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daniel_benkendorf 's review for:
Born Trump: Inside America's First Family: Inside America's First Family
by Emily Jane Fox
I picked up this book only after I saw two television interviews with Ms. Fox. I was impressed with her and so I decided that I would dive into a book about the--gulp--Trump family that aptly features a gold foil book jacket.
I was not disappointed. The book is deeply and carefully researched. One can see why Ms. Fox is at Vanity Fair as opposed to some less reputable outlet. In the book, we get the chance to meet the Trump progeny and see how they grew up. This helps us to understand who they've become. You also learn about Ivana and Marla and their motivations and parenting styles. In short, Ivana seems to be the narcissistic female equivalent of Trump himself--driven by money and power. She's portrayed as largely an absent but controlling parent, much like Donald. Marla, by contrast, seems nearly opposite in terms of parenting. She is devoted to her daughter, present and very (too?) involved. I, for one, questioned how someone in her position could have been surprised by Donald's behavior as husband and father, given that she had the benefit of a preview. Then again, this is someone who found Donald Trump attractive!
Despite being a person who finds Donald Trump and most things surrounding him to be appalling, I found things to like about each of the kids. Don Jr. sought to prove himself through grunt work and wanted to distance himself from the "rich kid" stereotype by going so far as to drive a pickup truck and take up hunting. He also seems to be an angry asshole (at least by reputation) who repeated some of his father's personal mistakes. Ivanka is portrayed as a deeply disciplined media object who has carefully curated an image as a hard-working, serious, smart, working mom. It seems at least somewhat true. Finally, Eric, who was my favorite, is portrayed as the true builder who worked hard to develop his skills starting back in boarding school with his wood shop classes. He is described as quiet and curious and seems like he might have avoided the narcissism. We learn less about Tiffany (who is portrayed as mostly normal) and nothing at all about Barron. Kudos to Ms. Fox on that one.
The book is dishy and chock full of details about each Trump. Given the highly public nature of a Trump life, surely some of this could be found and compiled using an internet browser were one willing to invest the effort. Luckily, someone as competent as Emily Jane Fox has done it for us. And to it she added scores of interviews with people in a position to know. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand the Trump kids and see the nuance.
I was not disappointed. The book is deeply and carefully researched. One can see why Ms. Fox is at Vanity Fair as opposed to some less reputable outlet. In the book, we get the chance to meet the Trump progeny and see how they grew up. This helps us to understand who they've become. You also learn about Ivana and Marla and their motivations and parenting styles. In short, Ivana seems to be the narcissistic female equivalent of Trump himself--driven by money and power. She's portrayed as largely an absent but controlling parent, much like Donald. Marla, by contrast, seems nearly opposite in terms of parenting. She is devoted to her daughter, present and very (too?) involved. I, for one, questioned how someone in her position could have been surprised by Donald's behavior as husband and father, given that she had the benefit of a preview. Then again, this is someone who found Donald Trump attractive!
Despite being a person who finds Donald Trump and most things surrounding him to be appalling, I found things to like about each of the kids. Don Jr. sought to prove himself through grunt work and wanted to distance himself from the "rich kid" stereotype by going so far as to drive a pickup truck and take up hunting. He also seems to be an angry asshole (at least by reputation) who repeated some of his father's personal mistakes. Ivanka is portrayed as a deeply disciplined media object who has carefully curated an image as a hard-working, serious, smart, working mom. It seems at least somewhat true. Finally, Eric, who was my favorite, is portrayed as the true builder who worked hard to develop his skills starting back in boarding school with his wood shop classes. He is described as quiet and curious and seems like he might have avoided the narcissism. We learn less about Tiffany (who is portrayed as mostly normal) and nothing at all about Barron. Kudos to Ms. Fox on that one.
The book is dishy and chock full of details about each Trump. Given the highly public nature of a Trump life, surely some of this could be found and compiled using an internet browser were one willing to invest the effort. Luckily, someone as competent as Emily Jane Fox has done it for us. And to it she added scores of interviews with people in a position to know. I recommend this book for anyone who wants to better understand the Trump kids and see the nuance.