Reviews

The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

st_vasil's review against another edition

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informative fast-paced

3.0

Not the best writing, but informative. A l useful book if you’re not especially knowledgeable on the way federal agencies work and how much they impact our communities and our wellbeing. But while the writing is accessible and relatively quick, it also felt lazy—almost a phone-in job. The conclusion, such as it is, feels like it haphazardly cobbled together the night before a deadline. So if you’re already well-informed about the federal government I’d skip this one. 

shaiguy333's review

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informative slow-paced

3.5

samanthab307's review

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informative medium-paced

4.75

beeeeg's review

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3.0

Very short and a bit disjointed, not quite sure the point he's trying to make. Nonetheless, an interesting look at some of the things the US Government does.

ramossnr's review against another edition

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4.0

Michael Lewis's love letter to the hard working members of the US government. Lewis takes President Trump's failure to prepare for the transition of power between the exiting and entering administrations as a way into exploring the important and unexpected work the Department of Energy, Department of Commerce, and Department of Agriculture. He spotlights administrators from each department and gathers their expertise on the important work they did under the Obama administration and what they see as the biggest risk to our country moving forward. It's a quick read full of surprising anecdotes. Well worth the few hours you'll spend reading.

shirlee2024's review

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5.0

Learned lots

Well-written written and entertaining. Made me proud of governments past and even more furious with government present. Highly recommend this book.

tandc's review

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informative sad fast-paced

3.5

toellis's review

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fast-paced

3.75

As entertainingas other Michael Lewis books- unapologetically one sided, which is the point, but perhaps could have benefitted from some acknowledgement of gov failure at any level

amjorg75's review

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informative fast-paced

4.75

willal's review

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informative fast-paced

4.5