National Review columnist Jim Geraghty’s latest book, “The Weed Agency: A Comic Tale of Federal Bureaucracy Without Limits,” is a satirical and comical fictional story about federal bureaucracy and how hopeless it can be. Starting from the Agency of Invasive Species’ head Adam Humphrey to disgruntled ex-Silicon Valley startup employee-turned-government-consultant Ava Summers to ex-congressman Nicholas Bader, you get a wide range of emotions, narrative and outbursts throughout the book.
Although it presents a very light story about federal bureaucracy, the book’s undertone remains true: federal bureaucracy is burdensome and slow to change regardless of who becomes president or enters Congress. The ridiculousness of the characters exaggerates the bureaucratic mess, to a point, but does display the reality of Washington, D.C.’s bureaucratic largesse. It even places dates corresponding with events, complete with the U.S. national debt and the budget of the fictional Agency of Invasive Species.
If one is looking for a light and easy read, full of exaggerated gestures and conversation, along with some hint of truth about American bureaucratic governance, then read “The Weed Agency.” It is not a serious read by any stretch of the imagination, but it can be a refreshing take on Washington politics.
