"Brimming with optimism, John Frohnmayer journeyed to Washington, D.C., in 1989 to serve a cause he believed in deeply: the arts in America. Appointed by President Bush to be chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts, he was abruptly fired two and a half years later in a storm of front-page controversy." "Leaving Town Alive is Frohnmayer's lively and startlingly candid account of his trial by fire in the brutal world of power politics. Taking over the NEA amid the uproar about Robert Mapplethorpe's sexually explicit photographs, Frohnmayer stood at the center of the emotional debate over public funding for the arts. On the left were staunch defenders of free speech and the artists whose confrontational works came under attack. On the right were Jesse Helms and the fundamentalist proponents of traditional values." "At first Frohnmayer assumed that he could negotiate anything and that everyone had the best interests of the country at heart. He was wrong: the White House, for instance, just wanted the problem of "offensive art" to go away, while right-wing fund-raisers wanted to keep the issue alive as long as possible. In the end, Frohnmayer's harrowing education changed him. He entered the fray a First Amendment moderate; he emerged a free-speech radical." "John Frohnmayer had an insider's view of Washington during the Bush years, and he writes with remarkable frankness about the bitter battles over the government's involvement in the arts. Passionate, witty, and wonderfully readable, Leaving Town Alive is, finally, an eloquent plea for the liberation of American culture from the narrow concerns of partisan politics."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This scholarly work looks at the issue of politics and performance in America today with particular attention paid to performances produced by activists, the NEA Four, and "Miss Saigon".

William O'Rourke's singular view of American life over the past 40 years shines forth in these short essays on subjects personal, political, and literary, which reveal a man of keen intellect and wide-ranging interests. They embrace everything from the state of the nation after 9/11 to the author's encounter with rap, from the masterminds of political makeovers to the rich variety of contemporary American writing. His reviews illuminate both the books themselves and the times in which we live, and his personal reflections engage even the most fearful events with a special humor and gentle pathos. Readers will find this richly rewarding volume difficult to put down.

Prophecy said that when the lords came down from the mountains, there would be strife and unrest in the world. Lord Darak, after sixteen years, was about to meet his grown son whom he had left as a baby with the mountain dwarves to raise. All the while, he has been sitting atop the mountain, guarding his son from the evil mage Zandrax and Queen Adrianna. King Halvard, knowing there was unrest in the world, sent out spies to find out what was going on. As Lord Darak and Daiuis travel from place to place, they seemed to have a knack gathering up allies: Dariuss dwarven companion, Flagg; the moody Prince Kalan of the elves and his brothers, Thon and Holin; the nimble spy called Silk; and a questionable lad named Fel. And they all go to see the king. What tales do they have to tell King Halvard?

A portrait of the foremost track coach and founder of Nike describes how he helped contribute to numerous team titles and record achievements while working at the University of Oregon, offers insight into the 1972 Munich Olympic Games, and considers Bowerman's relationship with runner Steve Prefontaine. Reprint.

Join six authors as they take you through a journey of mystery, passion, and danger to uncover a cult and catch a killer loose in Wyoming! Special Agent’s Perfect Cover by Marie Ferrarella Cold Plains, Wyoming, should be a ghost town. Then why are its once-decaying streets gleaming? And why are there only beautiful, smiling Stepford-like wives in those streets? Hawk Bledsoe wants to know…because the woman who broke his heart seems to be one of them. Now the two must risk their lives to expose the town’s monstrous secret. And danger only revives the desire both try their hardest to resist…. Rancher’s Perfect Baby Rescue by Linda Conrad Nathan Pierce has plenty of reasons to distrust the Devotees—and Susannah Paul. But as the delicate beauty insinuates herself into his life and his heart, Nathan realizes she’s different. And very much in danger. Soon nothing matters more than protecting Susannah and her child from the evil closing in around them. A Daughter’s Perfect Secret by Kimberley Van Meter Darcy Craven is still reeling from the fact that she isn’t who she thought she was, and she’s not leaving until she uncovers the truth. She knows she shouldn’t trust Cold Plains’s new doctor, Rafe Black. But every step brings Rafe and Darcy closer to each other—and to a truth that could cost them their lives. Lawman’s Perfect Surrender by Jennifer Morey The heat between them is instantaneous. But police deputy Ford McCall has a job to do. He knows that evil has come to rural Cold Plains. And if he doesn’t want the irresistible newcomer involved, he can’t take the risk. Gemma Johnson already fled from an abusive marriage. Now her violent ex has come after her, and everything screams for her to turn to the rugged lawman. But desire can lead to danger, and there’s only so much her vulnerable heart can take…. The Perfect Outsider by Loreth Anne White June Farrow works for Cold Plains Search and Rescue as cover for her real mission—helping Devotees escape from Samuel Grayson’s evil cult. The rugged man she finds in the woods has no memory, and June’s only option is to take him to the safe house. “Jesse” is the name on his belt buckle—that’s the only thing he knows. The attraction between them threatens to awaken his past. But how can he trust himself not to destroy those he’s trying to protect? Mercenary’s Perfect Mission by Carla Cassidy Fleeing Samuel Grayson’s cult was a risky move for Olivia Conner. So risky that the single mom left one of her children behind. Olivia’s only option is a safe house she found with the help of ruggedly sexy mercenary Micah Grayson. But once she learns he is Samuel’s twin, she dares not trust him…or the way her body reacts to his. Now the two—who’ve both sworn off relationships—must embark on a deadly mission: rescue Olivia’s son, take down Samuel and safeguard their hearts against love!

Free Speech on America’s K–12 and College Campuses: Legal Cases from Barnette to Blaine covers the history of legal cases involving free speech issues on K–12 and college campuses, mostly during the fifty-year period from 1965 through 2015. While this book deals mostly with high school and college newspapers, it also covers religious issues (school prayer, distribution of religious materials, and use of school facilities for voluntary Bible study), speech codes, free speech zones, self-censorship due to political correctness, hate speech, threats of disruption and violence, and off-campus speech, including social media. Randall W. Bobbitt provides a representative sampling of cases spread across the five decades and across the subject areas listed above. Recommended for scholars of communication, education, political science, and legal studies.

#1 NATIONAL BESTSELLER • NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST • From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Splendid and the Vile comes the true tale of the 1893 World's Fair in Chicago and the cunning serial killer who used the magic and majesty of the fair to lure his victims to their death. “As absorbing a piece of popular history as one will ever hope to find.” —San Francisco Chronicle Combining meticulous research with nail-biting storytelling, Erik Larson has crafted a narrative with all the wonder of newly discovered history and the thrills of the best fiction. Two men, each handsome and unusually adept at his chosen work, embodied an element of the great dynamic that characterized America’s rush toward the twentieth century. The architect was Daniel Hudson Burnham, the fair’s brilliant director of works and the builder of many of the country’s most important structures, including the Flatiron Building in New York and Union Station in Washington, D.C. The murderer was Henry H. Holmes, a young doctor who, in a malign parody of the White City, built his “World’s Fair Hotel” just west of the fairgrounds—a torture palace complete with dissection table, gas chamber, and 3,000-degree crematorium. Burnham overcame tremendous obstacles and tragedies as he organized the talents of Frederick Law Olmsted, Charles McKim, Louis Sullivan, and others to transform swampy Jackson Park into the White City, while Holmes used the attraction of the great fair and his own satanic charms to lure scores of young women to their deaths. What makes the story all the more chilling is that Holmes really lived, walking the grounds of that dream city by the lake. The Devil in the White City draws the reader into the enchantment of the Guilded Age, made all the more appealing by a supporting cast of real-life characters, including Buffalo Bill, Theodore Dreiser, Susan B. Anthony, Thomas Edison, Archduke Francis Ferdinand, and others. Erik Larson’s gifts as a storyteller are magnificently displayed in this rich narrative of the master builder, the killer, and the great fair that obsessed them both.

"A cultural and structural analysis of the NEA's dance funding from its inception through the early 2000s. Wilbur studies how people in power engineer and translate institutional norms of arts recognition within dance, performance, and arts policy disclosure"--