This is a many-faceted book, written in extremely compelling and sympathetic prose. You cannot help but feel for Hackney as he describes the hell he went through to be appointed, or the absurd politics surrounding his confirmation. It is sad to see that members of the U.S. Senate, on both sides, would take to the floor and condemn a man they didn't bother to learn about for actions they knew only the smallest amount about. Regardless of Prof. Hackney's sins, the circus was ridiculous.
Still, though, the issue of Hackney's sins cannot be ignored, and he certainly does not. As much as this is a memoir of the "Politics of Presidential Appointment," it is also Hackney's long-awaited public defense of himself against his many (justified) detractors. And it is this portion of the book that is dissappointing self-serving and one-sided. It is unfortunate that, 10 years later, Hackney still defends his coddling of the enemies of free speech and newspaper thieves, and his defense of speech codes, though in fairness he writes that he no longer believes in codes.
On the whole, this is a good book that I'd recommend, but if you are not familiar with the events at Penn that led to Hackney's unfortunate Senate experience, I strongly encourage you to read "The Shadow University" by Alan Kors and Harvey Silverglate, which presents the other side of the story as is an even better book.

The Politics Of Presidential Appointment: A Memoir Of The Culture War by historian Sheldon Hackney (University of Pennsylvania) is a politically charged testimony of the so-called "Culture Wars." The former president of the University of Pennsylvania, Sheldon Hackney tells of how his nomination to become President Bill Clinton's chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities touched off heated fire from right-wing conservatives. Polarized opinions and the deleterious fallout from vehement accusations from both the left and right sides of life issues are considered in the sobering and insightful account. Enhanced with a Foreword by Vernon Jordan, The Politics Of Presidential Appointment is a welcome and illuminating contribution to contemporary Political Science reference collections and reading lists.

Dr. Hackney's riveting account of the way in which the mobilized right wing of America tried to prevent him from heading the National Endowment for the Humanities is a chilling case study of the lengths to which Clinton haters went to discredit the president. It is also a touching account of how a brave and honorable man withstood the calumnies heaped upon him. A must read