As a Florida native, sometimes I have to laugh at the state's politics to keep from crying. Claudia Johnson's memoir, which follows her struggle to restore banned books to her classroom in rural north Florida, takes a similar tactic. Stifled Laughter: One Woman's Story about Fighting Censorship is both hilarious and informative, offering a primer for free speech advocates and a side of snark. It's well worth a read in today's censorship-happy climate—Johnson was awarded the inaugural PEN/Newman’s Own First Amendment Award in 1993 for her “extraordinary efforts to restore banned literary classics to Florida classrooms.”