My TNR colleague Noam Scheiber's new book, The Escape Artists: How Obama's Team Fumbled The Recovery, arrived today on my doorstep. I look forward to reading it; so far I've only had the chance to flip through. As a connoisseur of Washington book indexes, I judge Noam's very promising.
Sometimes I think there ought to be awards for book index entries. The best ones are tantalizingly elliptical micro-narratives that practically demand to be recited aloud, like a poem. In Noam's index I see many fine examples, including "Gensler, Gary, ambitions of," "Rubin, Robert, influence need of," and "Obama, Barack, Geithner liked by." Swirl those around in the back of your throat before swallowing. First prize, however, goes to "Summers, Larry, appearance and personal hygiene of."
Now go away, so I can plunge in.