Title: Confessions of an Accidental Scholar
Author: Tom Corbett
Publisher: Hancock Press
ISBN: 194800030X
Pages: 684
Genre: Non-Fiction
Reviewed by: Aaron Washington

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The five parts in the book generally cover the modes of handling public policy, how to take care of social issues and what the future holds. Confessions of an Accidental Scholar glows of intelligence from page one. I can say without a doubt that I gained a lot of knowledge from this book. The subjects author Tom Corbett tackled were both relevant and deep. The first thing that had me hooked was how the author narrated his relationship with numbers. Tom Corbett briefly talked about his high school algebraic challenges and how social problems are solved.

Part Two of the book is titled ‘Thinking Bigger About Some Things.’ I was impressed that the author started by quoting Lao Tzu; ‘If you do not change direction, you may end up where you are heading.’ That quote resonated with me on a personal level. In this part, the author talks about his personal life, career and his thoughts on policy work. The author discussed how people obsess about broad, normative assertions or narrow, programmatic details in regard to policy dialogue instead of looking at the bigger picture in a practical and beneficial manner.

One important part in chapter four was the author’s take on the new face of social assistance. Tom Corbett noted that the new face incorporates varied and multiple goals including work, marriage, fertility decisions which are more prudent, better parenting, and included a number of targets like adult recipients, children, non-recipients, families, fathers, and communities. He further noted the new face depends on complex, behavior-focused programs which tend to be dynamic and longitudinal i.e. those that seek fundamental change over time in those served. This part of the book was one of my favorite reads.

Tom Corbett is a brilliant writer. Any reader can attest that through his writing, Corbett is knowledgeable in his field. When breaking down points, the author wrote as if he was targeting the youngest readers. One can comprehend the subject matter without having to re-read some of his sentiments, because of how clear he is. His inclusion of a few historical facts was also a plus. I enjoyed reading about 1987 Wisconsin Governor Thompson and how he treated welfare as a crisis requiring instant remedies. The author also wrote about how the war on poverty started in the 1960s.

From Considering The Policy Arts, Thinking Bigger About Some Things, Pursuing a Holy Grail to Reason and the Doing of Policy, the author extensively covered this vast topic that is public policy. His writing is excellent. I could feel his thoughts as I read through every chapter. Reading this book will automatically make you more aware of things in the society in which you probably never paid attention to. Confessions of an Accidental Scholar is an original book. Tom Corbett blended the academic, professional and personal perspectives when writing about the subject matter. I would recommend this book to any scholar who has an interest in the subject of doing policy.