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Title details for Who Is Government? by Michael Lewis - Wait list

Who Is Government?

The Untold Story of Public Service

by Michael Lewis
Michael Lewis
Audiobook
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Wait time: About 2 weeks
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0 of 1 copy available
Wait time: About 2 weeks
“Perhaps never before has there been a book better timed or more urgent.” —Washington Post
“Michael Lewis has this incredible ability to zoom in on one person's story, and from there reveals something much bigger about our culture. His books leave you seeing the world differently, and his books about federal workers are no exception.” —Katie Couric
As seen on CBS Mornings, CNN Anderson Cooper, ABC News Live, MSNBC Morning Joe, and many more
Who works for the government and why does their work matter? An urgent and absorbing civics lesson from an all-star team of writers and storytellers.
The government is a vast, complex system that Americans pay for, rebel against, rely upon, dismiss, and celebrate. It’s also our shared resource for addressing the biggest problems of society. And it’s made up of people, mostly unrecognized and uncelebrated, doing work that can be deeply consequential and beneficial to everyone.
Michael Lewis invited his favorite writers, including Casey Cep, Dave Eggers, John Lanchester, Geraldine Brooks, Sarah Vowell, and W. Kamau Bell, to join him in finding someone doing an interesting job for the government and writing about them. The stories they found are unexpected, riveting, and inspiring, including a former coal miner devoted to making mine roofs less likely to collapse, saving thousands of lives; an IRS agent straight out of a crime thriller; and the manager who made the National Cemetery Administration the best-run organization, public or private, in the entire country. Each essay shines a spotlight on the essential behind-the-scenes work of exemplary federal employees.
Whether they’re digitizing archives, chasing down cybercriminals, or discovering new planets, these public servants are committed to their work and universally reluctant to take credit. Expanding on the Washington Post series, the vivid profiles in Who Is Government? blow up the stereotype of the irrelevant bureaucrat. They show how the essential business of government makes our lives possible, and how much it matters.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 18, 2025

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9798217082919
      • File size: 193501 KB
      • Duration: 06:43:07

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Think the federal civil service is filled with pencil-pushing drones? This collection of essays--curated by Michael Lewis and narrated by their authors--will quickly disabuse you of that notion. Casey Cep uses a journalistic tone that, nonetheless, conveys her genuine admiration for a remarkable Veterans Affairs employee who has devoted his life to honoring fallen soldiers. For a change of pace, W. Kamau Bell effectively uses the interview format with a young Black woman who is starting her career as a government lawyer. Inevitably, other authors are less successful at making the transition from print journalist to narrator. But the real star here is Lewis himself, who bookends the collection with two engaging essays delivered with the polish of a veteran podcaster. D.B. © AudioFile 2025, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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