For a country deeply in need of many truth-tellers to come forward with evidence of wrongdoing in corporate America that is hidden behind walls of wealth, power, and secrecy: the Government Accountability Project’s The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide: A Handbook for Committing the Truth, gets a “starred” review in the Library Journal.

Great work by authors Tom Devine and Tarek Maassarani.

Library Journal review, May 15:

Devine, Tom & Tarek F. Maassarani. The Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide: A Handbook for Committing the Truth. Berrett-Koehler, dist. by Ingram. 2011. c.288p. bibliog. index. ISBN 9781605099866. pap. $19.95. BUS

Devine and Maassarani present a handy guide (written in cooperation with the Government Accountability Project, for which Devine is legal director and Maassarani former litigator) full of practical considerations and suggestions as well as examples of whistle-blowers’ experiences. The admirably pragmatic chapters cover such topics as how to decide whether the wrongdoing witnessed is worth reporting, the tactics used by corporations and others to intimidate and marginalize whistle-blowers, how to create appropriate support networks, and the best ways to back up one’s whistle-blowing (and to whom one should blow the whistle). The book concludes with a meaty “Toolkit” that offers tips on filing an official Sarbanes-Oxley complaint, filing Freedom of Information Act requests, and using the appropriate federal statutes.

VERDICT: This is an important (and cost-effective) book for libraries to own; it well covers a subject that, understandably, potential whistle-blowers may not want to look up on the Internet, particularly on their work computers. Managers might also do well to familiarize themselves with this book, as the authors suggest that most whistle-blowers would prefer to work through official and company channels to resolve their issues (for both their peace of mind and the good of the organization).—Sarah Statz Cords, The Reader’s Advisor Online

Earlier posts:

Corporate Whistleblower’s Survival Guide released

Government Whistleblower Protection: the Long Ignored Way to Better Connect the Dots

Category Archive: Whistleblowers

Climate Science Watch is a sponsored project of the Government Accountability Project. GAP is the nation’s leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization. Founded in 1977, its mission is to promote corporate and government accountability by protecting whistleblowers, advancing occupational free speech, and empowering citizen activists.