Synopses & Reviews
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
About the Author
Thomas Geoghegan is a labor lawyer in Chicago and recently authored In America's Court.
Table of Contents
1. There Is No One City
2. City of Fabulous Jobs
3. When They Burned the "White House"
4. In the Gridlock Archipelago
5. Known Down the Door
6. "Now Do You See Me, Mr. Mayor?"
7. City of Fabulous Plagues
8. A Ticket to DuPage
9. I'd Be Happier in D.C.
10. If I Could Park in My City
11. I'd Be Lonely in This City
12. City of Fabulous Kids
13. In the "White City"
Epilogue: The Promise
Acknowledgments