Arts in Crisis: The National Endowment for the Arts Versus America by Joseph Wesley Zeigler  (1)
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Against the Tide: One Woman's Political Struggle by Harriet Keyserling  (4)
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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The distinguished actress chronicles her stormy four-year tenure as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts with infectious passion and searching intelligence. When she was nominated in 1993, Alexander was appearing in a hit play (The Sisters Rosensweig) and, she says here, needed her star's salary because she had been virtually bankrupted by a crooked accountant. Yet she felt obligated, as someone whose early career had been shaped by the nonprofit theater so dependent on the NEA, to assume the thankless job of defending the agency against conservatives determined to shut it down. In Alexander's scathing depiction, "philistine" would be too kind a term for the politicians she had to confront. "Arthur Murray never needed a grant to write a play," House Speaker Newt Gingrich informs one NEA supporter, "who restrained herself from saying that perhaps the famous ballroom dancer should have applied to the dance program." Thank goodness Alexander has a sense of humor, because she tells a grim tale only partly redeemed by a qualified happy ending, when she manages to get the NEA funded for 1998 before her departure. Although she has good words for arts supporters on both sides of the aisle, notably Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican Nancy Kassebaum, the author paints a disheartening portrait of members of Congress less interested in defending the First Amendment than protecting their political flanks. Her polite but blunt comments on Bill Clinton make it clear she thinks the president, too, has put expediency ahead of principles. Alexander's liberal activism long predates her chairmanship, and her analysis of politicians' evolution from public servants to interest-group stooges is as strong as her defense of the arts.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
All government agencies funding the arts are prone to controversy, none more so than the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Award-winning actress Alexander, herself a onetime NEA grant recipient, chronicles her appointment as its chairwoman and her subsequent tenure during the Gingrich Congress. The book's structure parallels that of a theatrical production ("Audition," "Rehearsal," "Curtain Up," etc.). Although Alexander's prose style is occasionally given to clich , there is no mistaking her dedication to public support of the arts, especially in the face of conservative cost cutting. Alexander's arguments are both passionate and reasoned. Her reflections show surprising modesty, self-awareness, humor, and political savvy. This is no celebrity figurehead but a hardworking, hardheaded CEO. Although she left the NEA in 1997, she continues to serve it well with this memoir. This book will be useful to general collections well beyond the U.S. borders. (Index not seen.)DBarbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria P.L., BC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
The distinguished actress chronicles her stormy four-year tenure as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts with infectious passion and searching intelligence. When she was nominated in 1993, Alexander was appearing in a hit play (The Sisters Rosensweig) and, she says here, needed her star's salary because she had been virtually bankrupted by a crooked accountant. Yet she felt obligated, as someone whose early career had been shaped by the nonprofit theater so dependent on the NEA, to assume the thankless job of defending the agency against conservatives determined to shut it down. In Alexander's scathing depiction, "philistine" would be too kind a term for the politicians she had to confront. "Arthur Murray never needed a grant to write a play," House Speaker Newt Gingrich informs one NEA supporter, "who restrained herself from saying that perhaps the famous ballroom dancer should have applied to the dance program." Thank goodness Alexander has a sense of humor, because she tells a grim tale only partly redeemed by a qualified happy ending, when she manages to get the NEA funded for 1998 before her departure. Although she has good words for arts supporters on both sides of the aisle, notably Democrat Ted Kennedy and Republican Nancy Kassebaum, the author paints a disheartening portrait of members of Congress less interested in defending the First Amendment than protecting their political flanks. Her polite but blunt comments on Bill Clinton make it clear she thinks the president, too, has put expediency ahead of principles. Alexander's liberal activism long predates her chairmanship, and her analysis of politicians' evolution from public servants to interest-group stooges is as strong as her defense of the arts.
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Library Journal
All government agencies funding the arts are prone to controversy, none more so than the U.S. National Endowment for the Arts (NEA). Award-winning actress Alexander, herself a onetime NEA grant recipient, chronicles her appointment as its chairwoman and her subsequent tenure during the Gingrich Congress. The book's structure parallels that of a theatrical production ("Audition," "Rehearsal," "Curtain Up," etc.). Although Alexander's prose style is occasionally given to clich , there is no mistaking her dedication to public support of the arts, especially in the face of conservative cost cutting. Alexander's arguments are both passionate and reasoned. Her reflections show surprising modesty, self-awareness, humor, and political savvy. This is no celebrity figurehead but a hardworking, hardheaded CEO. Although she left the NEA in 1997, she continues to serve it well with this memoir. This book will be useful to general collections well beyond the U.S. borders. (Index not seen.)DBarbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria P.L., BC
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
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Inside This Book Citations: This book cites 34 books | 6 books that cite this book Explore: Citations | Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Key Phrases - SIPs: confirmation team, controversial grants, local arts agencies, literature fellowships, controversial art (more) Key Phrases - CAPs: New York, White House, United States, First Lady, Los Angeles (more) Browse Sample Pages: Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me! |
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Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
My life was never without drama. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
confirmation team, controversial grants, local arts agencies, literature fellowships, controversial art, arts advocates, film preservation, nonprofit theaters, ooo grant, nonprofit arts Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, White House, United States, First Lady, Los Angeles, Jane Alexander, Bill Clinton, Jesse Helms, First Amendment,
My life was never without drama. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
confirmation team, controversial grants, local arts agencies, literature fellowships, controversial art, arts advocates, film preservation, nonprofit theaters, ooo grant, nonprofit arts Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
New York, White House, United States, First Lady, Los Angeles, Jane Alexander, Bill Clinton, Jesse Helms, First Amendment,