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3.25 AVERAGE
3.25 AVERAGE
Wow...I think this should instead be titled: Not My Monkey, Not My Circus.
I enjoyed a moderate and pragmatic narrator, something that I feel has long been forgotten when talking about recent politics.
Incredibly entertaining and hilarious when you don't think about the fact these people are in charge of running one of the largest and most influential nations in the western world.
Bannon's epic rant against Jarvanka in Chapter 11 makes it so worth it, despite all the typos (for example, Bannon's "pubic" appearance mentioned in an early chapter).
That wore me out. Thankful to be done with it. I listened to this book vs read it and maybe it was the narrator’s tone, but he spoke awfully fast and filled just about every word with sensationalistic tone and energy... I thought this would be more hard cutting and a higher level of journalism. That said, how do you cover such current events given our climate right now? Perhaps he was trying to give the people what he thinks they want, but I have a greater hope for us as Americans.
informative
medium-paced
A book about Steve Bannon marketed as a book about Trump. Less about politics than an ensemble drama about the cast of characters occupying the 2017 Trump White House.
Trump is portrayed as a rampaging orangutan surrounded by a ragtag group of scheming grifters, idiots, and weirdos all hoping to use Trump's total lack of self control or knowledge on any topic of any kind to flatter and cajole him into making choices that further their own personal standing. Steve Bannon, Jared and Ivanka, and Reince Priebus collect allies and underlings and swap back and forth between undermining each other and briefly teaming up in various combinations to try to solidify their place in the White House and survive the whole four years (or at least survive long enough to leave on their own terms with a little dignity).
So the politics are really just background fodder for their self-interested small-scale power plays. Jared is making meetings with the Saudis to ostensibly establish peace in the middle east? Its to prove his worth to his father and law and undermine Bannon after Bannon's choice for a cabinet appointment was approved. Bannon is assembling lawyers to defend the president against allegations of Russian collusion? It's to establish a bigger footprint of influence by bringing in men that answer to and will be loyal to him after Priebus and McMaster convinced Trump to exclude him from a trip abroad. It's all for their own egos and we're just living the consequences.
That being said, I'd take the actual facts with a grain of salt. I've heard it has some things it gets wrong and it's definitely leaning more into the narrative and drama than rigorous journalistic standards.
Trump is portrayed as a rampaging orangutan surrounded by a ragtag group of scheming grifters, idiots, and weirdos all hoping to use Trump's total lack of self control or knowledge on any topic of any kind to flatter and cajole him into making choices that further their own personal standing. Steve Bannon, Jared and Ivanka, and Reince Priebus collect allies and underlings and swap back and forth between undermining each other and briefly teaming up in various combinations to try to solidify their place in the White House and survive the whole four years (or at least survive long enough to leave on their own terms with a little dignity).
So the politics are really just background fodder for their self-interested small-scale power plays. Jared is making meetings with the Saudis to ostensibly establish peace in the middle east? Its to prove his worth to his father and law and undermine Bannon after Bannon's choice for a cabinet appointment was approved. Bannon is assembling lawyers to defend the president against allegations of Russian collusion? It's to establish a bigger footprint of influence by bringing in men that answer to and will be loyal to him after Priebus and McMaster convinced Trump to exclude him from a trip abroad. It's all for their own egos and we're just living the consequences.
That being said, I'd take the actual facts with a grain of salt. I've heard it has some things it gets wrong and it's definitely leaning more into the narrative and drama than rigorous journalistic standards.
informative
fast-paced
feels dishonest to judge this book's attitude towards the future in 2025, but it is a bitter pill to swallow to revisit the confidence with which political analysts and trump insiders saw his campaign, presidency, and then re-election as doomed to fail nonsense pipe dreams every step of the way
overall a very densely packed and informative read that goes down easily and offers very little in terms of political analysis
overall a very densely packed and informative read that goes down easily and offers very little in terms of political analysis
This book is titled "Inside the Trump White House," but it's actual main focus is usually Steve Bannon. I think a more accurate marketing/design would have more heavily featured Sloppy Steve, more akin to those covers with Bannon and Trump standing side-by-side, holding hands and raising them in triumph. Or glaring angrily at each other. Or walking and being cheered by their fan base. Or some sort of collage of my (freely provided!) image concepts.
This took me a surprisingly long time to finish. I'd pick it up, get really hooked, put it down, and then not touch it for a while. Then when I'd come back again, I'd wonder why I ever put it back down. I'd definitely recommend reading this for short bursts if needed -- unlike a lot of fiction (which can be hard to get back into).
So why is it so easy to do this? This book is pulpy and gossipy as hell. I always felt like I was on the phone with Michael Wolff. He just keeps talking and talking, and the only thing I can say over and over again is, "he did WHAT??? you're kidding." And that's it. It just goes on and on. If you watch the news, you'll continually see the events you saw on the news explained from the back room point of view. I even got to see some events that I didn't remember ever seeing on the news.
It was enjoyable, but I don't know how highly I really recommend this. I saw some quotes discussed on the news in depth, and I actually think that was more helpful and ultimately more enjoyable. Wolff's novel is enjoyable, but grating because of his gossipy tone. And ultimately, it doesn't feel that trustworthy on its own feet because of its tone. We all know the president is doing some wild things, but I prefer when the news tries to corroborate things. Wolff provides a cohesive, entertaining story, but ultimately I wish I could've observed the info in this book in one news-produced mega video clip.
This took me a surprisingly long time to finish. I'd pick it up, get really hooked, put it down, and then not touch it for a while. Then when I'd come back again, I'd wonder why I ever put it back down. I'd definitely recommend reading this for short bursts if needed -- unlike a lot of fiction (which can be hard to get back into).
So why is it so easy to do this? This book is pulpy and gossipy as hell. I always felt like I was on the phone with Michael Wolff. He just keeps talking and talking, and the only thing I can say over and over again is, "he did WHAT??? you're kidding." And that's it. It just goes on and on. If you watch the news, you'll continually see the events you saw on the news explained from the back room point of view. I even got to see some events that I didn't remember ever seeing on the news.
It was enjoyable, but I don't know how highly I really recommend this. I saw some quotes discussed on the news in depth, and I actually think that was more helpful and ultimately more enjoyable. Wolff's novel is enjoyable, but grating because of his gossipy tone. And ultimately, it doesn't feel that trustworthy on its own feet because of its tone. We all know the president is doing some wild things, but I prefer when the news tries to corroborate things. Wolff provides a cohesive, entertaining story, but ultimately I wish I could've observed the info in this book in one news-produced mega video clip.
I listened to the talking book version which was well narrated by the author. It really just solidified my views on Trump and his total lack of any competency or qualifications to be the president of the United States. Sadly, it also showed how his entourage also have little to no experience so can't even help him (if he would even listen to them).