#34 [2023/CBR15] The Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis

I wanted to find a good political book for Cannonball Bingo, and my husband quickly recommended The Fifth Risk (2018) by Michael Lewis. I listened to the first couple of minutes on Audiobook, and thought it sounded interesting. So, I decided to give it a shot. 

The reason I found the beginning of the book so interesting was that it described in detail what was happening in government offices when Trump took over after the election. Civil service workers were waiting with their binders full of information to brief the new president's teams on what they did and what would need to be done. But the president's teams never showed up. It sounds like even though Trump had a transition team, led by Chris Christie, it was all for show. After Trump won the election, he booted Christie, ignoring all of his work, and putting his favorite lackeys wherever he wanted. Hundreds of appointed positions were never filled.

Much of the rest of the book is Lewis showing us how important some of these government agencies are. The federal government is a massive machine. It's hard to wrap your head around how even one small section works, so it's difficult if not impossible for a layperson to understand how cuts here and there will affect them.

Lewis discusses how the federal government protects us from nuclear annihilation, climate change, food-borne pathogens and more. It felt like an answer to the people that badmouth the federal government, showing them how important a role the feds play in our lives. One anecdote was a woman who ran a program that gave out government loans to promising, innovative new products. These products were too risky for conventional loans but the program had been remarkably successful. However, even many of the people receiving loans from the federal government had no idea where they came from.

I did have a couple problems with this book. First, the way Lewis jumped from agency to agency always left me feeling like I didn't quite understand what was happening and it was sometimes hard to follow. I always felt like I needed more context. Second, I wish Lewis had been more forthcoming about what he was writing about and his personal leanings. When I started, I thought this book was a criticism of Trump. Then it became something of a love letter to the federal government and a warning that we shouldn't take them for granted. I definitely learned some things, but the book didn't always feel very cohesive.

CBR15Bingo: "Politics" because it's all about the federal government and how Trump can't run it.