“Fear” is quite possibly one of the most terrifying things I have ever read.
I’m not versed in politics, nor do I know very much about what goes on behind the scenes.
I live in a democratic bubble that has shaped my opinions and thoughts on our political landscape.
And yet, when I read “Fear” by Bob Woodward, I know that this is not the way our country is supposed to be run.
“Fear” tells the story behind Trump’s decisions as well as why and how he ran for president.
It illustrates how his staff tries to work around him while attempting to work with him. The book also delves into how decisions are made or rejected and it explains the incompetence of Trump and his staff within the inner workings of the government, all from a relatively objective point of view.
The United States in 2017 was tethered to the words and actions of an emotionally over-wrought, mercurial and unpredictable leader.
— Bob Woodward
One of the more shocking factors in the book that made it an engaging read was how Trump’s emotions affect his actions when dealing with matters of international importance.
As I read, it became apparent to me that Trump’s personality is closer to that of a child than that of a president.
For example, when confronted with the problem that the European members of NATO weren’t paying as much as the U.S. was, he said, “…it is a political problem when your allies don’t pay their fair share,” to which Woodward responded, “He would make his case on fairness, and he kept returning to that theme.”
This is the attitude of a child when their sibling gets away with something they didn’t and then tries to get them in trouble by saying that it isn’t fair.
Life isn’t fair.
That should not be the mentality of a working adult, much less the president, which I believe is something Woodward wishes to convey to his audience.
Normally in any workplace, it would be common to treat coworkers with respect for what they do and how they do it.
However, it seems this normality does not hold true in the White House. Trump is all sunshine and rainbows when people do his work for him, but as soon as something goes south, he turns on them.
Knowing this puts our current political landscape in perspective, which personally made reading “Fear” beneficial, even for a non-political high school student such as myself.
An additional factor that made the read exemplary was Woodward’s writing style. It flowed as if I was reading a dystopian fiction novel instead of what is merely a terrifying reality.
There’s a reason the book is called “Fear.” It’s not because the book itself inspires fear, but because if everything in that book is true, we as Americans should fear for our country and what will happen to it in the hands of President Trump.
Rating:[star rating= “5”]
