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jrobles76's review against another edition
5.0
Chris Hayes called Michael Lewis possibly, "the greatest non-fiction writer alive" and I have to agree. If I could have put my phone down amidst coronavirus coverage I might have finished this book in one sitting. Really illuminating given what is going on now.
Gives you great insight into career government officials and how many of them are not partisan and see their jobs in government as helping people and eliminating risk. The problem of eliminating risk is that if you do a good job, people don't think you're necessary. Read it now!
Gives you great insight into career government officials and how many of them are not partisan and see their jobs in government as helping people and eliminating risk. The problem of eliminating risk is that if you do a good job, people don't think you're necessary. Read it now!
bentohbox's review against another edition
3.0
I'm a bit on the fence with this one.. I think the work Lewis does in this book is incredibly important, especially detailing the mundane and inglorious work done by government workers throughout the country to prevent errors or crises that the public will never appreciate exclusively because it never happens. I wish more people understood how this risk and management work, but many do not, and do not care. Lewis does an amazing job of driving home this point, and conveying why it matters for so many.
On the other hand, I think that Lewis's best work isn't done so spread out amongst sources and subjects. It feels like too many moving pieces, whereas his article, "Portrait of an Inessential Government Worker," was artful *because* it was focused on only one person. This book certainly wouldn't have been done well as a long-form journalism piece, but I do think it overextended itself to its overall detriment and necessity.
On the other hand, I think that Lewis's best work isn't done so spread out amongst sources and subjects. It feels like too many moving pieces, whereas his article, "Portrait of an Inessential Government Worker," was artful *because* it was focused on only one person. This book certainly wouldn't have been done well as a long-form journalism piece, but I do think it overextended itself to its overall detriment and necessity.
devilhoo's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. Well researched but not as compelling as some of his other works.
samanthamccabe_'s review against another edition
4.0
SUCH an interesting, readable look inside the various departments of the US government both before and after Trump’s inauguration. Michael Lewis can pull a compelling narrative out of anything!!
jwillis81's review against another edition
5.0
I love Michael Lewis' books and I'm fascinated by how the government works, so this book was right up my alley. I loved diving deeper into various cabinet-level departments and learning more about their mission, as well as some stories of the personnel who have worked there over the years. It's a sobering look at just how bad things can get when political and corporate interests override the public good for which the departments were established. Definitely worth a read for anyone interested in government and/or public affairs.
pitosalas's review against another edition
4.0
Very interesting non fiction writing about the innards of the US Government. Reads like 4 long New Yorker articles. I never found out what the fifth risk was though. Not his best.
branch_c's review against another edition
3.0
The most significant piece of information in this book is probably the fact that Trump and his appointees were not just incompetent when they took over the US government in 2017, but that they were incompetent jerks. Most of us probably could have guessed this already without the data gathered here by Lewis, and even if we didn’t, this is depressing info that many of us would rather ignore, so this book is a less than enjoyable read.
On the other hand, the writing is polished and engaging, and the reader is introduced to numerous positive characters in addition to the jerks; people who committed their careers to government work because they truly wanted to make a difference, and make the country better for its citizens. It’s sad to realize that their good intentions can be so easily thwarted by a mob of selfish idiots - but not only that, to see how unnecessarily difficult it can be even under the best of conditions, when a presidential transition is handled professionally and correctly.
And this is the real lesson to be learned from this book: we should be surprised and impressed that our government works even as well as it does, given the complexities of government agencies, the intricacies of data collection and storage, and the antagonistic interactions between citizens, government, and business. These aspects combine to make it unlikely that normal government operations can be managed efficiently, and make it all but impossible that administrative transitions will go smoothly.
The good news is there’s lots of room for improvement, and given some time and effort, plus the right elected officials, things can be improved. Some of the issues raised here echo those brought up by presidential candidate Andrew Yang, in his book, The War on Normal People, especially in regards to the problems facing rural America in the modern society. Beyond Yang’s ideas for Universal Basic Income and putting humanity first (over the interests of corporations and politicians), the government would surely benefit from leaders like him who pay attention to the data, listen to the advice of experts, give logistical issues the attention they deserve, and have a genuine desire to make the world a better place.
Anyway, the three star rating here reflects my personal reading enjoyment factor, since the topic is not exactly pleasant. But it’s a quick read, and recommended for anyone who wants to be aware of these important matters.
On the other hand, the writing is polished and engaging, and the reader is introduced to numerous positive characters in addition to the jerks; people who committed their careers to government work because they truly wanted to make a difference, and make the country better for its citizens. It’s sad to realize that their good intentions can be so easily thwarted by a mob of selfish idiots - but not only that, to see how unnecessarily difficult it can be even under the best of conditions, when a presidential transition is handled professionally and correctly.
And this is the real lesson to be learned from this book: we should be surprised and impressed that our government works even as well as it does, given the complexities of government agencies, the intricacies of data collection and storage, and the antagonistic interactions between citizens, government, and business. These aspects combine to make it unlikely that normal government operations can be managed efficiently, and make it all but impossible that administrative transitions will go smoothly.
The good news is there’s lots of room for improvement, and given some time and effort, plus the right elected officials, things can be improved. Some of the issues raised here echo those brought up by presidential candidate Andrew Yang, in his book, The War on Normal People, especially in regards to the problems facing rural America in the modern society. Beyond Yang’s ideas for Universal Basic Income and putting humanity first (over the interests of corporations and politicians), the government would surely benefit from leaders like him who pay attention to the data, listen to the advice of experts, give logistical issues the attention they deserve, and have a genuine desire to make the world a better place.
Anyway, the three star rating here reflects my personal reading enjoyment factor, since the topic is not exactly pleasant. But it’s a quick read, and recommended for anyone who wants to be aware of these important matters.
erikinthedistrict's review against another edition
5.0
An excellent book on the consequences of years of demonization of the federal (civilian) workforce and how really good programs are in danger.