Date: 29 May 2022
Location: Joyce
We finally had another live meeting of the Bookers, with 14 of us gathering in Joyce’s backyard on a warm Sunday afternoon. Several of us had tested positive for covid and had been in isolation for a while, and it was especially nice for us to be allowed to rejoin humanity.
Unfortunately, the nonfiction The Hardest Job in the World by John Dickerson was not a very successful selection for our readings. Only one person read the entire book, and only about six actually read at least part of it.
I guess there were several reasons for this: most of us are disgusted with the current political environment and didn’t want to wallow further into it in a very political book; the book is very long and repetitive; the weather has been nice and people just found more enjoyable ways to spend their time.
This is unfortunate because Dickerson is a very likable journalist, and he obviously put a huge effort into the work. He cited many, many examples of how the roles and expectations of the president have greatly expanded over the years. Nevertheless, a president’s ability to actually get things accomplished have not kept up with the expectations. This is somewhat due to the bloated bureaucracy of the federal government and perhaps even more so by the extreme party polarization throughout the country, most especially in the US congress.
There is just so much information in this book. It would be better served if you read only a chapter or two a week and then think about what you had read for a while.
— Bob