Now it is difficult to separate all the hubbub around the book from the book itself, in fact I am still amazed the President has had two press conferences, several tweets, a lawsuit, and used his staff to try to fight this book (a book that would probably have gotten published and read by only a few readers if not for the President), but I will try to focus on the book only.
If one goes into this book looking for some new revelations, especially if one is already critical of the President, you probably will not find many. The book paints the White House as a place where individuals vie for power to bend the President’s ear. It shows a White House where individuals are more against one another rather than working toward a common goal. The book really centers on Trump’s staff rather than the man himself. While Trump is a constant presence within the book, he is painted as a blank slate who when he sets his mind on something, it is set regardless of facts presented. His staff’s role, in the book, is to try to sway him their way.
Wolff paints Trump as a man who did not want the Presidency, but wound up being elected much to the surprise of others. Due to his inexperience, he desired to surround himself with family and people within his inner circle trusting only them.
The true reason individuals want to read the book is for the dirt. While there are some passages that go to those places, it is more a book outlining the first year of the Presidency. I found I often forgot certain things happened, until reminded by the book, as it seems this year has been filled with so many things. Whole speeches are presented, along with the dirt behind those speeches.
My biggest takeaway was around the leaks coming from the White House. Wolff suggestion was not only did those leaks come from Bannon and Jared, but possibly from the President himself. According to Wolff, the President would often speak to his friends unfiltered in the evening, dishing dirt, and sharing items. Those individuals would then turn to the press and leak them out. Wolff makes this point several times and even backs it up a bit with the incident at Mar a Lago where the President openly talked about North Korea in front of other diners.
As stated, I am trying to distance myself from the hoopla, so I will say as a heavy reader of books about politics and a reader of non-fiction, reading the book was a small chore at times. The book was often filled with whole speeches or lots of passages explaining items Wolff previous explained or went over. There were also a few typos and some mistakes, such as a Mike vs Mark at one portion. This though is to be expected in books of this nature.
I will address one big criticism of the book and that is the disclaimer in the beginning of the book. My guess is many who are lifting up this disclaimer as proof that this book isn’t truthful. It is a pretty standard disclaimer though to protect from lawsuit. My guess is it is also there because of the number of options Wolff heard. If two people say the President did such and such, but one said he did this and that, as a writer, he would have to figure out the place of truth and take a guess based on the three accounts. That is how I viewed the disclaimer.
As for the book itself, I found it a good book. I gave it 3.5 stars.
