A fascinating account of the dramatic journey of a financial reform bill in the wake of the 2008 economic collapse that shows us just how Congress really works. Never before has the birth of a major bill been dissected in such vivid detail. Longtime Washington Post reporter Robert G. Kaiser focuses on two of the major players behind the legislation: colorful, wisecracking congressman Barney Frank, and careful, insightful senator Christopher Dodd, both of whom met regularly with Kaiser during the eighteen months they worked on the bill. In Kaiser's compelling narrative, staff play a critical role, writing the legislation and often making the crucial deals. Kaiser also had regular access to the key Republican actors in this story. This unusual access enables Kaiser to illuminate the often-hidden intricacies of legislative enterprise and shows us the workings of Congress in all of its complexity, a clearer picture than any we have had of how Congress works best--or sometimes doesn't work at all. Smart, incisive, urgent, Act of Congress is a revelatory study of one of America's most misunderstood institutions.