On Sunday, January 17, 2016 Scholastic Inc., withdrew my book A Birthday Cake for George Washington from publication stating it provided a "false impression of the reality of the lives of slaves." The company claims otherwise, but certainly public outcry determined its decision.

In the aftermath, it would be easy to feel satisfied that censorship of this book is a testament to the power of modern activism. Using social media, a vocal audience was able to rid the world of a story it considered to be racist without even reading it. It's a free speech success story -- except it's not.

In halting the publication of this book, the publisher silenced the story of George Washington's enslaved chef, Hercules, a remarkable man whose talent and self-possession earned him unusual status in his own time.

Hercules came and went from the President's House in Philadelphia as he pleased. He sold kitchen slops, earning a salary twice that of the average free white man