Rave Review
of
Congressional Deskbook
by Wisconsin Lawyer
The following review
appeared in
Wisconsin Lawyer, Vol. 76, No. 10, October 2003 Congressional
Deskbook 2003-2004 - 108th Congress By Michael L. Koempel & Judy
Schneider (Alexandria, VA: TheCapitol.Net, 2003). 656
pgs. $47.00. Order, www.congressionaldeskbook.com. Reviewed by Jenny Boese
Dwight Eisenhower once said "politics
ought to be the part-time profession of every
citizen...." Should you take that to heart, one book you
can read is the Congressional Deskbook. From detailed
information on the federal legislative process to the
interplay between the different branches of government,
the Congressional Deskbook provides a solid overview and
is a good, albeit hefty, read.
The book begins by providing a look
into the life - both the advantages and the pressures -
of those who serve in Congress. It proceeds by
organizing chapters around: support entities to
Congress; organization of Congress; in-depth description
of the federal legislative process; overview of federal
budget process; explanations of Congressional documents;
information resources; researching and tracking
Congressional action; and a case study to integrate
these chapters into a more understandable whole. A final
added bonus is the "back of the book" segment that
includes a glossary, eight appendices, and relevant Web
sites.
While many of the chapters can only
provide a cursory look at the issues or entities in
question, the meat of the book arguably comes from the
chapters explaining legislative processes. This is where
the book dives deeper into descriptions and terms.
Related chapters on information providers and
researching resources provide lots of useful
information. Because the book conveys a lot of valuable
information here, it can be text-heavy, but the use of
sidebars assists in directing attention to important
information or helps break it into more digestible
pieces.
Overall, the Congressional Deskbook
is an excellent resource for individuals seeking to
learn or expand their knowledge of Congress and our
system of lawmaking. What's best about the book is that
it puts so much valuable information into one place and
provides hundreds of additional resources, should the
reader desire to learn more.
Jenny Boese works in government
affairs at the U. S. Commission on International
Religious Freedom, Washington, D.C. She formerly was the
senior government relations coordinator at the State Bar
of Wisconsin.
Reprinted with permission from the October 2003 Wisconsin
Lawyer, the official publication of the State Bar of
Wisconsin, available online at
www.wisbar.org/wislawmag/2003/10/ .