Harper's editor Lapham (The Wish for Kings, 1993, etc.) proves why his magazine won the 1995 National Magazine Award for Essays and Criticism. The 56 essays in this anthology, written for Harper's from January 1990 to March 1995, have in common Lapham's brilliance, acerbic wit, and disdain for all those who ``defend the sanctity of myth against the heresy of fact.'' More fundamentally, these commentaries on America are linked by Lapham's belief that ``democracy allies itself with change and proceeds on the assumption that nobody knows enough and that nothing is final.'' According to this principle, conflict is an important aspect of political life; a necessary and useful corrective to oppression and stagnation. Lapham sees grave threats to the nation from those who believe that freedom of speech and thought are destructive influences, rather than the very basis for growth and improvement in America. He criticizes the political correctness movements of the left and the right, and the aversion among politicians to take on problems because ``solutions imply change, and change is unacceptable because change translates into resentment, and resentment loses votes.'' The Republican right, he contends, stifles debate by its oversimplification of America's problems, which it attempts to blame on the poor and an imagined ``liberal establishment.'' And the American people are criticized for believing politicians who promote the republic as they would a resort hotel, treating the electorate not as responsible citizens but as guests. American voters, Lapham rails, would rather be coddled than act. Lapham believes that ``a raucous assembly of citizens unafraid to speak their minds'' prods Americans to think creatively about the future. This raucous assembly of one proves the point.
Pub Date: Oct. 31, 1995
ISBN: 1-85984-952-0
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Verso
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1995
A heartfelt if somewhat unsurprising view of old age by the former president. Carter (Living Faith, 1996, etc.) succinctly evaluates the evolution and current status of federal policies concerning the elderly (including a balanced appraisal of the difficulties facing the Social Security system). He also meditates, while drawing heavily on autobiographical anecdotes, on the possibilities for exploration and intellectual and spiritual growth in old age. There are few lightning bolts to dazzle in his prescriptions (cultivate family ties; pursue the restorative pleasures of hobbies and socially minded activities). Yet the warmth and frankness of Carter’s remarks prove disarming. Given its brevity, the work is more of a call to senior citizens to reconsider how best to live life than it is a guide to any of the details involved.
Pub Date: Oct. 26, 1998
ISBN: 0-345-42592-8
Page Count: 96
Publisher: Ballantine
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 15, 1998
Less a sequel than an addendum, the book offers a close-up view of the Oval Office in its darkest hour.
Four decades after Watergate shook America, journalist Woodward (The Price of Politics, 2012, etc.) returns to the scandal to profile Alexander Butterfield, the Richard Nixon aide who revealed the existence of the Oval Office tapes and effectively toppled the presidency.
Of all the candidates to work in the White House, Butterfield was a bizarre choice. He was an Air Force colonel and wanted to serve in Vietnam. By happenstance, his colleague H.R. Haldeman helped Butterfield land a job in the Nixon administration. For three years, Butterfield worked closely with the president, taking on high-level tasks and even supervising the installation of Nixon’s infamous recording system. The writing here is pure Woodward: a visual, dialogue-heavy, blow-by-blow account of Butterfield’s tenure. The author uses his long interviews with Butterfield to re-create detailed scenes, which reveal the petty power plays of America’s most powerful men. Yet the book is a surprisingly funny read. Butterfield is passive, sensitive, and dutiful, the very opposite of Nixon, who lets loose a constant stream of curses, insults, and nonsensical bluster. Years later, Butterfield seems conflicted about his role in such an eccentric presidency. “I’m not trying to be a Boy Scout and tell you I did it because it was the right thing to do,” Butterfield concedes. It is curious to see Woodward revisit an affair that now feels distantly historical, but the author does his best to make the story feel urgent and suspenseful. When Butterfield admitted to the Senate Select Committee that he knew about the listening devices, he felt its significance. “It seemed to Butterfield there was absolute silence and no one moved,” writes Woodward. “They were still and quiet as if they were witnessing a hinge of history slowly swinging open….It was as if a bare 10,000 volt cable was running through the room, and suddenly everyone touched it at once.”
Less a sequel than an addendum, the book offers a close-up view of the Oval Office in its darkest hour.Pub Date: Oct. 13, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-5011-1644-5
Page Count: 304
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Oct. 20, 2015
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