Into the Wood Chipper by Nicholas Enrich

“A gripping page-turner that doubles as both a warning and an inspiration.” —Samantha Power, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Problem from Hell

Some books you read for escape. This one you read to understand the moment we’re living in.

Nicholas Enrich had finally landed his dream job: lead official for global health at USAID. Then came January 2025, the second Trump inauguration, and the arrival of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Almost overnight, the agency Enrich had devoted his career to was being dismantled. The name was stripped from the building. Lifesaving aid was halted. People around the world began to die.

Faced with a choice between his career and his conscience, Enrich did something extraordinary. He wrote the memos. He blew the whistle.

Placed on administrative leave, Enrich watched as his documents went viral, revived hundreds of canceled aid projects, and were cited in a Supreme Court case challenging USAID’s dissolution. He became one of the first federal officials to publicly sound the alarm on DOGE’s destruction, a warning bell for every agency that would soon find itself in the crosshairs.

What makes Into the Wood Chipper so riveting is its intimacy. Enrich pulls you into the rooms where shockingly callous decisions were made, where careers were broken, and where millions of lives hung in the balance.

Urgent. Human. Unflinching. This is essential reading for anyone trying to make sense of how quickly an institution—and the people it serves—can be lost.

A bracing new release for our nonfiction shelf. Stop in and pick up a copy, or have us ship one your way.

Additional information