"Sidelights"

Aldona Jonaitis told CA: "I began my writing career as an academic in the mid-1980s, when I published Art of the Northern Tlingit. Since I've always wanted to share with the public my respect and admiration for the extraordinary nature of the art of the Northwest coast, I wrote my next book with the educated lay public in mind. I now attempt to write clearly and interestingly, even if my subject (like Franz Boas's art history) is rather dry. I've learned that the most effective way to write is with passion. This is not all that easy, for academic training tends to drain graduate...