College Choice and Access to College: Moving Policy, Research, and Practice to the 21st Century (review)

likely. For example, Charles Malik, the ambassador to the United States from Lebanon, always yearned to return to his life as a professor of philosophy. However, he found that his diplomatic skills were highly valued, not only by his own country but also by the global community. Through the accounts she offers, Glendon also recognizes that lives of service to both the forum and the tower are difficult at best. In particular, few scholars recognize just how challenging true change is when it comes to the political arena. While Glendon finds that all of the individuals she highlights embody some admirable qualities, these qualities often emerge through a host of challenging circumstances and even disappointing setbacks. For example, Machiavelli, with whom Glendon also shares considerable disagreements, serves as a reminder that a measure of agony may come with public service. In fact, Glendon even argues in that chapter that “countless young men and women today are drawn to public life through their desire, as they say, ‘to make a difference,’ but they agonize over whether they can maintain their integrity in a political career” (p. 79). Perhaps the individuals who were best able to withstand the agony that comes with living in these two worlds were Cicero and Edmund Burke. In the lives of these two individuals, one Roman and one British, Glendon locates some truly admirable qualities. For example, Glendon sees Burke as someone who was willing to enter the inevitable fray that comes with the political life but also held tirelessly to the ideals that defined him. At his core, Burke consistently found himself wrestling with the question: “Can I achieve enough political influence to be an effective actor without betraying my principles in the process? ” (p. 136) Glendon thus argues that the way Burke was able to walk this line was by consistently investing himself in a theory base that gave life to his practical considerations and judgments. In Burke, she witnessed someone who perhaps knew no rival in history in terms of his ability to integrate “abstract theory” and “practical reason and experience” (p. 147). Through the power of these historical narratives, Glendon’s work proves to be a grounded yet inspiring introduction to the challenges facing individuals who wear the mantle of public intellectual. Perhaps provoked by her own experiences as a law school professor and a U.S. Ambassador, Glendon does not shy away from the difficulties that come when one steps out of the tower and into the forum. At the same time, she would concur with the panelists at that ASHE conference roundtable several years ago that efforts need to be made to at least bridge the gap. For Glendon, this reality is absolutely necessary, in particular arguing that “today, as the fields of knowledge become increasingly fragmented and experts increasingly specialized, teamwork among statespersons and scholars is more essential than ever if practice is to remain in touch with theory and vice versa” (p. 223). In the end, we will see how many of us are willing to heed Glendon’s call. Despite the challenges, Glendon would be the first to say the rewards to the communities we serve are worth the prices we as scholars must be prepared to pay.