elusivity's review
3.0
2.5 STARS
Inasmuch as one could read this semi-fictional, gossipy cash-grab, I've read it. I didn't expect this to be more than what it is. As result, I am reasonably happy to have spent a couple of hours flipping through this book. It warrants no more attention than that.
Inasmuch as one could read this semi-fictional, gossipy cash-grab, I've read it. I didn't expect this to be more than what it is. As result, I am reasonably happy to have spent a couple of hours flipping through this book. It warrants no more attention than that.
mistercrow's review
3.0
DNF - sorry but there is just so much of Trump that I can put up with at the moment.
I’ll also note that some of the writing feels speculative to me as there are no footnotes/citations to certain aspects of the book that feel entirely made up. An example of that are phone calls that Trump makes with others; how does Wolf know what the other person on the phone has said? This isn’t clarified.
I’ll also note that some of the writing feels speculative to me as there are no footnotes/citations to certain aspects of the book that feel entirely made up. An example of that are phone calls that Trump makes with others; how does Wolf know what the other person on the phone has said? This isn’t clarified.
alisarae's review
Basically just confirmation of what we've known all along: the White House is in complete chaos, with inexperienced power-hungry factions grabbing as much as they can before they are pushed out or (hopefully) imprisoned. Don't come to this book looking for analysis or new info; this is a chronological order of events with brief backgrounds on the main players. For an essential read-along with deeper analysis and criticism, see Seth Abramson's thread: https://twitter.com/SethAbramson/status/949330818056454145
The best thing this book did for me was crystalize the term "neoliberal" that I see thrown around so much (no discussion of this in the book btw; I was just thinking about it). Ivanka and Jared are the personification of this: progressive on the streets and same-old same-old in the sheets. According to Wolff, it was Ivanka's idea to trade DACA for the border wall, for starters.
So, meh, can be skipped, but good that it exists for posterity's sake.
The best thing this book did for me was crystalize the term "neoliberal" that I see thrown around so much (no discussion of this in the book btw; I was just thinking about it). Ivanka and Jared are the personification of this: progressive on the streets and same-old same-old in the sheets. According to Wolff, it was Ivanka's idea to trade DACA for the border wall, for starters.
So, meh, can be skipped, but good that it exists for posterity's sake.
comrademonkey's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
4.0
trabska's review against another edition
1.0
Nie jestem pewna, czy książka ta faktycznie zatrzęsła tak murami Białego Domu jak to jest zapowiadane. W 2020 roku, wszystko co jest w niej opisane, jest też powszechnie wiadome. Przeciwnicy prezydenta, ludzie którym zaszedł za skórę wprost opowiadają o tym jakim człowiekiem jest i jakie afery wzbudza. Zresztą on sam o wielu rzeczach mówi wprost, mimo, że mógłby się ugryźć w język.. Nie wydaje mi się, żeby na początku było to ukrywane lepiej. Dodatkowo sposób w jaki jest to napisane, naprawdę nudzi i nie wzbudza wielu emocji, a to można uznać jedynie za porażkę autora. Przecież wszyscy szykowali popcorn... Rzucanie nazwiskami na prawo i lewo, nazwiskami z których spora część nie powie nic Amerykanom (tak podejrzewam) a co dopiero nam Polakom. Kwestia Rosji, została poruszona w takim stopniu, że wręcz można stwierdzić, nie została poruszona wcale. Nie można tego określić inaczej niż jako ogromne rozczarowanie.
Trump jest totalnym ignorantem, kocha sławę, poklask i władzę. Nikt by się nie spodziewał. Każdy, kto choć trochę interesuje się tematem polityki, Stanów Zjednoczonych czy choćby celebryctwa wszelkiego, wie, że dla Trumpa bycie prezydentem to drugorzędna lub nawet trzeciorzędna rola (zaraz po byciu celebrytą i królem Twittera). To, że ten kraj jeszcze jako tako funkcjonuje, a Biały Dom wciąż stoi w miarę nienaruszonym przez ego prezydenta stanie - nic tylko bić brawo.
Trump jest totalnym ignorantem, kocha sławę, poklask i władzę. Nikt by się nie spodziewał. Każdy, kto choć trochę interesuje się tematem polityki, Stanów Zjednoczonych czy choćby celebryctwa wszelkiego, wie, że dla Trumpa bycie prezydentem to drugorzędna lub nawet trzeciorzędna rola (zaraz po byciu celebrytą i królem Twittera). To, że ten kraj jeszcze jako tako funkcjonuje, a Biały Dom wciąż stoi w miarę nienaruszonym przez ego prezydenta stanie - nic tylko bić brawo.
missamandamae's review
3.0
Well, I read the thing. Having seen a few of Wolff's media appearances, I have to agree with him on one point - not a lot of this surprised me. Some anecdotes were certainly new, but the overall message is one I'm well familiar with. But this being the *IT* book of the month I had to read it. Coming from a librarian perspective, I have gotten more than a handful of requests from patrons (usually young moms) who say, "I need to catch up on current events for the last three years. What book should I read?" It's a very difficult question to answer, and I try to lead them to signing up for newspaper newsletters. But this book offers a pretty clear timeline of events of the Trump administration thus far (with a distinct bias and POV, of course) that gives someone out of the loop some idea of things to Google.
It was in need of another copyedit, but they had to rush this to print, so I get it. I would appreciate if the author released at least some of the taped conversations to corroborate some of the information in the book, but we're already seeing the fruit of his labors, with me getting push notifications as I finish the book that Bannon is leaving Breitbart.
It was in need of another copyedit, but they had to rush this to print, so I get it. I would appreciate if the author released at least some of the taped conversations to corroborate some of the information in the book, but we're already seeing the fruit of his labors, with me getting push notifications as I finish the book that Bannon is leaving Breitbart.
marisareads82's review
1.0
It’s very, very unlike me to give up on a book before finishing it, but I quit about 40% of the way through this. It was apparent that Mr. Wolff would never substantiate his claims. I lost patience.
Many more qualified journalists have written credible accounts of President Trump’s incompetence, misogyny, racism and self-involvement. This book is superfluous at best, an extended gossip-rag story with the breathless writing of someone more interested in his own access and celebrity than getting to the truth and shining a light on a democracy in crisis.
Many more qualified journalists have written credible accounts of President Trump’s incompetence, misogyny, racism and self-involvement. This book is superfluous at best, an extended gossip-rag story with the breathless writing of someone more interested in his own access and celebrity than getting to the truth and shining a light on a democracy in crisis.