Scan barcode
lspargo's review
3.0
Interesting behind the scenes take on how impeachment came about, but there's not much new here.
empenn's review
4.0
I love Norm Eisen and really enjoyed his writing style in "The Last Palace." "A Case for the American People" was a high-drama inside look at the impeachment proceedings, and it was thrilling to hear all the dirty details that we, the public, could only speculate about in real time.
I think Eisen tried too hard to shoehorn what is really a memoir into this idea of making a case to the public; he awkwardly inserts "you, the American people" throughout as if to remind us (and himself) that this is was the premise of the book.
Eisen also casts himself in a starring role in the trial; he quotes Pelosi, Nadler, Schiff and others praising him for his work, and while he tries to be self-deprecating, it feels a little too self-congratulatory. While there's no doubt his work was invaluable to these historic proceedings, it further underscored how much this was a memoir, not really a case made to the public.
This is all forgivable, though; Eisen is an endearing and admirable figure, and the behind-the-scenes story of some of the most high-stakes weeks in American political history is worth the read.
I think Eisen tried too hard to shoehorn what is really a memoir into this idea of making a case to the public; he awkwardly inserts "you, the American people" throughout as if to remind us (and himself) that this is was the premise of the book.
Eisen also casts himself in a starring role in the trial; he quotes Pelosi, Nadler, Schiff and others praising him for his work, and while he tries to be self-deprecating, it feels a little too self-congratulatory. While there's no doubt his work was invaluable to these historic proceedings, it further underscored how much this was a memoir, not really a case made to the public.
This is all forgivable, though; Eisen is an endearing and admirable figure, and the behind-the-scenes story of some of the most high-stakes weeks in American political history is worth the read.
More...