Skip to content
  • Subscribe
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Youtube
  • Instagram
  • Email
  • Home
  • News
  • Opinion
  • Entertainment
  • Features
  • Advertise
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
Suburban Chicagoland

Suburban Chicagoland

Original News, Features & Opinion on local and regional news you won't find anywhere else

  • About
    • About
    • Advertise
    • Our Writers
      • Ray Hanania
      • Bill Lipinski
      • Biography: Aaron Hanania
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Policy
    • Reach Out
  • Sections
    • Events
    • Opinion
    • News
    • Features
    • Seniors
    • Comic Strip
  • Library
    • “MIdnight Flight” Online Book
      • Midnight Flight Book Overview
      • Midnight Flight Introduction
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 1
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 2
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 3
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 4
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 5
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 6
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 7
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 8
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 9
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 10
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 11
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 12
      • Midnight Flight Chapter 13
    • Villages, Cities & Towns
    • Federal Office Holders
    • County Officials
    • Legislators
  • Subscribe to Ray’s Columns
  • Comment
  • Podcast
    • Ray Hanania on Politics
    • Two Guys on Politics
    • Hanania on Tiktok
  • News Wire
  • Archive 2004-2013
  • Toggle search form
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch Blogger
  • Image from Jeffery M. Leving
    Father Wins Custody After Son’s Disappearance and STD Diagnosis Chicago
  • On Wednesday, October 15th, Cook County Commissioners and the Office of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle celebrated Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month in the lobby of the Cook County Building.   
    Commissioner Frank Aguilar and Cook County officials celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month Chicago
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Senator Michael Hastings reacts to Illinois’ State Farm lawsuit accident
  • Bradley Nadeau Chicago Wolves
    Chicago Wolves spotlight: Bigger, stronger Nadeau set for encore Chicago
  • 10-11-25 Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar joined Clerk of the Circuit Court Mariyana Spyropoulos and local elected officials at a Second Chance Summit
    Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar Joins Clerk of the Circuit Court Mariyana Spyropoulos at Expungement Event Cook County
  • Illinois State Capitol Building. Photo courtesy of Wikipedia
    Illinois Conservation Foundation Announces 2025 Illinois Outdoor Hall of Fame Inductees Environment
  • Illinois State Senator Michael Hastings. Photo courtesy of the Illinois State Senate
    Hastings announces $250,000 state grant for cancer treatment technology at Franciscan Health Olympia Fields Health
  • Wed October 15 2025 CLE Social Jeffery M. Leving
    Leving Matrimonial Law Seminar: Client Relationships and Family Law Case Law Updates  Arthur Kallow
  • Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio Show small
    The Politicization of the Nobel Peace Prize — and Trump’s Fury Over Losing Again Blogger
  • Father and two daughters Jeffery M Leving
    Father’s Fight to Protect his Abused and Badly Beaten Daughters Dads' Rights
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Hastings announces $75,000 grant for Olympia Fields Bicentennial Park renovations Illinois Legislature
  • Alleged Member of Chicago Street Gang Charged With Soliciting the Murder of Senior Law Enforcement Official Involved in “Operation Midway Blitz” Crime
  • IIEC Logo
    The Energy Omnibus Bill will increase rates over the rest of this decade as Illinois families and businesses toil under higher utility costs Business
  • Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Polish hero of the American Revolution. After arriving in America in 1776, Kosciuszko joined the Continental Army. As a skilled engineer, he made significant contributions to the war by designing fortifications for several strategic places such as Philadelphia, West Point, and Saratoga. Kosciuszko later returned to Poland to lead his native military in a 1794 uprising. In Detroit, Courtesy of WIkipedia
    Cook County Treasurer Pappas showcases Polish photographer’s first-ever American exhibit and honors Polish American Heritage Month in Chicago Cook County
Uptown Peoples Law Center

Illinois Prisons ban Pulitzer Prize-Winning Book on Attica

Posted on September 13, 2018September 13, 2018 By Ray Hanania 3 Comments on Illinois Prisons ban Pulitzer Prize-Winning Book on Attica
SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  

Illinois Prisons ban Pulitzer Prize-Winning Book on Attica

A lawsuit filed alleges a violation of the First and Fourteenth Amendments of the US Constitution

Attorneys filed a lawsuit Thursday (Sept. 13, 2018) on behalf of historian Heather Thompson, whose Pulitzer Prize-winning book “Blood in the Water: The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 and Its Legacy” was censored by Illinois prison officials.

Attorneys from Uptown People’s Law Center and Sidley Austin LLP filed the lawsuit. It alleges that this censorship is “arbitrarily applied,” as the book was sent to three different prisons and censored only at Pontiac and Logan Correctional Centers. It argues this censorship is a violation of Ms. Thompson’s First Amendment right to communicate with incarcerated people, as such communication should only be restricted when there is a legitimate penological interest. The lawsuit also claims that Ms. Thompson’s Fourteenth Amendment right to due process was violated because she did not receive notice of this restriction, and as such was not provided an opportunity to challenge it.

“Ms. Thompson has a Constitutional right to share her book with prisoners. This right must not be infringed upon at the whims of the Illinois Department of Corrections. What’s more, prisoners should be able to read this fantastic, important book. IDOC may not like the book’s content, but that is not a sufficient legal reason to censor it,” said Alan Mills, Executive Director of Uptown People’s Law Center.

Uptown Peoples Law Center

“It is unconscionable that prisons forbid human beings on the inside to read any book, and I am determined to speak out on behalf of the First Amendment wherever it is being violated,” said author Heather Thompson. “My book underscores the sanctity of both correctional officer and prisoner lives, and covers an important event in American history that I have the right to share with any American who wants to learn about our country’s past.”

The book provides a thorough history and analysis of the Attica prison uprising, detailing events beforehand, the week-long uprising, ensuing legal battles, and the event’s role in perpetuating mass incarceration in the US. Blood in the Water has won high praise and numerous awards, including the Pulitzer Prize in History, the Bancroft Prize in American History and Diplomacy, the Ridenhour Prize, the Public Information Award from the New York Bar Association, the Media for a Just Society Book Award from the National Counsel for Crime and Delinquency, and the J. Willard Hurst Award in Socio-Legal History. The book was also included on more than a dozen “Best of 2016” lists, including the New York Times’ Most Notable Books list, as well as similar lists published by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, Newsweek, Christian Science Monitor, the Boston Globe, and others.

#     #     #

Uptown People’s Law Center is a nonprofit legal services organization specializing in prisoners’ rights, Social Security disability, and tenants’ rights and eviction defense. UPLC currently has seven class action lawsuits regarding jail and prison conditions.

newswire info
  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania
Ray Hanania is an award-winning columnist, author & former Chicago City Hall reporter (1977-1992). A veteran who served during the Vietnam War and the recipient of four SPJ Peter Lisagor Awards for column writing, Hanania writes weekly opinion columns on mainstream American & Chicagoland topics for the Southwest News-Herald, Des Plaines Valley News, the Regional News, The Reporter Newspapers, and Suburban Chicagoland.  

His award winning columns can be found at www.HANANIA.COM Subscribe FREE today

Hanania also writes about Middle East issues for the Arab News, and The Arab Daily News criticizing government policies in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Hanania was named "Best Ethnic American Columnist" by the New America Media in November 2007, and is the 2009 recipient of the SPJ National Sigma Delta Chi Award for column writing.

Email Ray Hanania at [email protected].

Follow RayHanania at Twitter
Ray Hanania
Latest posts by Ray Hanania (see all)
  • Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch - October 17, 2025
  • Father Wins Custody After Son’s Disappearance and STD Diagnosis - October 17, 2025
  • Commissioner Frank Aguilar and Cook County officials celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month - October 16, 2025
NPV: 104
  • Tweet

SHARE THIS STORY
            
 
  
 
 
 
           
Books & Films, Crime, Government, News Tags:Attica, book banned, book on Attica, censorship, Heather Thompson, Illinois Prisons

Post navigation

Previous Post: County law would make it harder to pass tax increases
Next Post: Democratic faithful rally

Related Posts

  • U2 The Joshua Tree Tour 2017 Biggest Tour Of The Year Surpasses 2.4 Million Tickets Sold (PRNewsfoto/Live Nation Entertainment)
    U2 Skips Chicagoland in latest tour Entertainment
  • David Crowley, Milwaukee County Executive. Photo courtesy of Milwaukee County
    Milwaukee County sells 90 lots for single family homes construction
  • Congresswoman Marie Newman present the Orland Fire Protection District with a copy of a state of praise to be entered into the Congressional Record in September. Newman (center) poses with OFPD Chief Michael Schofield (3rd from left) and the OFPD Battalion Chiefs. Photo courtesy of the Orland Fire Protection District.
    Rep. Newman recognizes Orland Fire Protection District achievements Cook County
  • Philo, Illinois, USA. Watertower and post office. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
    2018 Illinois Governor’s Export Award recipients announced Business
  • “Weird Al” funny as ever News
  • Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot must go Blogger

More Related Articles

Boatswains Mate 1st Class Cory Van Beveren Countryside Countryside Navy Recruit teaching students Editors Pick
Cook County Commissioner Aguilar expresses strong support for "workers' rights" at rally Thursday Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar joined May Day Celebrations, May 1, 2025, and spoke at the rally in support of workers' rights and immigration Cook County Commissioner Aguilar expresses strong support for “workers’ rights” at rally Thursday Civil Rights
Ray Hanania and family Easter 1957. Midnight Flight: Online book on Race in Chicago Baby Boomers
Aaron Hanania autographing copies of his new book :The Kings Pawn" for fans this week. Video: autographing copies of The King’s Pawn book Books & Films
Former Cook County Commissioner Edward Moody Union leader says former Cook County Commissioner Ed Moody lied to union, public and can’t be trusted Blogger
U.S. Attorney William Barr at a press conference patting himself not he back for doing nothing. Photo courtesy of the U.S. Department of Justice Foreign scammers rely on your neighbors to harass you Blogger

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Login with your Social ID
  • OPINION
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    Your Mortgage Company May Pay Your Taxes — But You Still Need to Watch
    October 17, 2025
  • Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio Show small
    The Politicization of the Nobel Peace Prize — and Trump’s Fury Over Losing Again
    October 11, 2025
  • 06-04-25 Two Guys on Politics Background Zoom LOGO with images
    Video Podcast: Trump Kimmel Kirk Great American Divide Illegal Aliens polling and Illegal Aliens and ICE
    September 20, 2025
  • Illinois House Speaker Emanuel "Chris" Welch speaking at a West Side affordable housing dedication
    Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch, one of the best candidates to become Illinois Governor
    September 7, 2025
  • Cook County Treasurer Maria Papas
    What You’re Missing on Your Property Tax Bill
    September 5, 2025
Subscribe to Ray Hanania's column graphic

Enter Your Email to Subscribe to Ray Hanania’s Columns

  • The-Kings-Pawn-Book-300-x-300.png

Mohammed Faheem The Lightning Strike Radio

  • NEWS
  • Image from Jeffery M. Leving
    Father Wins Custody After Son’s Disappearance and STD Diagnosis
    October 17, 2025
  • On Wednesday, October 15th, Cook County Commissioners and the Office of Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle celebrated Hispanic and Latine Heritage Month in the lobby of the Cook County Building.   
    Commissioner Frank Aguilar and Cook County officials celebrate Hispanic and Latino Heritage Month
    October 16, 2025
  • Illinois Senator Michael Hastings addressing the Orland Township Democratic Organization Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022
    Senator Michael Hastings reacts to Illinois’ State Farm lawsuit
    October 15, 2025
  • Bradley Nadeau Chicago Wolves
    Chicago Wolves spotlight: Bigger, stronger Nadeau set for encore
    October 15, 2025
  • 10-11-25 Cook County Commissioner Frank Aguilar joined Clerk of the Circuit Court Mariyana Spyropoulos and local elected officials at a Second Chance Summit
    Commissioner Frank J. Aguilar Joins Clerk of the Circuit Court Mariyana Spyropoulos at Expungement Event
    October 14, 2025
John Kass Columns

Order the book PoweR PR; Ethnic Activists Guide to Strategic Communications

YOUTUBE VIDEOS

CLICK TO SUBSCRIBE TO RAY HANANIA'S YOUTUBE VIDEOS


Click here to view the video on YouTube or use the widget below.

Follow Ray Hanania at
Twitter
Facebook
TitkTok
BlueSky
RayHanania Columns

Creative Commons License
All works on this website is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. Do not edit original work. Give credit to the original source.

Categories

Copyright © 2022 Suburban Chicagoland & Urban Strategies Group

Powered by PressBook Premium theme