Divided We Fall: Gambling with History in the Nineties

Johnson, whose Sleepwalking Through History dealt with America's moral decline in the Reagan era, spent more than a year crisscrossing the country, interviewing people from all walks of life to gauge the current American temperament. Everywhere he went he encountered rising cynicism, alienation from politics and institutions, fear over the economic future, concern with violent crime, volatile ethnic and racial tensions. This sobering report warns that with massive cutbacks in funding for schools, hospitals and social welfare programs, more and more people are falling through a ``safety net'' rent with gaping holes. Johnson's odyssey culminates in an interview with President Clinton which reads like a canned speech. Calling Clinton's proposed health care plan ``the boldest, most visionary domestic initiative since the 1930's,'' Johnson concludes that Clinton's greatest challenge will be to convince Americans that his programs are worth additional cost and sacrifice. 50,000 first printing; $50,000 ad/promo; author tour. (Apr.)