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.
Bestselling author Michael Lewis invited his favorite writers, including Casey Cep, Dave Eggers, John Lanchester, Geraldine Brooks and, Sarah Vowell to join him in finding someone doing an interesting job for the government and writing about them.
The vivid profiles in "Who Is Government?: The Untold Story of Public Service," edited by Michael Lewis, 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.
Sarah Vowell is the "New York Times" bestselling author of several nonfiction books on American history and culture. She is the author of “The Equalizer,” an essay in the volume about the National Archives.
