Stivers (public administration, Cleveland State U.) considers the function of public service as a means to connect with the public so that they can express their opinions and confront issues such as 9/11 and how they affect their lives. She describes the philosophical assumptions that underpin the current mode of governance, which leaves citizens without a public space to voice their ideas and concerns, and recommends alternatives. She juxtaposes issues of terrorism and its relationship to Enlightenment ideals, the nature of torture and the truth, and security vs. freedom, as well as discussing pragmatism and ethics in public service, and the related ideas of thinkers like Kant, Foucault, John Dewey, and Hannah Arendt. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)