THE ART OF THE PUBLIC GROVEL
By Susan Wise Bauer
Princeton University Press. 338 pages. £15.95
ISBN 978-0-691-13810-7
With a mugshot of a remorseful-looking Bill Clinton against the backdrop of the American flag staring out from the cover, a first glance at this book certainly raises a degree of curiosity. A closer look at the subtitle — ‘sexual sin and public confession in America’ — serves only to reinforce it.
Coming with the imprint of Princeton University Press, this is clearly an academic study which sets out to relate a series of transgressions on the part of high-profile figures to the influence of evangelical thought and theology on American life. Covering a range of figures from the late 19th century to the infamous episode involving President Clinton, it seeks to chart and analyse the attempts by public figures suspected of sexual misdemeanours to survive the fallout of their conduct. These figures include lesser-known individuals like Grover Cleveland through to Ted Kennedy, Jimmy Carter, Jim Bakker, Jimmy Swaggart and Bill Clinton himself.
