Sign-In
Cart
Average Civil Employee: A Novel of Bureaucratic Absurdities
Paperback
Publisher Price: $14.95
Publisher: River Grove Books
Published: Apr 21 2026
Pages: 200
Weight: 0.60
Height: 0.46 Width: 6.00 Depth: 9.00
Language: English
2026 International Book Awards Finalist in Humor/Comedy/Satire
The meeting had been a huge success, and there was no reason to focus on something insignificant like the fact that nothing was really accomplished.
Government employee Ace is trying to do good work and basically survive at his agency, despite a slew of efficiency mandates that actually make his job less efficient and put more personnel at risk for layoffs. When, in a moment of honesty, he expresses his frustration with the new counterproductive initiatives, he's pushed into an intervention. As part of his remediation, he must keep a journal to, in theory, help him be more appreciative. But instead, it gives him an outlet for his honest opinion on all the happenings-and people-in the office. And when he is unexpectedly thrust into a supervisory role, Ace learns that the only thing worse than working in a flawed bureaucracy may be trying to fix it.
Presented as a series of Ace's journal entries, Average Civil Employee pulls no punches as it critiques ill-conceived approaches to make the government more efficient. This satirical novel will have you laughing out loud at the absurd situations-and the reality-of Aces everywhere.
Also from
Wallace, Stephen J.
Also in
Humor
I Can't Believe I Did That: The Game That Gives You Points for Sharing Awkward, Awesome, and Unforgettable Memories: Card Games
Katcher, Neil
Nadelberg, David
Other
The Science Magpie: Fascinating Facts, Stories, Poems, Diagrams and Jokes Plucked from Science
Flynn, Simon
Paperback
How to Be a Cat: (Cat Books for Kids, Cat Gifts for Kids, Cat Picture Book)
Lazar, Ralph
Swerling, Lisa
Hardcover
The Chapo Guide to Revolution: A Manifesto Against Logic, Facts, and Reason
Chapo Trap House
Hardcover
Peculiar Questions and Practical Answers: A Little Book of Whimsy and Wisdom from the Files of the New York Public Library
New York Public Library
Hardcover
Wtf America?!: The Way Out of This Hell and Back to Democracy
Meiselas, Brett
Meiselas, Jordy
Meiselas, Ben
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Not Today, Fascists: The Lies That Got Us Here, and the Truths That Will Reunite Us
Welch, Jennifer
Hardcover
Pardon My Book: Ten Years of the Best (and Worst) in Sports from Pardon My Take
Big Cat
Commenter, Pft
Hardcover
Big Fan: Two Friends, 82,490 Miles, and the Wild, Wonderful Sports We Love
Schur, Michael
Posnanski, Joe
Hardcover
How to Grow Up Without Becoming a Grown-Up: Big Lessons from Little Kids
Shapiro-Barnum, Julian
Hardcover
We've Been Here the Whole Time!: A Not So Sacred Guide to All Things Native America
Clift, Joey
Paperback
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Five Novels in One Outrageous Volume
Adams, Douglas
Paperback
Black Out Loud: The Revolutionary History of Black Comedy from Vaudeville to '90s Sitcoms
Bennett, Geoff
Hardcover
The New Worst-Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Expert Advice for Extreme Situations
Piven, Joshua
Borgenicht, David
Hardcover
We Are the World (Cup): A Personal History of the World's Greatest Sporting Event
Bennett, Roger
Hardcover
There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent
Boozan, Glenn
Hardcover
Bake It Off: An Unofficial Taylor Swift-Inspired Cookbook for Every Era, from Breakfast to Midnights
Smith, Lindsey
Hardcover
Nobody Wants Your Sh*t: The Art of Decluttering Before You Die (New York Times Bestseller)
Condo, Messie
Hardcover
How to Talk to Your Cat about Gun Safety: And Abstinence, Drugs, Satanism, and Other Dangers That Threaten Their Nine Lives
Auburn, Zachary
Paperback