A review by ben3845
Rage by Bob Woodward

4.0

I picked up Rage as a Bob Woodward fan — his storied history as a reporter that uncovered Watergate, legendary access, and fairness as a reporter make him a must-read author for me. Woodward wrote Rage at the beginning of COVID, in the midst of Trump’s reelection campaign, and during the summer of protests following George Floyd’s murder. It’s a sharp contrast from Fear, his first Trump Administration book, in that Trump agreed to 17 interviews over the course of this one, and none for Fear. The depth of access unfortunately further reveals the lack of depth in our 45th president, with the president bouncing around between attacks on the media and his opponents while Woodward presses about serious questions that could serve history if seriously answered. The coverage of the book led me to believe that it would focus more heavily on COVID than it did, but the rest of the content was still mostly compelling. I didn’t care much for the rehashing of the Mueller investigation or cabinet intrigue stories, but Woodward gives real depth to the Trump administration’s bizarre diplomacy efforts with North Korea. It’s interesting to re-examine the COVID storylines with a little perspective at this pandemic stage. I didn’t fully appreciate some of the failures of China’s response (Wuhan residents couldn't travel to Beijing, but could fly to London as the virus spread?) until reading this book. Modern political books are an acquired taste, but I’d put this one in the upper third of them if you enjoy the genre.