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teokajlibroj's review against another edition
3.0
One thing I noticed in this book and in "Fear" is Woodward's reliance on sources. Unfortunately, I think he relies too heavily on them and allows his sources to paint themselves in the best light. It's easy to know who his sources are because they get a huge amount of positive detail about their thoughts and feelings. No context is provided, so if his sources thinks something is a good idea, Woodward doesn't challenge it.
Woodward gets tunnel vision on certain issues, like foreign policy (perhaps because those are his sources) and dedicates a huge amount of time to them while completely ignores everything else. This book is remarkable for the number of interviews Trump did with him, however because Trump has no self-awareness these interviews don't provide much insight.
This was a quick and mostly enjoyable read but it didn't tell us that much new.
Woodward gets tunnel vision on certain issues, like foreign policy (perhaps because those are his sources) and dedicates a huge amount of time to them while completely ignores everything else. This book is remarkable for the number of interviews Trump did with him, however because Trump has no self-awareness these interviews don't provide much insight.
This was a quick and mostly enjoyable read but it didn't tell us that much new.
smurf2416's review against another edition
3.0
I thought this was better than Fear. The first 40ish% is booooring. But as soon as the book turns to North Korea and the COVID-19 pandemic, it becomes a lot more interesting. Neither Trump nor Bob Woodward come across as likeable people.
underwaterlily's review against another edition
4.0
My eyes glazed over as I read multiple sections of this book. (Though the love letters from Kim Jong Un are wild!) It’s not Bob Woodward’s fault—Trump talks in circles and believes he’s the savior of the world. At one point, he tells Woodward, “I’ve done a tremendous amount for the Black community….And honestly, I’m not feeling any love.” How do you get a low empathy, self-centered president to admit he’s your typical white supremacist to admit he has privilege and has made missteps with the virus response? Woodward’s frustration is palpable. Perhaps it’s why, in the end, Woodward states, “Trump is the wrong man for the job.”
wooknight's review against another edition
5.0
Possibly the least offensive statement in the book
https://www.wral.com/why-jared-kushner-suggests-reading-alice-in-wonderland-if-you-want-to-understand-trump/19277879/
https://www.wral.com/why-jared-kushner-suggests-reading-alice-in-wonderland-if-you-want-to-understand-trump/19277879/
howardtaftmd's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
4.0
rpych2's review against another edition
4.0
I said after reading Woodward’s first book on Trump’s presidency, Fear, that things were so much worse than I had thought. This book elicits a similar reaction, because it delves into the ongoing responses to the COVID-19 pandemic and police brutality that has made the Black Lives Matter movement more widespread. It also features actual Trump interviews with Woodward, which are somehow both eye opening and not surprising in the slightest. All of the idiotic terms he uses for his base (crooked Hillary, Chinese virus, fake news, etc.) he uses in normal conversation as well. Which is downright alarming that he’s honestly convinced himself that he’s correct and that he isn’t lying to the American people.
A lot of things he says in this book make him come across as anything from a moron to a psychopath. Take for example, an interview that Woodward has with him just after the murder of George Floyd. It is downright moronic to say that he’s done the most for the black community out of any President except for maybe Lincoln (which is an actual quote that isn’t paraphrased). But it’s downright psychotic to say that he hasn’t had any white privilege in his life and that wouldn’t affect his ability to see plight that black people have had to go through in this country (also a real thing he said).
It also talks a lot about his coronavirus response, which he apparently thinks he’s doing amazingly well with. The plan is basically to just open everything up and let it go away on its own, which if you’ve seen any of his press briefings is pretty much exactly what he’s communicating. I don’t know whether to say that he’s apathetic to the loss of American lives or simply more concerned with the economy, or both.
He’s done nothing for this country except create more divisiveness than could’ve been previously imagined at the start of his presidency. The biggest problem I have with this book is the people who need to read it won’t. His cult will see themselves as the heroes of the story no matter what happens, and they’ll do nothing to actually educate themselves on what he’s doing to destroy this country and undermine everything it stands for. So I’ll say one last thing for my American friends out there: please make sure you’re registered to vote and come Election Day flock to the polls, because we need to do something before we lose what’s left of this country.
A lot of things he says in this book make him come across as anything from a moron to a psychopath. Take for example, an interview that Woodward has with him just after the murder of George Floyd. It is downright moronic to say that he’s done the most for the black community out of any President except for maybe Lincoln (which is an actual quote that isn’t paraphrased). But it’s downright psychotic to say that he hasn’t had any white privilege in his life and that wouldn’t affect his ability to see plight that black people have had to go through in this country (also a real thing he said).
It also talks a lot about his coronavirus response, which he apparently thinks he’s doing amazingly well with. The plan is basically to just open everything up and let it go away on its own, which if you’ve seen any of his press briefings is pretty much exactly what he’s communicating. I don’t know whether to say that he’s apathetic to the loss of American lives or simply more concerned with the economy, or both.
He’s done nothing for this country except create more divisiveness than could’ve been previously imagined at the start of his presidency. The biggest problem I have with this book is the people who need to read it won’t. His cult will see themselves as the heroes of the story no matter what happens, and they’ll do nothing to actually educate themselves on what he’s doing to destroy this country and undermine everything it stands for. So I’ll say one last thing for my American friends out there: please make sure you’re registered to vote and come Election Day flock to the polls, because we need to do something before we lose what’s left of this country.