Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
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- Create Date：2022-02-10 05:19:42
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Jamie Raskin
- ISBN：B09GL535YH
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Reviews
Brit MacRae
，
Oooooof - I wish there was a way to give this more than five stars。 Disclaimer: I was hesitant in picking this up。 You see， I don't frequently do deep dives in politics （I call my dad or Alex to educate me on the reg） BUT the reviews were undeniable。 This book is beautifully written， insightful and sensitive。 It's one of the most genuine and shockingly hopeful looks at grief I've ever read。 Congressman Raskin pours his heart out in describing how devastated he was by the suicide of his only son。 Oooooof - I wish there was a way to give this more than five stars。 Disclaimer: I was hesitant in picking this up。 You see， I don't frequently do deep dives in politics （I call my dad or Alex to educate me on the reg） BUT the reviews were undeniable。 This book is beautifully written， insightful and sensitive。 It's one of the most genuine and shockingly hopeful looks at grief I've ever read。 Congressman Raskin pours his heart out in describing how devastated he was by the suicide of his only son。 Then， a week later， he began his service as the lead prosecutor in the second impeachment of Trump following the January 6 insurrection。 On the political front， I learned a lot about constitutional law and appreciate how very close we came to a constitutional crisis on Jan 6。 Congressman Raskin sheds new light on challenging topics such as tyranny and fascism。I highly recommend。 。。。more
Lysandra
，
My law school professor， now a MD congressman was the impeachment manager for the January 6 senate trial。 Here’s a lot of background interwoven with the story of his son Tommy who died by suicide New Years’ Eve。 Raskin felt that he needed to be there to certify the votes， even as he was still mourning。 I’m so proud of his service and leadership！ Beautiful tribute to his son。
QSTCMomma
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Not sure where the truth is here。 This violent insurrection were a couple of unarmed idiots。 The only one who died was Ashley Babbitt and she was killed by Capital Police。 Congress resumed that same day， just a few hours later。 This is truly revisionist history！！！
Reid Champagne
，
Living the UnthinkableImagine losing your son to depression and suicide on New Year's Eve， surviving an attempted violent coup where you work as a congressman on Jan。 6th， with members of your own family huddled for safety under desks and behind locked Capitol doors from the violent mob， and then being tapped to lead the second impeachment of a president for inciting the violence of that coup a week later。 Rep。 Jamie Raskin （D-Md） guides us with a sustained poignant thoughtfulness through this Living the UnthinkableImagine losing your son to depression and suicide on New Year's Eve， surviving an attempted violent coup where you work as a congressman on Jan。 6th， with members of your own family huddled for safety under desks and behind locked Capitol doors from the violent mob， and then being tapped to lead the second impeachment of a president for inciting the violence of that coup a week later。 Rep。 Jamie Raskin （D-Md） guides us with a sustained poignant thoughtfulness through this most excruciatingly painful and existential two weeks to ever happen in anyone's or any nation's life。 To read this account is to learn how the unthinkable must be thought， and how the unsurvivable can be survived with faith， reason， perseverance and unyielding love for both family and country。 。。。more
Tina Reitz
，
Very interesting。 Sometimes a bit dry， but Representative Raskin is a Constitutional Professor。 And I'm no lawyer。 Really worth the read。 Very interesting。 Sometimes a bit dry， but Representative Raskin is a Constitutional Professor。 And I'm no lawyer。 Really worth the read。 。。。more
Judie
，
tThere were two major life changing events that happened within a week of Congressman Jamie Raskin’s life。 Both were unthinkable。tOn December 31， 2020， his beloved son Tommy committed suicide。 They were the only two people home at the time。tOn January 6， a mob of violent insurrectionists， prompted by Donald Trump， stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the US。 Raskin， one of his daughters， and his son-in-law were in the House Chambers tThere were two major life changing events that happened within a week of Congressman Jamie Raskin’s life。 Both were unthinkable。tOn December 31， 2020， his beloved son Tommy committed suicide。 They were the only two people home at the time。tOn January 6， a mob of violent insurrectionists， prompted by Donald Trump， stormed the US Capitol in an attempt to stop the certification of Joe Biden as the 46th President of the US。 Raskin， one of his daughters， and his son-in-law were in the House Chambers when the mob tried to break in。tUNTHINKABLE interweaves both stories。 Tommy was a 25-year-old Harvard law student at the time of his death。 Bright， good looking， caring， and well-liked， he had fought mental illness for several months， the last few during the Covid pandemic。 But like many people suffering with depression， he hid it very well。 Even his doctor， who he had met with regularly， including shortly before his suicide， missed any clues about what Tommy was planning。 Once he had his plan in place， his mood improved， a very common occurrence。 In the note he left for his family he wrote “Please forgive me。 My illness won today。” tAfter the Insurrection， the House of Representatives realized they had to investigate what happened to try to prevent it from happening again。 Before he and his family were able to work through the trauma of Tommy’s suicide， Speaker of the House Nancy Polosi asked Raskin to head up the committee investigating the attack。 It helped him get through his first crisis by focusing on the second， using his son’s intelligence and introspection as guides。tt UNTHINKABLE takes us behind the scenes in how the political for the impeachment and trial of Donald Trump was organized。 Jamie Raskin presents detailed account of what happened with his son and family and the U。S。 Congress。 He writes about Tommy how had responded to difficult situations， mostly political， and what had happened not only on January 6th but what lead up to it and what happened afterwards。 tHe reminds the readers of the March on Michigan Capitol April 17， 2020， when a mob of Trump supporters stormed the building in an attempt to kidnap and kill the governor。 It was a practice for January 6， 2021。tHe how the House committee built its case and how it strategized its presentation to the Senate （and the viewing public） to lead to the second impeachment of Donald Trump， which， for political reasons， didn’t happen。tTIDBITS: tA friend of his: “ Feelings are like the weather， and you let the weather happen without taking it personally。”ttt“Tommy as a ninth grader re: Machiavelli。 When the going gets tough， the politician embedded in love will have a lot more support to fall back on than the politician who is simply feared。”tThe political situation has not improved in the year+ since January 6， 2020。 UNTHINKABLE helps readers better understand what they saw， heard， and read。 To understand why that is important， realize that a h 53% of Republicans still believe that Biden is not the real President。 And reading the comments of the book on Amazon， most of the people who give it a very low rating are among those people。 。。。more
Bashar Elsbei
，
Reading this book made me think how fragile our political system is and how vulnerable it is。 What struck me most about it is the fact that even with the natural protection built into a constitutional democracy by its multitudes of democratic institutions guarded by the checks and balance system and many brilliant public servants and patriot legislators ， corruption and moral decadance can and will still deal a devestating blow to all the checks and balances that are built into the system。 Janua Reading this book made me think how fragile our political system is and how vulnerable it is。 What struck me most about it is the fact that even with the natural protection built into a constitutional democracy by its multitudes of democratic institutions guarded by the checks and balance system and many brilliant public servants and patriot legislators ， corruption and moral decadance can and will still deal a devestating blow to all the checks and balances that are built into the system。 January 6th should be a wakeup call to all of us and no one brought the vivid painful events to readers better than Congressman Jamie Raskin in this book。 The tragic loss of his beloved son Tommy so close to the events of January 6th 2021 have made this book at times so heart wrenching and painful。 Yet listening to the audible version of the book read by Jamie himself made it real and close。 I could hear the pain in his voice throughout the book。 The pain of losing his son and the fear of losing his country to an authoritarian demagogue and his cult followers。 The current efforts by legislators of the Republican Party to undermine our elections across the States by passing voter restrictions laws and undermining the public confidence in our elections by keeping up the Big Lie fiasco has made individual participation and contribution in our political system a national emergency to protect our democratic system and institutions from the evil of tyranny。 Congressman Raskin's book brings the events to life and puts us on alert as to the intellectual battle we have to engage in today with the other side to keep us from sliding further into political tribalism which we seem to have already sunk into。 The battle lines are clearer than ever today， you are either for Truth or Lie and your choice will determine the future of our American Democracy。 Nobody brings the flaw of the Electoral College system to life better than this constitutional law professor ， here is an excerpt to illustrate this ; "As a constitutional law professor， I had long ventured into the frightening recesses of this founding-era haunted mansion， starting in the basement with white supremacy。 Some of my House colleagues were surprised to learn that， when the nation began， Electoral College arithmetic dramatically favored Southern slave masters。 The number of electors assigned to a given state was determined by adding the number of representatives in its U。S。 House delegation to two （the number of the state’s U。S。 senators）。 But the number of representatives in its House delegation was inflated in the Southern states by the Three-Fifths Compromise， the infamous constitutional formula that meant that 60 percent of enslaved African Americans were counted for the purposes of apportioning House seats， even though enslaved people were of course 100 percent disenfranchised。 When two additional electors， corresponding to the U。S。 senators in the state， were added to that number， these two bonus statewide electors created another Dixie-accented tilt toward the slave masters， as less populous states， which were disproportionately southern （like South Carolina， Alabama， and Mississippi） received the same two electors for their senators as vastly larger states， which were disproportionately northern （like New York， Pennsylvania， Ohio， and Illinois）。 This disproportion was even worse than population numbers alone indicated， because race and gender barriers to voting in the southern states meant that the actual voting population in these small southern states was even smaller—tiny， really。 It has been estimated that the Three-Fifths Compromise alone added more than a dozen members to slave-state U。S。 House delegations after the 1800 redistricting and， thus， more than a dozen presidential electors to the southern states。 The constitutional inflation of the political power of the southern states was called the “slave power” in the early days of the republic， and everyone knew that Thomas Jefferson owed his victory in 1800 over John Adams to this sectional bloc， which is why he was called the “Negro President，” the title of Garry Wills’s outstanding book on the subject。 These mathematical-political tricks， tucked deeply into the fabric of the Electoral College， worked like a dream for promoting the “slave power。” Four out of our first five presidents were slave masters from Virginia， and seven of our first ten presidents were slaveholders。 These facts were not contingent or random but arose from the deep architecture of our political institutions。"I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in keeping the American dream alive。 Thank you Congressman Raskin ， you are a true American patriot。 。。。more
Maureenkarras
，
Breath taking and heart breaking。
Mollie Ressa
，
This book was written by Jamie Raskin， a current US congressman and the lead manager of the second impeachment trial of Trump。 Raskin writes about the tragic loss of his beautiful son， Tommy to suicide and the insurrection and trial preparation。 He was a constitutional lawyer/professor before he became a congressman in 2017。 This book was so personal and gave great insight into the recklessness and despair of Trump's antics。 I was touched profoundly by Tommy's death。 I had to read it in short in This book was written by Jamie Raskin， a current US congressman and the lead manager of the second impeachment trial of Trump。 Raskin writes about the tragic loss of his beautiful son， Tommy to suicide and the insurrection and trial preparation。 He was a constitutional lawyer/professor before he became a congressman in 2017。 This book was so personal and gave great insight into the recklessness and despair of Trump's antics。 I was touched profoundly by Tommy's death。 I had to read it in short intervals because of the heavy emotion of the storylines。 All of us are feeling some form of depression with the pandemic， political climate， dark days of winter， some more acutely than others。 We need to be kind to one another and continue to lift each other up。A foundation has been set up in Tommy's memory and people have been offering/listing random acts of kindness and donations for mental health help-pretty cool。 。。。more
Claudia
，
Unthinkable to lose your beloved son。 To find him when you're alone in the house， everyone else preparing to celebrate the New Year around the country。 Unthinkable to bury your son one day， go to your place of work， the US Capitol for the ceremonial accepting the Electoral College votes， bring your daughter and her sister's husband to watch， and be caught up in a violent insurrection。Unthinkable to NOT know if your child is safe， knowing she is hiding in a Capitol office。Unthinkable。Part family Unthinkable to lose your beloved son。 To find him when you're alone in the house， everyone else preparing to celebrate the New Year around the country。 Unthinkable to bury your son one day， go to your place of work， the US Capitol for the ceremonial accepting the Electoral College votes， bring your daughter and her sister's husband to watch， and be caught up in a violent insurrection。Unthinkable to NOT know if your child is safe， knowing she is hiding in a Capitol office。Unthinkable。Part family heartbreak， and part a lesson on the Constitution， this book is searing， especially when Raskin， in that recognizable voice， reads it to me。 He reads the heartbreaking passages with courage。 And he reads the words he read at the second impeachment trial of #IndividualOne with passion。 He takes us backstage to the planning of the trial in the Senate。。。the minute decisions the team made to assure a quick trial with maximum effect。 I loved his descriptions of his colleagues， his connections。 His deep roots in the academic law community。 Lawrence Tribe was his law professor; he was Stacey Plaskett's law professor。 She is the Representative from Virgin Islands。。。he was the leader of the Impeachment team and relied on his visits with Tribe， and he asked Plaskett， who loves to tease him that she has more seniority in the House than he does。 We see how important relationships are for Raskin。 He really thought they might win an impeachment。 He learned the GOP Senators were afraid to break ranks。This book fits with our book group's February theme of new beginnings。。。a life without his son， a life in grief， a life in the spotlight， a career walking back into the Capitol building， having seen what we saw， having heard what we heard。 Democracy held this time， even if #IndividualOne was not held accountable。。。I hope it's a new beginning for our leaders。。。but sadly too many have not shown the courage they should。 。。。more
Linda Bonn
，
This is a fantastic narrative of Congressman Raskin navigating through the Trump administration， and the life and death of a son…It is spectacular in its ability to let the reader get to know a dad， and Congressman intimately， as well as a his exceptional son。 It is so much more。I took breaks from reading， as it brought back so much that America endured， while walking along with Raskin in his personally and professional trials， our eyes， and traumas。I laughed and cried。
Valerie
，
I listed to the Audible version of this book， read by Jamie Raskin himself， and was so moved， often to tears。 I was so touched by his story about Tommy and admire Mr。 Raskin's efforts to save our democracy。 We need more like him。 Other members of Congress should follow his lead。 I listed to the Audible version of this book， read by Jamie Raskin himself， and was so moved， often to tears。 I was so touched by his story about Tommy and admire Mr。 Raskin's efforts to save our democracy。 We need more like him。 Other members of Congress should follow his lead。 。。。more
Jake
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More liberal propaganda rubbish。 Pathetic。
Sharon Saxton
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Obviously written by a constitutional law professor， Unthinkable often is often too lawyerly for me to follow。 However， his discussion of the times during which LIncoln lived， the time where the January 6 insurrectionists ruled the capitol then as well， was enlightening。
Natalie Spinoza
，
Absolutely embarrassing fabrication and hyperbole from a virtue signaler needing a distraction。 Take care of your family first， then you can join the chorus of liars colluding to pull the biggest psyop in American history。 Tell us more about how close we were to losing democracy to the unarmed meandering insurgents as you so ironically certify a rigged election。 Sickening。 Way to exploit your son’s death and your failure as a father to boost scumbag Dem talking points and another failed attempt Absolutely embarrassing fabrication and hyperbole from a virtue signaler needing a distraction。 Take care of your family first， then you can join the chorus of liars colluding to pull the biggest psyop in American history。 Tell us more about how close we were to losing democracy to the unarmed meandering insurgents as you so ironically certify a rigged election。 Sickening。 Way to exploit your son’s death and your failure as a father to boost scumbag Dem talking points and another failed attempt to take down Orange man bad。 Gross。 。。。more
Judy
，
This is a superb book — beautifully written， insightful， sensitive — superlatives all the way！ Congressman Raskin pours his heart out in describing how devastated he was by the suicide of his only son。 Then， a week later， he began his service as the lead prosecutor in the second impeachment of Trump following the January 6 insurrection。 This book is testament to his love and devotion to both his son and to his country。 A terrific read！
Lucy
，
For Jamie Raskin to be able to carry on with the impeachment of he who won’t be named while grieving the loss of his son through true dedication to our fractured country is such a narrative。
Kim Nyborg
，
I listened to this as an audio book read by the author。 It is fantastic & I would highly recommend it to anyone seeking truth。 This man has true passion for our country & a love for his family that shines through his reading。
Trick Wiley
，
This is the very first political book I have ever read and I so enjoyed it。 It had everything you can think of。as much as you have seen on tv，this is the first eye account of what happened on Jan 6，it's so incredible that this has happened in our own country and have it explained so wonderfully on what job certain branches of government do，explains to you about our government and how much we take for granted our freedom and why we have a democracy and how we almost lost it that day and if we don This is the very first political book I have ever read and I so enjoyed it。 It had everything you can think of。as much as you have seen on tv，this is the first eye account of what happened on Jan 6，it's so incredible that this has happened in our own country and have it explained so wonderfully on what job certain branches of government do，explains to you about our government and how much we take for granted our freedom and why we have a democracy and how we almost lost it that day and if we don't wake up while we are sleeping it can be taken away from us so easily！ This book in itself is a education！ I watched the impeachment trials and that's how I was first introduced to Jamie Raskin。。what a fantastic man he is and then to learn of his personal family tragedy，you can't help but admire the man as he tells his story in this book and was still able to do his job for not only his state but for all of us Americans that he fights for every single day despite what was and has been going on！！ Take a chance，read his book，read his story through one man's eyes，it's really easy to understand for this 65 year old woman！！ It to me is a much read！ 。。。more
Kathy
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What a remarkable， brilliant， and caring man！ Such a treasure trove of love for his beloved Tommy yet aptly named Unthinkable。 What a true patriot！
Amy
，
Jamy Raskin suffered the loss of his only son， Tommy， by suicide on New Years Eve 2022 and then faced unimaginable danger by being in the Capitol on January 6th during the certification of the Presidential election results when the insurrection took place。 Not only was he in danger， but one of his daughters and his son-in-law were also in the Capitol to support Raskin， who had insisted he do his job so soon after the trauma of losing his beloved son。 This book is not only a tribute to his beauti Jamy Raskin suffered the loss of his only son， Tommy， by suicide on New Years Eve 2022 and then faced unimaginable danger by being in the Capitol on January 6th during the certification of the Presidential election results when the insurrection took place。 Not only was he in danger， but one of his daughters and his son-in-law were also in the Capitol to support Raskin， who had insisted he do his job so soon after the trauma of losing his beloved son。 This book is not only a tribute to his beautiful child but a detailed account of his preparation for and experience during the day of the insurrection as well as his management of the second Trump impeachment trial in the Senate。I really don’t like politics but have been forced to pay more attention the last 5 years due to the negative climate in the US。 As someone who was so impressed by Raskin’s brave handling of a personal trauma and his ability to carry on his professional role with such grace so shortly after losing his son， I was compelled to read his book about this period in his life。 I already respected him from watching him speak in news interviews and seeing statements he has made as a member of the House。 I thought I might get to know him better by reading Unthinkable。 My expectation was met。 Raskin was a former college law professor and a constitutional law expert。 Therefore， his ability to create a clear narrative， along with evidence where needed， was evident。 His feelings were open and raw at times， understandably。Stories of Tommy were woven throughout the narrative about Raskin’s desire to save our democracy。 Some sections were more Tommy-centric and some were more politics-centric but I was impressed by how much the father was influenced by the son in his approaches to meeting daily work and life challenges and decisions。 Tommy may have been a young man （he died at age 25）， but he was extremely intelligent， caring， and thoughtful。 He made an impression on people and always strove to improve life for others。 Raskin used to discuss case studies with his children along with telling them bedtime stories， and his kids were raised to be fair-minded， intelligent critical thinkers。 Raskin often consulted Tommy on legal issues to get his impressions and views because he was a great thinker and often saw things from a different perspective than Raskin。Reliving many of the traumas to our nation leading up to the insurrection， like George Floyd’s murder， the Black Lives Matter movement， and COVID-19， helped to set the stage for the feelings within the country。 These things were also described as Tommy interpreted them and how they affected his mental well-being。 Tommy had suffered from depression and obsessive compulsive disorder。 He was being treated but sometimes situations were worsened by outside and internal forces。 Stories about Tommy’s childhood， education， passions， experiences， and discussions were set within historical context and Raskin’s own work life。 I was shocked to learn that many members of Congress didn’t know there were gas masks under the seats， let alone how to use them， and that the Senators and Representatives had to keep being moved around the Capitol on January 6th since no one seemed to know where it was safe to hide from the mob。 This shows that Congress needs crisis drills。 In my opinion， if Kindergartners must have active shooter drills， it seems logical that our governmental employees should also have drills。Raskin also laid out his disappointment as he came to the realization that many GOP representatives were losing all interest in real public policy and， instead， doing whatever Trump willed them to do。 He pointed out many of Trump’s pernicious maneuvers during his presidency and was self-critical for not seeing the signs that Tommy was planning suicide nor the signs that Trump and his sycophants would wreak such havoc on this nation。 I also learned that Raskin is a cancer survivor， that his father worked in Presidential administrations， and that a big part of the reason he went into constitutional law， especially when it comes to powers of the President， was because his own father had been targeted by President Nixon and threatened with jailtime when Raskin was young。 I enjoyed his portrayal of other current politicians and learning a little of their personal side。 I was particularly struck by the compassion of Nancy Pelosi。 Raskin claims that she threw him a lifeline by making him the manager of the second impeachment trial。He goes into detail about his desire to impeach Trump even earlier than the first impeachment trial based on Trump’s emoluments violations alone。 I was so glad to know that someone was as upset about that as I was。 I kept wondering why no one was forcing Trump to quit enriching himself。 But his fellow Representatives never bought into it thinking they had bigger fish to fry。 I applaud Raskin， once again， and only wish he’d had the chance to hold Trump accountable。 I hold even greater respect for Raskin than I did before。On the down side， the information was sometimes repetitive and there were a couple times that got too deep into constitutional law。 But it was overall understandable and educational。 Plus， I was glad to know there are people like Raskin who are excited and knowledgeable about this stuff and can be counted on when needed。I listened to the audiobook and Raskin， himself， narrated it。 That was terrific！ He’s an excellent speaker with all those years of teaching， and the amount of love he had for his son was obvious。 He usually held it together but sometimes sounded obviously， and understandably， upset。 I’m amazed there were very few sad-sounding section。 Raskin’s passion in his own work was also evident in his tone。 He was authentic and interesting。 I give him an A。 Below， I’ve listed a few great quotes from the novel （which I translated from audio， so please forgive any punctuation and capitalization errors）:“…the threat that Alexander Hamilton warned us of in Federalist No。 1: the threat of an opportunistic demagogue unleashing a violent mob and primitive impulses against the Constitution to override the political and constitutional infrastructure of representative democracy。 The demagogue panders to the negative emotions of the crowd， pretending to be the champion of the people， only to wage war against the Constitution， the legal order， and the democratic process， all of which belong to the people。 "“The {impeachment] managers understood that ‘Can’t we all just move on？’ was the go-to mantra of abusers and bullies who got caught。”“Too many radicals love humanity in the abstract but don’t like people concretely， while too many conservatives like the people in their group but don’t care about anybody else and can’t stand humanity generally。 We could take the best from both the radicals and conservatives and show love for everybody or we could take the worst from both and just hate everyone。 And that’s Donald Trump for you。” – Tommy Raskin“Trump… brought 62 absurd lawsuits completely devoid of all legal or factual merit in federal and state courts across the land…up to the Supreme Court of the US。 All of them failed miserably save one tiny partial victory in PA that had nothing to do with fraud。” The only examples found of people voting illegally were Trump supporters。 Raskin also stated how these lawsuits had been the legal and correct way to challenge the election results。 But after not liking the outcomes， he moved to illegal activities of trying to overturn election results。 。。。more
Linda
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Excellent account of two traumas。 Jamie Raskin is a true scholar， as well as an excellent practitioner of the Constitution of these United States。 I feel somewhat embarrassed for the cowed members of our governing Senate that could not make themselves stand tall enough to see beyond the stringent Party Bonds to vote that yellow livered， self-aggrandizing forty-fifth office holder out on his derrière！ The thought that he - who shall not be named， by me - could possibly taint the White House again Excellent account of two traumas。 Jamie Raskin is a true scholar， as well as an excellent practitioner of the Constitution of these United States。 I feel somewhat embarrassed for the cowed members of our governing Senate that could not make themselves stand tall enough to see beyond the stringent Party Bonds to vote that yellow livered， self-aggrandizing forty-fifth office holder out on his derrière！ The thought that he - who shall not be named， by me - could possibly taint the White House again causes my blood to run cold！！！ I hope that this work becomes must reading in every high school health class from now on！ Mental health is too fragile to be hidden in a closet！ It is time to talk to our young citizens about how valuable they are！ I， too have lost a brilliant child， at an early age。 It is too brutal to have a young adult torn from the warmth of a loving family！ My daughter was only 21 years， nine months old， and just two semesters from graduating from Washington Stare University when colon cancer cut her life short！ （A cancer that is not screened for in young adults！） The trauma is the same none the less！ （Standing around her bed as she died - was that really a blessing？） 。。。more
Maggie Akhavan
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A beautiful， heartfelt， and compelling memoir by one of my favorite Congressional Representatives。 In this telling， Jamie Raskin weaves the strands of his personal and professional life together， sharing the impact of the loss of his beloved son， followed by the insurrection of January 6th， and the potential loss of our democracy; both events occurring within one week。 The discussions concerning both the preparation and presentation of Impeachment 2。0 before the Senate are clear， engaging， and f A beautiful， heartfelt， and compelling memoir by one of my favorite Congressional Representatives。 In this telling， Jamie Raskin weaves the strands of his personal and professional life together， sharing the impact of the loss of his beloved son， followed by the insurrection of January 6th， and the potential loss of our democracy; both events occurring within one week。 The discussions concerning both the preparation and presentation of Impeachment 2。0 before the Senate are clear， engaging， and fascinating。 In my next life， I’d like to study Constitutional Law in Jamie Raskin’s class。 。。。more
Eddie
，
Three ratings in one。In my opinion the book should be rated in three parts。 The loss of ones child is terrible beyond comprehension。 Congressman Raskin’s writing on this subject and his son is beautiful and moving。 Five stars。The description of the impeachment trial， the team， the preparation， the argument， the logic is simply fascinating！ Very well done in real life and in writing。 Five stars！The Epilogue。 Geez！ I am certainly no Trump fan。 But what a crock of academic， elitist， entitled BS。 No Three ratings in one。In my opinion the book should be rated in three parts。 The loss of ones child is terrible beyond comprehension。 Congressman Raskin’s writing on this subject and his son is beautiful and moving。 Five stars。The description of the impeachment trial， the team， the preparation， the argument， the logic is simply fascinating！ Very well done in real life and in writing。 Five stars！The Epilogue。 Geez！ I am certainly no Trump fan。 But what a crock of academic， elitist， entitled BS。 No stars。 。。。more
Lisa
，
Listened to author Raskin read his own work is akin to his professorial presentations; he approaches life as learning-teaching moments。 Law and politics， history， are fascinating and heartbreaking - none more so than when an idealistic principled man like Raskin tries to understand how he “missed the signs” was blind to oncoming events that are “unthinkable” in their outcomes。 Both personally and professionally， Raskin shares his regrets on life’s largest challenges faced in January 2021 - his s Listened to author Raskin read his own work is akin to his professorial presentations; he approaches life as learning-teaching moments。 Law and politics， history， are fascinating and heartbreaking - none more so than when an idealistic principled man like Raskin tries to understand how he “missed the signs” was blind to oncoming events that are “unthinkable” in their outcomes。 Both personally and professionally， Raskin shares his regrets on life’s largest challenges faced in January 2021 - his son’s suicide and the ongoing political morass of the insurrection， focusing on his prep and participation in the second presidential impeachment trial。 Raw in his grief， Raskin laments and celebrates his son Tommy’s contributions to this cruel world。 Truly haunting is Raskin’s use of sight as symbolic - what if he had seen the signs， looked closer at every shadow - at his family home and inside the Congressional house。 His last story in the Epilogue is chillingly hopeful - he had lost his eyewear， his son promised that he would find those missing glasses then died… days after those glasses were indeed found （his sight restored） via an out-of-the-ordinary encounter。 Birds are known messengers between mortals and other realms， symbols of hope and spirituality。 May these truly horrific experiences Raskin has lived through and immortalized by this book serve to reaffirm that his vision - for what America and humanity at large could be if we all authentically tried from our hearts - is restored。 。。。more
Jay
，
Such an important， urgent， beautifully written book。 The trauma of losing a child is interwoven with the 1/6 insurrection and its aftermath。 I can't recommend this book enough。 Such an important， urgent， beautifully written book。 The trauma of losing a child is interwoven with the 1/6 insurrection and its aftermath。 I can't recommend this book enough。 。。。more
Karen
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I’m rating this book highly in the context of what it is—a memoir and an historical record of Representative Jamie Raskin’s experience as lead manager at Trump’s second impeachment， a tribute of love to his son Tommy and his family， and his views on our democracy and its threats。 It is written by a father， a patriot and a constitutional scholar。 I appreciate his “relentless optimism” and his vulnerability sharing the life of his son Tommy with readers。
Camille Callner
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Jamie Raskin is an extraordinary American congressman with an extraordinary story to tell。 The book is a tribute to his son， family and the American way of life。 He lives up to very high standards and made me believe that strength of character， actually doing what is right， appreciation for family， friends， co-workers and fellow Americans will pull our country through these alarming and distressing times in America’s history。 I listened to the audiobook， which Congressman Raskin narrated and hig Jamie Raskin is an extraordinary American congressman with an extraordinary story to tell。 The book is a tribute to his son， family and the American way of life。 He lives up to very high standards and made me believe that strength of character， actually doing what is right， appreciation for family， friends， co-workers and fellow Americans will pull our country through these alarming and distressing times in America’s history。 I listened to the audiobook， which Congressman Raskin narrated and highly recommend it。 。。。more
Megan
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Jamie Raskin for president
Nikki
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