Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House

I wasn't going to read this book. It was barely a blip on my radar. But then my mother in law bought it to boost sales and piss Trump off. Since our Amazon accounts are linked, I have access to all her books, so when I went to look for my next phone book, it was just sitting there waiting for me. I was curious enough to open it, and then I couldn't quite look away.

I spent most this book oscillating between terror and schadenfreude. No one wishes Clinton had won the election more than Trump, and his misery is a tiny silver lining in all of this. But his incompetence inspires fury and horror far more often than it inspires pleasure. Though it is nice when he ties himself in knots and fails to push through some of his more horrifying ideas.

Wolff quickly establishes the three factions vying for influence and attention: Steve Bannon, Jared and Ivanka, and Reince Priebus. Then he shows how their constant warring and undermining combined with Trump's pathological desire to be liked and presumed inability to read to produce the mess that our country is currently enduring.

There wasn't a ton of new information here if you've been paying attention. But a few thoughts synthesized for me, especially when it comes to Trump's motivations and how those inform his actions. I was also reminded of a few scandals that came and went so quickly I'd forgotten them.

All in all, I'm glad I read this book. It was definitely rushed to the presses, and that shows in the incomplete editing job (the book could have used another pass or two). It sent me back through the ringer, but I feel like I have a better understanding of what the hell's happening. I don't know what's going to happen in the next three years, but I'm starting to get more confident that this is temporary. Trump, too, shall pass.

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