Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward: A Review

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Fear: Trump in the White House by Bob Woodward: A Review





     I just finished reading Fear, Trump in the White House, by Bob Woodward over a period of four days. It is very well written, cited with source notes, and indexed. Mr. Woodward writes his book not so much as an expository essay or dissertation, but rather he tells a story of the Trump campaign and the Trump White House through spring of this year, with abundant quotations and descriptions of what has transpired, with remarkable clarity and honesty. He rarely offers analyses or opinions because quite honestly, his report doesn’t need such: the reader is able to clearly see things for themselves. All too familiar names and incidents from the news appear constantly, which are bound to allow the reader to become the proverbial “fly on the wall.” Beyond that, I think that anyone reading this book will be able to vividly imagine what is currently going on within the Oval Office and the White House with little or no trouble. The portrait of president Trump that he paints is not pretty; indeed, it is at times frightening as we see a president as a narcissist who is unable to comprehend or retain simple facts, who is easily distracted and unable to concentrate, who came to the White House with old, almost built-in convictions and prejudices, who lacks even a rudimentary ability to feel compassion or empathy, a neurotic (at least) and perhaps at times a man who borders on psychosis, a pathological liar, and a bully who thinks that fear (within his circle and without) is his greatest weapon, thus the title.

     To put the book down at any time during last four was difficult and I found that any time I had a few spare moments; I would pick it up and continue from where I had left off. Of his book, Mr. Woodward’s stated conclusion was, “People better wake up to what is going on in the White House.” I would tend to agree with him. I was frightened and continue to feel alarmed and dismayed about what is currently happening in light of the portrait Mr. Woodward painted.

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