Due to a family passing at the time, I was unable to download this in time before it was archived, and having only returned after several years away due to it severely affecting me, I am now working my way through those reviews I was unable to get to to detail the issue. Thank you for the opportunity, and I look forward to working with you in the future.

As a lawyer by training, this book went well past the interesting threshold for me. It was an engaging but demanding read. I should add, before proceeding further that I am severely under qualified to review Prof. Heinze's work and so, this is no way is a comment on the ideas presented or argued in this book.

The main thrust of the book, as the title itself suggests is that free speech is the supreme right, and without this necessary right being secured, the path to other rights is not clear.. The book puts free speech at the centre of the global human rights system and says that without it, i.e. free speech, no such thing exists.

It also offers important lessons in my own context of South Asia. It points a mirror at us, forcing those of us who are willing, to question the true state of human rights that we claim to have or those that have been granted to some of us by our 'benevolent rulers'- and to reflect on how much yet remains to be achieved.

I wish I was smart enough to understand all of what was said here, but what I could understand is so valuable and timely. I really want to sit down again with this book when I have more time because what I got to was great. It was so well written and accessible despite being such a heavy philosophical and legal topic.

What are the human values that can be shared by people across the world ? Diplomats set together in 1948 and came up with the Universal declaration of human rights. This declaration says that no one shall be subjected to toruture or inhuman treatment and all are equal before the law. How much progress humanity has made so far ?

Justice system throughout history has relied on terms like “fairness”, “”respect”, ''honor”, ”decency” and so on. The Christian scriptures say - “do not resist an evil doer. But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek , turn the other also.” How would you fight a tyrant with this attitude ?

Even today, The relationship between a ruler and his subjects is generally considered a domestic matter.But after Human Rights came into the picture this is no longer true. If any human right is violated anywhere you will hear the noise at the global level. But still it’s not effective. What are the reasons ? Why is it considered as a tool of western domination ?

This book talks about what human rights are and how governments handle it or violate it. And the author’s suggestion to have a dignified life for every human being. I like this book.

Books like this one are hard to review. It is all about philosophical and legal concepts. Because I am not a scholar or a lawyer, I found this book not easy to read. The rights that we take for granted aren´t granted easily and forever. In fact, many rights aren´t exactly obvious in the eyes of law, which, of course, varies from one country to another.
Free speech is a fundament of democracy and a basic human right. Yet it cannot be limitless. Where we should draw a line then? It´s one of the most difficult questions to answer and nowadays one of the most important.
Overall it´s an interesting book to read for those who have a genuine interest in the topic.

Review published here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/4270930463

Boy this was a tough book to read -- it is quite heavy and deep but it certainly is worth your time. The author, Eric Heinze, is a strong believer in human rights and he argues convincingly that the other rights that all the other rights that people should possess spring from an individual's right to free speech. Given today's Woke agenda and its accompanying Cancel Culture, this is both a timely and important book.