Description

Who works for the government and why does their work matter? Michael Lewis, bestselling author of The Big Short and The Fifth Risk, along with an all-star team of writers and storytellers, takes us on a riveting journey into a hidden world

‘A timely reminder of the quiet dedication and skill of the people who work every day to make this country work’ – Barack Obama, President Obama’s 2025 Summer Reads

The government is a vast, complex system that citizens 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.

Michael Lewis invited his favourite writers to find someone doing an interesting job for the government and write about them. The stories they found are unexpected, riveting, and inspiring, including a former coal miner devoted to making mine roofs less likely to collapse, saving thousands of lives; an IRS agent straight out of a crime thriller; and the manager who made the National Cemetery Administration the best-run organization, public or private, in the entire country. Each essay shines a spotlight on the essential behind-the-scenes work of exemplary federal employees.

Whether they’re digitizing archives, chasing down cybercriminals, or discovering new planets, these public servants are committed to their work and universally reluctant to take credit. Who is Government? shows how the essential business of government makes our lives possible, and how much it matters.

Publisher Review

A timely reminder of the quiet dedication and skill of the people who work every day to make this country work — Barack Obama * President Obama’s 2025 Summer Reads * This book rightly focuses on the quiet heroes who represent public service at its best… Musk’s demolition derby makes this kind of journalism feel, more than ever, like a civic duty… This eye-opening, multifaceted ode to public service therefore feels both urgent and moving — Dorian Lynskey * Guardian * A vivid and important collection of essays that corrects the caricatures and shows the value of public servants… these are vivid stories, identifying unusual and low-profile work requiring great levels of commitment and expertise… these stories refute the suggestion that the only role of public services is to correct markets… public services create good, even great, outcomes for society — Paschal Donohoe * The Irish Times * As a celebration of the quiet heroism of those whose painstaking work is being laidwaste by Elon Musk’s chainsaw, it’s powerful * The FT *