In this witty combination of memoir and observation, Thomas Geoghegan addresses the widespread cynicism about our government and explores what it means to be a national civil servant and a local citizen.This is unlike any public-policy book I've ever read: part Catcher in the Rye, part The Road to Wigan Pier, part The Federalist Papers, it is mesmerizing, rueful, painfully honest, and never, ever dull.--Nicholas Lemann, author of The Big Test
Extraordinary. It has the essential trait of a memorable book, in that after reading it you look at daily life in a lastingly different way. --James Fallows, author of Breaking the News
[Geoghegan] has written a book that is not only compelling to read but that provokes us to seriously reflect on the choices we make and how we spend our time. --Jonathan Coleman, Washington Post Book World
Geoghegan's language is playful. . . . Personal reminiscence mixing with historical anecdote, dipping into complex themes . . . shifting from wistful nostalgia to dark comedy. --Robert B. Reich, New York Times Book Review
A truly strange and wonderful book. -- William Finnegan
- ISBN10 067942153X
- ISBN13 9780679421535
- Publish Date 26 January 1999
- Publish Status Out of Stock
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Pantheon Books
- Format Hardcover
- Pages 256
- Language English