Behind the Scenes!

I don't know if you have noticed, but I am suddenly really into books that give behind-the-scenes accounts of current events. I loved The Nine and Game Change and Too Big to Fail is really good so far. And now, I am getting pretty excited about Bob Woodward Obama's Wars.

A year ago I would not have considered reading a Bob Woodward book. At the time, his books seemed gossipy and too "inside baseball". I wanted books about policy, not petty politics. But while I still like policy books, I am pushing a lot of other books aside to read these inside accounts.

I think the new interest in this sort of book has two sources. First, the books are usually pretty breezy, as non-fiction goes. This means that after an intense day at work, I can still manage to read and comprehend these books on my commute home.

But more importantly, I think seeing the inner-workings of other elected officials - or organizations that have a public impact - is fascinating now that I work for an elected official. I can compare what is happening in these books to what is happening at work. As I continue to get my bearings in a political institution, these books provide additional lessons. And I can't seem to get enough of it.

(By the way, I love that some of the coverage talks about the decision to work with Woodward or not. Some people have thought by bringing him in, they could control the story. But you can also see that shutting him out doesn't keep him from getting information. Washington is abuzz to see how Obama will be portrayed.)