Frohnmayer, John

• Leaving Town Alive

  • This is the story of a moderate Republican from Oregon hired by the Bush administration to head the National Endowment of the Arts in 1990. To be frank, this guy and I share a LOT of common ground politically, so maybe I was too sympathetic with this guy and that made me like the book more than I should. Anyway, he talks about how being in favor of free speech basically makes you a Liberal in the eyes of the fanatic wing of the Republican party, and he talks about the frequent battles he had with Congress. The tales are enough to chill your blood. Amazingly, not two days after I finished this book, there was a story in the papers about the opening of the torch run in LA. The Olympics Committee declared that two of the "anatomically correct" statues in Olympic plaza in LA (statues done for the '84 Olympics in classic style...I mean, this is the OLYMPICS for cryin' out loud, so of course you get classical Greek statues!!!) should be shrouded in plastic for the ceremony. Shrug it off, if you will, but after reading this book, you'll see just how depressingly familiar this pattern has become in the last couple of decades. As for the book, I recommend it highly. It is very entertaining and interesting, regardless of your politics!

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