Book Review -- Fear: Trump in the Whitehouse by Bob Woodward

Or, 360 pages on how we have narrowly managed to avoid nuclear catastrophe (so far).

In the ecosystem of juicy tell all books written by self aware Americans trying to figure out what exactly has become of their federal government, Bob Woodward's "Fear" surely ranks near the top of the food chain. Like, this is the Apex Predator of juicy tell all gossip books. Woodward is most famous for his work at the Washington Post helping to bring down the Nixon administration. He's the author of 18 books.

One of the things that makes this such a delicious read is that Donald Trump, prior to this book's release, was a fan of Bob Woodward's and was known to sing his praises. Obviously that attitude changed shortly after the books publication.

One of the things that sets "Fear" apart is its credibility. It's harder to discredit Bob Woodward, given his history, then it is Michael Wolff or Omarosa Manigault. The book contains plenty of shocking stories and anecdotes, many of which have since become very high profile. The one that stuck with me the most is the story of how Trump's staff narrowly prevented him from withdrawing from a free trade agreement with South Korea. They just took the paperwork off his desk. America's withdrawal from the agreement would have seriously damaged national security by reducing early warning times of missile defence systems. Trump never seems to really appreciate the significance of this and the potential consequences for the millions of lives hanging in the balance.

The book also gives a fascinating telling of Trumps behaviour and thinking in his response to the white supremacist demonstration in Charlottesville, Virginia, a moment that was certainly a major turning point for his Presidency.

I would give this book 3.5 out 5 stars. If you enjoy political books and, like myself, find it nearly impossible to turn yourself away from America's worst reality show, I encourage you to give this book a read.

Thanks for reading!