Michael Lewis's 2018 book The Fifth Risk is well-written, thoughtful, and important. It's all about good government: how, thanks to dedicated civil servants, extraordinarily valuable services and products are delivered to the citizens of the United States. Unappreciated, patient people in the bureaucracy do amazing, creative things. Lewis tells their story beautifully, as he did for a single person (Chris Mark, Department of Labor) in his 2024 Washington Post profile-essay "The Canary". Powerful writing, meticulous research, excellent explanations, vital results.

And "The Fifth Risk" of the title? It's Project Management — and the risk is that ignorant, selfish individuals (and private organizations) will subvert the political process, break the mechanisms of competent government, waste or steal national resources, and ultimately kill people. It's scary, and it has happened in many societies, including the USA, throughout history ...

_{(see this gift-link for "The Canary"; cf MoneyBall (2004-06-07, Big Short (2011-04-24), ...) - ^z - 2024-09-18}