While researching this book, Ravitch examined legal challenges and school board hearings. She also reviewed internal documentation and correspondence from educational publishers. According to Ravitch, pressure groups on the political right have objected to topics such as family conflict, sexuality, evolution, and the supernatural. At the same time, groups on the left have sought to control language and images even at the cost of historical accuracy and truth. Both groups have sought to eliminate material they find objectionable. This has left publishers to produce sanitized material that is inane and not instructive. Ravitch quotes one test publisher as saying, "It is better to be bland than to be controversial." She argues that this attitude has had a significant negative impact on instructional material in the United States. "Our society's commitment to equality of educational opportunity surely requires that we seek to eliminate every expression of bigotry and that we teach people of all ages to respect others. But this does not mean that literature or history should be censored to remove anything that might make any reader uncomfortable. Good literature is supposed to make readers uncomfortable, and accurate history includes tragic events and horrifying behavior."

The book includes a Glossary of Banned Words, Usages, Stereotypes, and Topics. It also includes a list of suggested reading by grade level.

Ravitch is a historian of education currently working as Research Professor of Education at New York University. She is also a Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution. In addition, Ravitch worked for the U.S. Department of Education under President George H. W. Bush and was appointed to the National Assessment Governing Board by President Bill Clinton.

Whether you agree with Ravitch or not, she raises important points that teachers, students, and parents involved in the educational system of the United States should consider.