” is available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook via Oxford University Press and all major sellers.

9. “Mighty Ira,” the FIRE-produced documentary about the life and times of former ACLU Executive Director Ira Glasser.

This stirring documentary was produced in-house by FIRE’s Executive Vice President Nico Perrino, FIRE Production and Design Manager Chris Maltby, and FIRE Senior Editor/Producer Aaron Reese, and it really is an astonishing feat for first-time filmmakers. The film tells the compelling story of Ira Glasser, a principled free speech defender, and shines a particular light on the ACLU's defense of the Nazis at Skokie through interviews with people on both sides of that historic fight.

“Mighty Ira” is available to stream on Prime Video, Google Play, Apple TV, YouTube, and is also available on DVD and Blu-ray.

8. Fire Socks and other swag!

If you’ve heard of the song, “Puppy for Hanukkah,” you know the kid who desperately wants a dog this year laments the fact that he’ll probably end up with socks. Well, if he got FIRE socks, he might not be quite so disappointed.

We already had one FIRE fan purchase our socks for his kids for Hanukkah this year. These new “Free Speech Makes Free People” socks, which unfortunately are not in stock (but will be back soon!) are super cool and modeled below by Fire Chief Operating Officer Alisha Glennon. They were also recently modeled by the great writer and journalist Nancy Rommelman. If that’s not an endorsement, I don’t know what is. Personally, I still prefer the socks that we do have in stock, the classic red and white FIRE Classics — which also just so happen to strike a Christmas-y pose. I wear them everywhere.

Pick up these super cool FIRE socks, as well as a ton of other awesome free speech swag, at FIRE’s online store!

7. “Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate,” by yours truly!

What, you thought I was going to miss this opportunity to promote my own books? I run a non-profit, ma'am. You must always be closing — and you gotta get over your shyness to do it. This book was the first I ever wrote, and it's a great encapsulation of how bad the situation for free speech on campus already was in the first 12 years of my career. You can almost hear the ominous and foreboding music at the start of every chapter. Seriously, I’m proud of this book, and I think anyone interested in free speech and turning things around on campus will get a lot out of it.

“Unlearning Liberty: Campus Censorship and the End of American Debate” is available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, and audiobook wherever you get your favorite reads!

6. “Can We Take a Joke?,” a documentary that called out the conflict between “outrage culture” (because we didn't actually have the term cancel culture yet) and the threat it posed (and poses) to comedy.

Released in 2015, directed by Ted Balaker (whom you might know for his most recent film, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” which is of course also on this list), this documentary on the beginnings of Cancel Culture and its effect on the comedy world was way ahead of its time. It featured some absolutely brilliant observations by the late, great Gilbert Gottfried, as well as commentary from comedy and showbusiness luminaries like Penn Jillette,

Adam Carolla

, Jim Norton, Christina P., and more.

“Can We Take a Joke?” is available now on Prime Video, Apple TV, Google Play, Hoopla, YouTube, and on DVD!

5. FIRE whiskey tumblers.

I know, I know: I think they call them “stemless wine glasses,” but come on. Glasses shouldn't be used for wine, they should be used for booze! Still, I can attest that these precious FIRE swag items are gorgeous, have a wonderful hand feel, and sport a very cool logo design on them. So, even if you don't fill it with delicious bourbon, you can raise this glass to freedom of speech.

FIRE whiskey tumblers and other assorted FIRE goodies are all available now at our online store!

4. “Free Speech: A History From Socrates to Social Media,” by FIRE Senior Fellow Jacob Mchangama.

Jacob Mchangama

’s excellent and expansive history of free speech (he starts it in Ancient Greece and takes us all the way through to the social media era) is full of rich stories that illustrate how we thought about speech through the centuries, and how we continue to think about it today.

It's coming out in an updated paperback edition next year, but this hardcover version is still a fantastic stocking stuffer (it honestly might overstuff your stocking; it’s a chunky book). And if you’re somehow both a last-minute shopper and the plan ahead type, you should also be on the lookout for Jacob’s forthcoming book, co-written with Jeff Kosseff, on The Future of Free Speech.

“Free Speech: A History from Socrates to Social Media” is available now in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook via Basic Books and all other major outlets!

3. “The Coddling of the American Mind” documentary.

This film, produced by

Ted Balaker

, takes my and Jonathan Haidt's work in our book, “The Coddling of the American Mind,” and turns it into an incredibly compelling documentary. It explains how K-12 schools and college campuses teach cognitive distortions, severely affecting the mental health of its students. By following the lives of several students, the film shows how miserable social justice fundamentalist ideology can make everyone. And as I observed way back in 2014, these same cognitive distortions and distorted thinking were used to justify the attacks on free speech that would escalate into the topic of my next recommendation on this list — which by now I’m sure you can guess.

“The Coddling of the American Mind” is available for streaming on Substack (a first, by the way!), Prime Video, Apple TV, and Google Play!

2. The Canceling of the American Mind, my follow-up to “Coddling,” which I co-authored with the great

Rikki Schlott

.

“Canceling” will be coming out in a paperback edition in April 2025, but don't wait for that. The hardcover is still well worth your time.

Our book had the misfortune of coming out right around the time of the October 7th attacks, so it got swallowed in the media mayhem that followed. However, I think if you read it, you'll see how Rikki and I accurately diagnosed so many of the problems we face in our discourse today, especially in the wake of the October 7th attacks. I’m obviously biased, but I do believe we really prove once and for all that Cancel Culture is real — and a disaster, not just for higher education, but for our ability to trust the experts we need to help us understand the world around us.

“The Canceling of the American Mind” is available in hardcover, e-book, and audiobook via Simon & Schuster and all major outlets!

1. Give the gift of FIRE membership!

This is the absolute, number one gift you can give the Free-Speecher in your life. You probably could have guessed I’d end up here (as I said earlier, always be closing) but I can totally defend this choice as a reasonable and philanthropic gift for your loved ones.

For just $25, members are invited to FIRE’s cool exclusive monthly presentations, often featuring our leadership and me discussing the big free speech issues of the day, among many other perks. Most importantly, though, it’s a chance to chip in and support the hardest-working and most principled free speech organization in the country!

And if you’re already a member, or if you’d rather just offer support, you can always dedicate a donation to the lovers of free expression this holiday season.

To all our friends and supporters, I wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah. May Free Speech be with you!