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Rating: 
Summary: Brainy prof painlessly debunks gridlock assumptions
Review: I had very low expectations, to be sure. All said and done, however, this is a v. fine book, considering that my brother-in-law wrote it.But, really now. Even as a total non-scientist I actually did find the book (o-k, the parts I read) interesting and informative. And even though I of necessity skipped right past the math and grids and charts and doodles and stuff, the substance made sense because of "the author's" down-to-earth narrative style. (I suppose it may also have helped that he explained the whole theory, or as much as he thought his brother and I could grasp, over beers one night. Be that as it may.) I, under no threats or inducements, sincerely recommend this book to anyone interested in looking beyond the common assumption that Party X in the White House and Party Y controlling Congress ("divided government" I recall to be the super-duper scientific term) is likely to result in the dreaded Gridlock. Or the gridded Dreadlocks. Music Up: "It Ain't Necessarily So...."
Rating: 
Summary: OK, but see how laws are made in Congressional Deskbook
Review: Krehbiel's book is good, but if you want to know how Congress works, see the Congressional Deskbook, which is updated every two years. I became aware of the Congressional Deskbook because of a review in last December's CHOICE, which described it as "A valuable, detailed, and highly functional synthesis of information about the legislative branch. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All collections." The high praise in CHOICE is fully justified, and that is evidenced by the copies of the Deskbook that I have seen in many offices in different federal agencies in Washington, DC. The Congressional Deskbook is a unique compendium that puts an enormous amount of information about Congress in one place. The publisher, TheCapitol.Net, publishes a couple of excellent Congress-related items in addition to the Deskbook, including the unique Congressional Operations Poster. Their web site, thecapitol.net, has lots of useful links for anyone interested in Congress and the federal government. Your best bet is to buy this book and also get the Congressional Deskbook. And if you teach the legislative process, you should also look at the Congressional Operations Poster. You can see them at CongressionalDeskbook.com, or search Amazon for ISBN 1587330040
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