Category: Non-Fiction

Book Review:

Government Girl: Young and Female in the White House

By Stacy Parker Aab

I can usually easily say whether I loved a book, hated it, or if it was just alright. Not the case with Government Girl. I had conflicting feelings about this book.  Let me explain.

Government Girl is the story of Stacy Parker Aab’s time working for the Clinton White House, from the time she began interning as a student through her brief professional career as an executive assistant. I enjoyed the glimpses into White House life and the major players at the time. The periods covering the Monica Lewinsky scandals and the feelings of White House staffers were particularly interesting to read.

However, this book tends to fall short of expectations. I appreciate seeing the rise of a student throughout the ranks and to a staff level, but too much emphasis was placed on these early years. Throughout these years, too much of the emphasis was on Parker Aab’s personal life (I didn’t expect quite so much talk about her boyfriends, or lack there of) and on her incredible naivete and idealism. For me, the last third of Government Girl was the best portion of the novel, where Parker Aab focuses on her job as a staffer, and not on idealism and her personal life.

Recommendation? I honestly can’t say whether I would recommend this book to others. It was an interesting read, but perhaps would be better suited and more enjoyable for a junior high schooler with less expectations.

Grade: C

Book Review:

Covert: My Years Infiltrating the Mob

By Bob Delaney with Dave Scheiber

*******

“There are three groups of people you don’t mess with in this world – the FBI, the Mafia, and NBA refs.” Mike Schuler, NBA head coach, p. 223

*******

My husband asked Santa for Covert this past Christmas, and I immediately knew I wanted to steal it from him. It is the story of Bob Delaney, aka Bobby Covert, a New Jersey state trooper who is asked to go undercover just shortly after he joins the state troopers. In this new assignment, Delaney teams with other state troopers and the FBI (cooperation that was almost unheard of at the time) in Project Alpha, an effort better understand the inner workings of the mob and to make a serious dent in NJ’s organized crime. Over three years, Delaney starts and becomes president of a Jersey-based trucking company while wearing a wire and gathering evidence against the mobsters that plague the Jersey Shore.

Covert stands out not because it is a true crime novel, but because you can see, as you’re reading, the battles Delaney/Covert undergoes as he swings between his identity as a trooper and a mobster. He suffers from guilt at prosecuting mobsters who had become friends. He is unable to express his emotions after so long of suppressing them.

It was difficult for Delaney to readjust to ordinary life after his undercover left, but a few choice confidants and his “hoops therapy” (p. 185) allow him to get back to normal life. For several years, Delaney splits his time with the state troopers and reffing all levels of basketball, eventually becoming a full-time NBA ref.

Recommendation: While I was drawn to the book when my husband got it, I was a little doubtful I would enjoy it. It ended up being a great book. Delaney’s undercover assignment and his life after the assignment wasn’t romanticized like so many stories today. Delaney’s story was fascinating and well-told. I’d definitely recommend this book to anyone interested in true crime or memoirs.

Grade: B+

Genre: True Crime, Biography, Sports