The Secret Lives of Citizens: Pursuing the Promise of American Life
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Book Overview
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
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0226287645
ISBN13:9780226287645
Release Date:April 2000
Publisher:University of Chicago Press
Length:251 Pages
Weight:0.65 lbs.
Dimensions:0.5" x 5.5" x 8.5"
Customer Reviews
3 ratings
Politics with Soul
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
I don't generally read political science or current events, but from the first sentence, I couldn't put this down. There are so many studies about why Americans choose to vote: This is the first book I've come across that explains it from the point of view of the citizen/voter. Even if Geoghegan isn't your average voter, he has talked to all sorts of citizens, in church, at Union meetings, at Harvard, in the ghetto, in bars (especially in bars) about the experience of being a citizen, trying to help, or trying to get help, from government. He writes with a particularly American voice that combines zeal with doubt, ambivalence with pig-headedness, and an ability to dream with total honesty. Geoghegan--who's book, "How to be for Labor When its Flat on its Back" is also great--has an amazing ear for voices, so this book is fall-off-your-chair funny in places, and devastating in others. It taught me a great deal about government--how it works, or doesn't work--and why I should care. Anyone with a sense of humor who cares about whether local politics are still functioning should enjoy reading this.
A marvelous mix of history, politics, and memoir
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
This book presents the author's evolution through government work and civic activism. It also presents a neat, personalized history of recent progressive politics. This mix of memoir and history has been criticized by some book reviews, but actually contributes to the effectiveness of the book. One can forgive the occasional self-absorption because the book has many useful insights and the author offers himself up as an example of someone who has the uncomfortable thoughts that bedevil many "progressives". A good read for people who are liberals, but not idiots.
The Modern Conscience
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Mr. Geoghegan has once again proved he is the spiritual heir of Bob LaFollette, FDR and the Great Society. His penetrating yet personal account of his struggle to understand the neo-conservative/post-liberal/deconstructionist world is moving, exhilirating and sad. He squirms at the notions of modern solutions to poverty, incarceration and civil action not by going throug the usual verbal hand-wringing, but by seeing for himself how the system is failing so many. This is a contemporary version of Orwell's "Down and Out in Paris and London," only set in Chicago and rooted in a troubling look at social justice. If you have any interest in the future of your role as a citizen and person of conscience, read this book.
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