We’re doing a new thing, chicken wing, and you’re invited.
Clutch Justice is launching a book club for truth seekers, justice nerds, and anyone who’s tired of power getting a pass. Each month, we’ll read something in the genre of investigative journalism, memoirs, political exposés, and the books that crack open systems most folks would rather leave closed.
Think: less fluff, more fire.
First up? The Chickenshit Club by Jesse Eisinger.
From Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jesse Eisinger, a blistering account of corporate greed and impunity and the reckless, often anemic response from the Department of Justice.
Why were no bankers put in prison after the financial crisis of 2008? Why do CEOs seem to commit wrongdoing with impunity? The problem goes beyond banks deemed “too big to fail” to almost every large corporation in America – to pharmaceutical companies and auto manufacturers and beyond.
The Chickenshit Club – an inside reference to prosecutors too scared of failure and too daunted by legal impediments to do their jobs – explains why. A character-driven narrative, the book tells the story from inside the Department of Justice. The complex and richly reported story spans the last decade and a half of prosecutorial fiascos, corporate lobbying, trial losses, and culture shifts that have stripped the government of the will and ability to prosecute top corporate executives.
The book begins in the 1970s, when the government pioneered the notion that top corporate executives, not just seedy crooks, could commit heinous crimes and go to prison. The book travels to trading desks on Wall Street, to corporate boardrooms and the offices of prosecutors and FBI agents. These revealing looks provide context for the evolution of the Justice Department’s approach to pursuing corporate criminals through the early 2000s and into the Justice Department of today.
Exposing one of the most important scandals of our time, The Chickenshit Club provides a clear, detailed explanation as to how our Justice Department has come to avoid, bungle, and mismanage the fight to bring these alleged criminals to justice.
If you’ve ever wondered why Wall Street executives tanked the global economy and walked away without handcuffs or why corruption flourishes in high places while everyday people get locked up for crumbs, then The Chickensht Club isn’t just a must-read. It’s a manual for understanding the rot we’re wading through.
Pulitzer Prize-winning author Jesse Eisinger’s exposé takes its name from a phrase coined by former FBI Director James Comey, who once asked a room of prosecutors how many had ever lost a case. When no hands went up, he said, “Then you’re part of what I call the chickenshit club.” Why? Because prosecutors who are afraid to lose are often too afraid to take on the real power players.
Sound familiar? Because it is. It’s what clutch tackles on a daily basis because no one else will.
The book walks us through how the Department of Justice, once capable of taking down giants like Enron, wimped out and backed away from prosecuting truly harmful white-collar crime. Through meticulous research, insider interviews, and infuriating case studies, Jesse exposes the quiet dismantling of corporate accountability and how “too big to fail” became “too powerful to prosecute.”
For many of us at Clutch Justice, this hits home. We see firsthand how bold prosecution is reserved for the poor, the marginalized, or the system-impacted—while the rich and politically connected dodge consequences behind a curtain of legalese and campaign donations.
Eisinger doesn’t just illuminate the problem—he dares us to confront it.
Key Themes
- Why federal prosecutors stopped going after corporate executives
- The chilling effect of careerism inside the DOJ
- How legal frameworks like “deferred prosecution agreements” shield corporate crime
- The difference between law and justice when power enters the equation
Why Clutch Recommends It:
If you’re following my coverage of Michigan’s judicial double standards, political favoritism, or the revolving door between public office and private interests, this book gives you the historical context for why it keeps happening.
It’s deeply reported, darkly funny, and painfully necessary.
💬 My Favorite line so far:
The courts are expanding corporate rights, as companies exert great political power and dominate our policy discourse.
🪶 Join the conversation: What’s your favorite corruption-busting read?
Follow along with #ReadWithClutch, then reach out! Tell us what you think!
