Scan barcode
A review by mattlopez3
This Will Not Pass by Jonathan Martin
3.0
Why did I read this? I guess journalism is the first draft of history...books by journalists are the second draft of history? But some of this stuff really just happened a year ago. In a way this is the equivalent of me reading a romance novel -- predictable characters, plots I already know, the thing to pick up and read because it passes the time. As politics/history books go, this wasn't particularly revelatory. In fact I kept thinking about how cherry picked it ultimately was. The broad strokes are probably all good and correct but each page is so source-driven and specific. It's a book comprised of the people who decided to talk to them. It feels incomplete. But also is it really necessary to get any more detailed or "true" accounting of, say, the 2021 infrastructure bill negotiations? I don't think so.
On the other hand, I appreciated how clear-eyed and blunt they were about Jan 6 and the threat Donald J. Trump represents to democracy and the USA. Often times those sections pierced my self-imposed "try to forget about it" armor. So thanks a lot, Alex and J-Mart!
On the other hand, I appreciated how clear-eyed and blunt they were about Jan 6 and the threat Donald J. Trump represents to democracy and the USA. Often times those sections pierced my self-imposed "try to forget about it" armor. So thanks a lot, Alex and J-Mart!