One star review, originally posted here on February 5, 2019.
To my disappointment, this was a total slog. It should have been a quick read, but it was just so unenjoyable that I had a hard time forcing myself to pick it up. I considered dropping it (something I’ve only done with like 3 or 4 books ever) but eventually pressed through.
Basically, if you’ve been following along with the news at all for the past 2 years, you will learn nothing new.
Also, if you (like me) chose this out of all the Trump books out there because it has the most reputable author, don’t bother. This was my first Woodward book, so I don’t know how it compares to his other work, but I was shocked at how tedious this writing was considering his stellar rep. Of course, the gem here is supposed to be just the fact that he got these deep dive interviews at all, not the way in which he presents the results of these interviews. But, as I stated above, there’s nothing new here, so why bother reading hours worth of mind numbing dialogue? Also, that White House leaks like a siv, so honestly getting these interviews in the first place isn’t even that big a deal.
I guess one could argue that this book’s main value is in the fact that the writer’s rep is so solid. But I think that is an insult to the countless other hardworking journalists who have been bringing us this same news live from the White House on a daily basis.
Finally, it did NOT help that I read this right after listening to President Obama narrate his audiobook of Dreams of my Father. The contrast was just so goddamn depressing that I couldn’t even find any glee in Trump’s stupidity. Ugh. Everything sucks. 😦
Helga without the H 