1-58838-068-8
$25.95 hardcover
5 3/8" x 8 3/8"
247 pages
appendix, index
NewSouth Books |
Read this engrossing account of
Sheldon Hackney’s disemboweling by the Wall Street Journal and
the other “true believers” of the conservative establishment media,
and you’ll begin to understand why so many Americans of merit, liberal
or conservative, are unwilling to drop what they’re doing and come to
Washington to serve their country. They’re reluctant to put themselves
through the too-often ugly process of confirmation by an excessively
partisan Congress.
—Mike Wallace
A brilliant and readable memoir about politics by an honest
non-politician who was caught in the crossfire of a confirmation battle
that was part of a culture war. Understanding that the controversy
was not about him, Hackney tells the story in a self-effacing,
entertaining and compelling manner. A must-read for all Americans
who wonder why so few people with Hackney’s credentials are willing to
chance a confirmation fight.
—Alan M. Dershowitz
Welcome to Planet of the Apes meets Advise and Consent.
It's Newt Gingrich's Washington, where one of America's most
distinguished scholars and university presidents is transformed into a
tribal sacrifice in the neoconservative culture war. Sheldon Hackney's
harrowing and gripping memoir of this bloody political ritual is an
essential historical document for a time of primitive madness in the
capital.
—Sidney Blumenthal
Sheldon Hackney's story on his ordeal by slander at the hands of
political and media assassins is harrowing, though alleviated by a fine
sense of humour. The author's eventual triumph over partisan bigotry is
testimony to his own resilience and courage, and the tale is a
fascinating one.
—William Styron
Sheldon Hackney tells a troubling tale of how easily a small clique
of right-wingers spun truth into lies, manipulated the mainstream media,
and poisoned the debate in the U. S. Senate for its own ideological
purposes. Happily, in this case the good guy (Hackney) took on the
conservative labyrinth and won.
—David Brock, author of Blinded By The Right
Sheldon Hackney’s eloquent story of the ordeal he endured at the
hands of the Congressional-Presidential-media complex rings with truth.
If the truth will make us free, this lively book, widely read, should
help us deal far better with our always fragile freedom.
—Harris Wofford
On every page of this engaging, valuable memoir, Hackney's active
sense of humor, his richly furnished mind, and a seemingly effortless
flow of words nourish his reader while seeming only to entertain.
--Tom Fitzpatrick, The Montgomery Advertiser
Historian and former university president Sheldon Hackney recounts how
he became an unwitting combatant in the Culture Wars when his nomination
to become Bill Clinton's chairman of the National Endowment of the
Humanities came under fire from right-wing conservatives. Hackney
meticulously describes the background of ideological maneuvering that
was behind not only the attacks on him but also the fierce campaign to
bring down Clinton.
He says, "I believe my story illustrates
how the Culture War and the current media environment combine to
polarize discussion until the public has no chance to understand complex
issues. Not only are moderates trampled underfoot, but the great
gray areas where life is actually lived, the areas of ambiguity and
tradeoffs between competing values, are rendered toxic to human
habitation. This is not healthy for a democracy."
about the author
Former NEH Chairman Sheldon Hackney now teaches history at the
University of Pennsylvania, where he was president from 1981 to 1993;
from 1975 to 1981 he was president of Tulane University. Hackney
also taught at Princeton University from 1965 to 1975, serving as
provost from 1972 to 1975. He is the author of Populism
to Progressivism in Alabama (reprint forthcoming from NewSouth
Books) which won the Beveridge and the Sydnor Prizes. |
