Book: Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies: Scarecrows and Stupidity

by D.R. Cameron
Published by Cameron Narratives
Review by Toby A. Welch

Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies is a work of satirical fiction. That’s a new genre for me so I needed to get the lowdown. It turns out that satirical fiction is loosely defined as a work that ridicules a specific topic in order to provoke readers to change their thoughts and/or opinions on the topic. That works for me - bring it on!

I was clueless when I dove into this book so I was grateful for the preface that Cameron included before chapter one. I highly recommend you don’t skip the preface as it gives you a solid explanation of the treat that you are in for in the pages ahead.

The layout of this book makes it a joy to read. It’s broken up into short chapters, which I love. The font isn’t large but it’s not small either - my eyes were grateful. The frequent use of bullet points is aesthetically pleasing, breaking up the pages into easily digestible chunks.

Each chapter begins with dysfunctionality questions for you to keep in mind as you read the next few pages. I found them handy as they are subtle arrows pointing to what to be aware of or watch out for. It also keeps you thinking, a refreshing thing in a book these days when so many of them can be consumed mindlessly.

Cameron does a great job of crafting interesting characters for this piece of fiction. Most of the characters have a different professional designation: Builder, Caregiver, Grower, Human Behavior, Prosecutor, or Teacher. They are indicated in the book just by the first initial of the word after the name (for example: SophiaC and GloriaHB). It’s a unique way to lay things out. In case you forget what a designation is, there is a list at the front of the book before the preface.

As I made my way through Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies, I had a hunch that Cameron had intimate personal knowledge of how such organizations work. Sure enough, in the author section at the back of the book, Cameron mentions that he was involved in his local professional regulatory body. His experience shines through in every page.

I admire what I felt like Cameron was aiming for in these pages - a wake-up call for the readers to consider whether regulatory bodies have the public’s best interests uppermost or if their own self-interests are their number one priority. Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies certainly did inspire me to ruminate more about the topic so at least for this reader Cameron’s goal was accomplished.

If you have even a fleeting interest in the government regulation arena, even a fictitious one, pick up a copy of Dysfunctional Regulatory Bodies. Even if you don’t but enjoy satirical works, consider adding this to your 2023 reading list.

THIS BOOK IS AVAILABLE AT YOUR LOCAL BOOKSTORE OR FROM WWW.SKBOOKS.COM.