From Publishers Weekly
Johnson, whose Sleepwalking Through History dealt with America's moral decline in the Reagan era, spent more than a year crisscrossing the country, interviewing people from all walks of life to gauge the current American temperament. Everywhere he went he encountered rising cynicism, alienation from politics and institutions, fear over the economic future, concern with violent crime, volatile ethnic and racial tensions. This sobering report warns that with massive cutbacks in funding for schools, hospitals and social welfare programs, more and more people are falling through a "safety net" rent with gaping holes. Johnson's odyssey culminates in an interview with President Clinton which reads like a canned speech. Calling Clinton's proposed health care plan "the boldest, most visionary domestic initiative since the 1930's," Johnson concludes that Clinton's greatest challenge will be to convince Americans that his programs are worth additional cost and sacrifice. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; author tour.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Johnson, a Pulitzer Prize winner, PBS commentator, and author of the best-selling Sleepwalking Through History ( LJ 2/1/91), follows up with this vision of the problems facing America in the post-Reagan years. Johnson reports from across the country about the concerns of grass-roots Americans and their attitudes about such issues as crime, education, and our economic future. Among the more disturbing trends cited are a tendency toward even more racial and cultural disunity and an obsession with short-term results at the expense of long-range planning. Although his travels took him to only a few select locales, Johnson found some eloquent subjects to interview, including President Clinton. This stark portrayal of the nation makes for a disturbing book but one that should be owned by every library. Previewed in Prepub Alert, LJ 12/93.
- Gary Williams, Southeastern Ohio Regional Lib., CaldwellCopyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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