The Fifth Risk Book Reviews

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Government is us!. Love the deep dives into various government organizations. They’re filled with such amazing, talented and dedicated Americans. So interesting! Feels like a novel, reads like a thriller. But it’s true!

Good, but misleading about the book’s theme. I thought this book was more about the Trump administration not staffing various positions in the federal government. Instead it was a fascinating look at what leads various government employees to do what they do, and how important (and underappreciated) their jobs are. In that regard, the book was fascinating.

Promising setup, incomplete finish. Full of interesting anecdotes and Lewis’ energetic style. And quite revealing as to Trump’s approach to transition (there wasn’t any) and some key appointees (figureheads at best). Many cabinet positions and departments were not addressed. And ones that were...maybe more on what might be the long term impact of the ignorance in DC. Entertaining and fast, but wanted more.

Best and lovely. Best and lovely book ever

A wonderful book!. If you are curious about the inner workings of our government institutions read this book. A easy read that pays homage to the often overlooked and underappreciated public servants who keep our massive infrastructure safe. I can't imagine privatizing one of these institutions, something's do not belong in a capitalist hands.

The Fifth Risk. Some points in the book became slow and tedious. Not crazy about this one.

Frightening but pleasantly insightful. I highlighted very liberally reading this. The core premise - that the United States government is something that most people really don't understand, or understand the ways they depend and have depended on it, and that the Trump administration is dedicated to staying ignorant even as they're charged with running it - is very effectively communicated. But what's more, Lewis - as he always does - is extremely adept at actually educating you in the process and making you care about the things he cares about. Some of his personal portraits, too... Fantastic book. If you want to better understand some of the pieces of our government, and understand the stakes of placing them in the hands of inept cronies... read it.

Another Winner. Mr. Lewis does it again. One of my favorite authors.

Goosebumps at the end. Wow, what a great book. I always pick books that I feel might test my political views, most of them do for a day two, this one continues to resinate.

Horrible. Awful attempt to persuade reader that government is useful. Private enterprise would do a better job if given the same footing! Johnny spastic

The Fifth Risk. As a young journalist, I was told there are no dull stories, just dull writers. Lewis takes what would be a dull subject, the energy and commerce departments, and makes it exciting, including tornado chasing by the National Weather Service. My only complaint is the book is fairly short.

Great summary of the impact of a ignorant government.. Clearly identifies long term risks of the ignorance of the current government And how that may play out. Truly troubling to hear what the true impact of a 4 year trump presidency will be.

The Fifth Risk. Surprising and revealing. Our government is actually a wonder - and I never knew. Seems the current Administration is happy to sit in the dark.

Yes, yes, Trump is evil…we get it.. Yawn. Another boring Trump is so dumb, and the people who support him—ugh, so gross! Whereas, the eternally employed, never fired, bureaucrats who staff the behemoth that represents the modern state? Wow, they’re so great. And handsome/beautiful. And smart. Not once, not on any page of this book does the author take a step back and ask pertinent questions about the alleged horrors he imagines are assaulting the great, hulking edifice of the U.S. government. Why, for example, are there not enough appointees? (Answer: because the great bureaucratic behemoth purposely withholds necessary clearances, and those who make it past the post find themselves under constant harassment and bogus HR and Inspector General investigations.) Why do appointees discard briefing materials? (Answer: they’re written by the permanent bureaucracy, to benefit the bureaucracy and its nefarious outside lobbyist cabal.) Why are important programs being gutted? (Answer: because they aren’t important, are duplicated throughout the various departments of the U.S. Government, and waste untold billions of dollars on bureaucratic overhead.) Why aren’t the experts listened to by the barbarians at the gate? (Answer: because those experts got us into two 20 year wars that never seem to end, and bailed out the wretched Wall Street banksters who have hallowed out the country, but who never have to pay the price for their gambling.) All-in-all a boring, pedantic waste of time to make the author feel good about himself and his virtue. Yawn.

Interesting narrative, interesting thesis, but...... Is this a book? I read this in e-book form so when it ended, I was surprised. Lewis's thesis is not fully-fleshed out, but is well-supported in parts. No real conclusions or predictions or parallels to other branches of government--why or why not.

Okay. Blah

The Fifth Risk by Lewis. Against his other works, this is thin. In the discussion of the WIPP accident, Mr Lewis fails to ascribe the responsibility to the fool of a federal purchasing agent at LANL who saved a few dollars buying organic cat litter when federal P&P stipulated otherwise. The contractor can only execute as directed by P&P; not make policy. The explosion in barrel #6866o is classic governmental bungled lack of accountability and transparency.

Enlightening & Breathtaking. The Fifth Risk, the new book by Michael Lewis (Liar’s Poker, Moneyball, The Big Short), is a tour de force. His main message is that our federal government does a lot of good things that we don’t understand or properly appreciate; and that we have a lot of smart, decent, mission driven people working in it. That’s 90% of his message. The other 10% pans the incoming Trump administration for being unwilling and unable to grasp this or manage it. Leaving his politics aside, his stories about people and functions within relatively obscure agencies like Agriculture, Energy and Oceanic/Atmospheric are enlightening and breathtaking.

Disappointing. I am a big fan of Michael Lewis. I re-read the Big Short a number of times. As a Fed for over a decade, I was so disappointed in this book. Lewis was played by a number of bureaucrats he interviewed. He failed to understand their incentives and they failed to recognize their role in our representative government. No one elected them, no one made them infallible. Indeed, as the pandemic laid bare for many of us, the bureaucracy was as much a let down as any other decision makers involved. The CDC failed to do its job in the most basic ways: testing, contact tracing, you name it. Although it was fashionable to lay blame at the foot of others, our bureaucrats should shoulder blame too. Lewis’s analysis leaves little room for error at this level and that disappointed me. I thought he would see through the bureaucracy like he does Wall Street, but alas that was not to be.

Boring!. I can’t figure out what the point of this book is. It’s just a few interviews with some civil-service workers whom Lewis seems to have selected at random. They’re all unhappy with the Trump administration because there is no direction from above. I get that, but Lewis makes that point in the first few pages. After that, it just rambles along with one pointless anecdote after another.

The Fifth Risk. What a great presentation of facts, people and circumstances into a story that is hard to put down. As scary as many of the details are...it’s important for all Americans to understand the current state and the amazing people that have insured our safety and security throughout their service to our country and communities. Well done...I only hope Mr. Lewis gets on more shows to share his findings. I see another movie in the making soon.

Worth Reading. Another insightful book from Michael Lewis. He took what most of us would consider a boring subject and made it interesting. Americans should be happy with the government we have. Too many of us have succumbed to the propoganda of idealogues.

Somewhat of a bait and switch. As I read the sample section this book had my full attention. Shortly after I downloaded and paid for it ,the focus shifted and became less interesting. I thought it was going to describe the mindset of the Donald. I was bored all the way to the finish line or in this case the cash register. Come on Mike you can do better than this!

Okay but Narrow. Of course the job Trump’s tradition “team” did and did not not do was abominable, but the book focused on three narrow instances. Although these are likely microcosms of all the agencies experiences during the transition, other examples would have been more helpful rather than dedicating 1/3 of the book on the NOAA, despite the value of its data. The author lost me when he condemned the Ferguson police and referred to Michael Brown as an unarmed and innocent teenager. Showed explicit bias that cast doubt on every other assertion in the book, even though I have heard other evidence supporting the inept transition process. Meh book.

The Fifth Risk - A Serious Focus on Our Government. Michael Lewis is a wonderful storyteller, who will definitely raise your interest and will not disappoint you. ‘The Fifth Risk’ sets the bar high from the beginning, as he highlights the importance of the national security functions that the majority of our two million federal workers carry out and that we depend on around the clock, safeguarding our homes, maintaining nuclear weapons, our national security and our economic opportunities. As a 43-year veteran of federal service, I am pleased to hear him objectively describe and praise the people and the processes of government. He describes our dedicated professionals, who range from administrators to astronauts, that work to make life better for all of our citizens no matter their roots or their aspirations. As Lewis says, our government has managed a portfolio of risks that no private person or corporation is able to manage; ‘the risk we should most fear is not the risk we easily imagination. It is the risk that we don’t.’ His perspective of our country’s opportunities gained and threatened by changing political processes in recent years offers readers a great deal of food for thought both as citizens and individuals as we pursue our lives and careers and plan for our alternative futures. His clear vision makes me wonder just how closely his descriptions reflect the actual events described. I believe that Americans across the land will appreciate this snapshot of our government at work. Bob Magnant is the author of ‘INCREDIBLE Storytelling' on iTunes, 'Domestic Satellite: An FCC Giant Step' and 'The Last Transition...', a fact-based novel about Iran. He writes about the political process, globalization, the Internet and US policy.

The Fifth. I liked prior books of the writer - but not this one. Just a big defense of big government and I tuned it out very quickly. If you love big government and how much they waste your money - you will like this book.

Half A Book. OK, we know the Trump administration is a clueless reality show, but I didn’t need to know that much about the inner workings of NOAA. Most of it a very boring read. JimValTenn

A bit thin.. I am a democrat, but blaming the right for this level of complexity is absurd. One or two managers out of 100,000 do not matter a bit. Please check on how long it took prior administrations took to build cabinets. In short, a very thin book with biased and thinner arguments. Remember, I am the resistance!

I really love Lewis’s writing but..... ...this one seemed phoned in. First disappointment in a long time, including older books like “Losers”, which I went back and read. Like Billy Beane, no one can be perfect forever.

Good read. Extremely eye opening.. Slow but satisfying. The author has a knack for shedding light on the unnoticed facets of our government. And the negligence that they are faced with in this administration.

The Fifth Risk - Michael Lewis. Not his best, story went no where but was still worth the read given the political situation we are all in and concern over government working for the people. Support NOAA and any other government agency you rely on, we all do and may not know it.

Buy this book as fast as you can!. EVERY American should read this book and take in the material with an open mind. If we don’t we will truly be doomed.

Michael Lewis’s ode to the value of good government. I’ve read every book by Michael Lewis and while this one is not his best, it is a beautifully crafted single person perspective on the value of good government and the people that make incredibly positive contributions to our lives, often without recognition.

another useless liberal rant. when will intelligent people realize liberal governing elites care only about themselves? This is just another rant without an understanding that many many government posts are nothing but patronage.

A Lewis Flop. I have always enjoyed ML’s books and agreed with and learned things. This one was a flop!! Michael I’m sorry you don’t like President Trump, at least half of the country loves him. He won and I’m guessing your candidate lost. Go back to your old style of writing and keep your political beliefs to yourself.

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Good book but lost its focus at end. I thought that generally this was a good book that revealed some very disturbing examples about how the Trump administration is managing it’s departments and agencies from a political, as opposed to an operational perspective. It is frightening to learn how this singular re-focus has the potential of reducing or eliminating many of the excellent US government programs and information (data) sources, for political (and politically driven philosophic)reasons alone. The fact that (as detailed in the book) most of the Trump appointees have absolutely no clue about the nature of the public service they have been appointed, or their goals; and the reality that they do not appear to really care about them; or have appropriate backgrounds to run the government venture, is both disconcerting and disheartening. As a Canadian, I have perceived this to be the case from anecdotal evidence I have been made aware of, but this book confirms it to be true, with real examples. The Canadian, Merit Based Public Service is a superior model as senior portfolio’s are generally not staffed with “political hacks” every election cycle. A much more professional staffing model based on the British Parliamentary system. I thought the book was pretty good but seemed to lose it’s thematic focus about 3/4 of the way through the book. But overall a very interesting read.

Somewhat disappointed.... First chapter & half of the second one are fascinating - especially caught my attention what describing what is the "fifth risk". Rest of the book meanders into story-telling, only loosely related to the subject with no concluding remarks