I apologize if someone already has posted about this 2018 book - The Fifth Risk my Michael Lewis. I have worked in and around various governments for decades, but I was completely left footed by the revelations Lewis provides into just three niche operations of three federal agencies. I thought I had a feel for government - I have fooled myself if these are "typical" examples. They do so much that only a sliver of the public knows about, but it is crucial to so many. It's amazing. I wish he had taken his inquiries into many more departments and agencies.
It might be off putting to some ardent Trump supporters, since he takes as his structure the lack of a transition program during the first six months (or 9 months if you count from the date of the election); They could easily get hung up because he points out the failure of the Administration to even try to understand what the government does. But that has been explored by many others in more detail. That's not what amazed me about the book.
His discussion of the NOAA and the Weather Administration itself is worth the read. Sounds dull, but read it. What that small group of people does for the country is unknown to most Americans in my opinion, and what relatively obscure GS 14s do to help you and me is never recognized by the public.
To get the most out of the short book (the paperback is about 250 pages) you have to overlook the framework on which it is constructed and read about what these small parts of government do. That's not hard - most of the book is about that not the failings of the new Administration.
It might be off putting to some ardent Trump supporters, since he takes as his structure the lack of a transition program during the first six months (or 9 months if you count from the date of the election); They could easily get hung up because he points out the failure of the Administration to even try to understand what the government does. But that has been explored by many others in more detail. That's not what amazed me about the book.
His discussion of the NOAA and the Weather Administration itself is worth the read. Sounds dull, but read it. What that small group of people does for the country is unknown to most Americans in my opinion, and what relatively obscure GS 14s do to help you and me is never recognized by the public.
To get the most out of the short book (the paperback is about 250 pages) you have to overlook the framework on which it is constructed and read about what these small parts of government do. That's not hard - most of the book is about that not the failings of the new Administration.
