In a novel approach to censorship, the US Department of Defense [DOD] recently bought up the entire 10,000-copy first run of Operation Dark Heart<\/em>, a memoir that it doesn\u2019t want us to read. DOD says that the book, written by Lt. Col. Anthony Shaffer, reveals classified information about US operations in Afghanistan and Pakistan that threatens national security. This action may mark the first time in history that a government has used purchasing power to take a controversial book out of circulation.<\/p>\n The buyout actually works to the financial benefit of the author, who might not otherwise have sold out his first printing. The second edition\u2014replete with blacked-out text\u2014may also sell more briskly than otherwise expected. \u00a0The tactic also has inspired a bit of humor. On a recent edition of NPR\u2019s \u201cWait, Wait\u2026Don\u2019t Tell Me<\/a>\u201d news quiz, panelists joked about similar ways to enhance sales of other books, such as: Where the Wild Things (and our Troops) Are<\/em>, and Eat, Pray, Love, Reveal Nuclear Codes.<\/em><\/p>\n