Saturday, March 27, 2021

BOOK REPORT: "The Room Where it Happened: A White House Memoir"

 

The Room Where It Happened: A White House MemoirThe Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir by John R. Bolton
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a juicy, old-fashioned revenge-fueled tell-all that provides an unsettling -- if unsuprising -- peek inside the inner workings of the Trump presidency.

Bolton, a diehard GOP foot soldier who was brought into the Trump fold in order to provide experience and perspective in matters of global affairs, found himself hoofing it on a treadmill to nowhere. His exasperation is amusing, and bravery commendable.

The author's insights into Trump's scattershot approach to domestic and international crises are sharp and poignant. What emerges is a picture of a man in over his head. There was little effort to portray Trump as a sympathetic figure, but -- as Bolton sees it -- it's easy to feel some sympathy for a man unequipped to deal with the role in which he was thrust.

While there are few bombshells or juicy revelations in "The Room Where it Happened," what emerges is a steady, enthralling instant history that reads like a novel. It's a page Bolton seems relieved to have turned.

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