Book Review: RAGE by Bob Woodward

RAGE by Bob Woodward (Simon and Schuster, September 15, 2020) Hardcover, 475 pages. ISBN # 198213173X / 9781982131739 

Summary on the Goodreads website . . . . . 

An unprecedented and intimate tour de force of original reporting on the Trump presidency from Bob Woodward.

Rage goes behind the scenes like never before, with stunning new details about early national security decisions and operations and Trump’s moves as he faces a global pandemic, economic disaster and racial unrest.

Woodward, the #1 internationally bestselling author of 13 #1 bestsellers, including Fear: Trump in the White House, shows Trump up close in his entirety before the 2020 presidential election.

President Trump has said publicly that Woodward has interviewed him. What is not known is that Trump provided Woodward a window into his mind through a series of exclusive interviews.

At key decision points, Rage shows how Trump’s responses to the crises of 2020 were rooted in the instincts, habits and style he developed during his first three years as president.

Rage draws from hundreds of hours of interviews with firsthand witnesses, as well as participants’ notes, emails, diaries, calendars and confidential documents.

Woodward obtained 25 personal letters exchanged between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un that have not been public before. Kim describes the bond between the two leaders as out of a “fantasy film,” as the two leaders engage in an extraordinary diplomatic minuet.

Rage will be the foundational account of the Trump presidency, its turmoil, contradictions and risks. It is an essential document for any voter seeking an accurate inside view of the Trump years—volatile and vivid.

My Five-Star Review on the Goodreads website . . . . .

     Over the course of 17 recorded interviews with President Trump, in a persistent effort to gather the facts, reporter Bob Woodward was able to get to the root of how the Trump government works (or doesn't) when faced with a trade war with China, a missile crisis in North Korea, a declining economy, racial unrest, and a dangerous pandemic. 

     Woodward is one of the great journalists, and does an important service here in shedding light on the truth. And the truth is quite disturbing. By his own words, Trump reveals himself to be the biggest obstacle to his re-election. The door swings inward, and Trump is "the dynamite behind the door.”

     As objective as this book is by sharing the exact words exchanged in conversation with the President, Woodward steps outside of his reporting in the epilogue to summarize his analysis and his well-researched opinion: "Trump is the wrong man for the job." 

     I can't disagree with his findings or his conclusions. There is nothing more dangerous that a person of low intelligence in a position of power who thinks that they are smarter than anyone else and they alone know what is best for the country. 

     In addition to the usual bookshelves where Rage would normally be stored - - government, history, politics, current affairs, etc. - - - I would add two more: true crime and horror.