OnlineBookClub.org

[Following is the official OnlineBookClub.org review of "While We Sleep" by Alan R. Adaschik.]

While We Sleep by Alan R. Adaschik is a nonfiction book concerning the author's experience as a civil service worker and whistleblower.

While working for the City of Fort Lauderdale, Mr. Adaschik became aware of illegal dumping of a sewage plant. After reporting the incident, nothing was done to rectify the situation. Instead of compromising his integrity, like his supervisors expected, Mr. Adaschik got involved. While the law states that a whistleblower can not be punished for pointing out wrongdoing in a government organization, it is not strictly adhered to. As such, the author believes that because he reported the dumping, he was subjected to unfair treatment in the workplace which had a drastic impact on his career and personal life.

What does all that mean for us? It means that there are few people who will report illegal activity in government services because they know the damage it will cause to their career. It means corrupt and greedy people that hold the highest positions of authority get away with doing things that have a negative effect on civilian lives. It also means our government is no longer “of the people, by the people, and for the people”. If that doesn't make you concerned, I don't know what will!

I had heard good things about a different book by this author and was happy for the opportunity to read one of his works. Unfortunately, the way it is written interferes with what could be an amazing book. The majority of it is made up of the letters written back and forth between the author and his supervisors. The writing is formal and extremely tedious to read (think legal documents) as well as being repetitive. I felt like I had a pretty good understanding of things after reading a couple of the letters and was shocked to find out that there are about 10 chapters comprised almost completely of these letters. Because of the formal wording in them, I think I would have understood what was happening much better if they were excluded and the incident the author went through was simply summarized.

I understand the author is trying to be transparent and show the entire situation so that we can not doubt the truth if the matter, but I'm not sure giving so much information is helpful to the reader. The more I read, the more I lost track of the author's purpose in sharing his story. It would have been better if he summarized it and then included the letters as reference points for readers at the back of the book. That way if they need proof, they can have it without bogging down the entire book.

The last four chapters are the most enlightening. While the author does once again use numerous letters sent back and forth between himself and different government officials, I believe the real meat of the book rests in these chapters. I wish he had only included a few of the letters and spent more time discussing and explaining the issues. It makes me sick to my stomach to think about how easy it is for the government to get away with illegal activities and it is a matter I think every American should be aware of.

The saying goes, “A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” Unfortunately, this book lacks the sweetness needed to make its message easy to read and understand. For that reason, I can only give the book 2 out of 4 stars. However, there are some great points made by the author and I would recommend the final four chapters to any and every American citizen.

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While We Sleep
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Like Rachaelamb1's review? Post a comment saying so!

I enjoyed your thorough, insightful review, with good, constructive criticism.

I think Rachael did a good job on this review.

My book, “While We Sleep”, was written as a historical document in the hope that it would be used as text book in colleges and universities; this is why all the technical documentation was included. Having said this, Rachel also failed to mention that book was primarily about a grievance I filed as an employee of the City of Fort Lauderdale. Furthermore, the later part of the book focused up my suing our government, acting as Attorney Pro Se for the voting citizens of the United States. This lawsuit, filed in the Federal District of Miami, established that passage of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) and our resulting participation in the World Trade organization was unconstitutional and illegal. Finally, also left out of her review is the fact that I have dedicated this book to the people of this great Nation and in keeping with this have made “While We Sleep” available free of charge on the internet.

Other than these shortcomings, Rachael did a great job on this review.

That was a very honest review. The book sounds enlightening. Great job.

Sounds interesting! Thank you for the insightful review!

Thank you all for the kind comments!

I think this is a great review! I like that even though the book was hard to read, you recommended the part that you really liked to readers.

Thank you! I appreciate your comments!

Thank you for the review. This is a book that would peak my interest, even if some of it felt repetitive. I will be on the lookout for a copy to read. Thanks.

RosieTGK wrote:Thank you for the review. This is a book that would peak my interest, even if some of it felt repetitive. I will be on the lookout for a copy to read. Thanks.

Hope you like it!

Great Review! It is unfortunate that the book was difficult to read and repetitive. However, you still wrote an honest and thorough review. Good Job!