Hiding in Plain Sight: The Invention of Donald Trump and the Erosion of America
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- Author：Sarah Kendzior
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Summary
Instant New York Times Bestseller
Washington Post Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller
Indie Bound Bestseller
Authors Round the South Bestseller
Midwest Indie Bestseller
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Kendzior documents the truth about the calculated rise to power of Donald Trump since the 1980s and how the erosion of our liberties made an American dema-gogue possible。
The story of Donald Trump's rise to power is the story of a buried American history - buried because people in power liked it that way。 It was visible without being seen， influential without being named， ubiquitous without being overt。
Sarah Kendzior's Hiding in Plain Sight pulls back the veil on a history spanning decades， a history of an American autocrat in the making。 In doing so， she reveals the inherent fragility of American democracy - how our continual loss of freedom， the rise of consolidated corruption， and the secrets behind a burgeoning autocratic United States have been hiding in plain sight for decades。
In Kendzior's signature and celebrated style， she expertly outlines Trump's meteoric rise from the 1980s until today， interlinking key moments of his life with the degradation of the American political system and the continual erosion of our civil liberties by foreign powers。 Kendzior also offers a never-before-seen look at her lifelong tendency to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - living in New York through 9/11 and in St。 Louis during the Ferguson uprising， and researching media and authoritarianism when Trump emerged using the same tactics as the post-Soviet dictatorships she had long studied。
It is a terrible feeling to sense a threat coming， but it is worse when we let apathy， doubt， and fear prevent us from preparing ourselves。 Hiding in Plain Sight confronts the injustice we have too long ignored because the truth is the only way forward。
Washington Post Bestseller
USA Today Bestseller
Indie Bound Bestseller
Authors Round the South Bestseller
Midwest Indie Bestseller
New York Times bestselling author Sarah Kendzior documents the truth about the calculated rise to power of Donald Trump since the 1980s and how the erosion of our liberties made an American dema-gogue possible。
The story of Donald Trump's rise to power is the story of a buried American history - buried because people in power liked it that way。 It was visible without being seen， influential without being named， ubiquitous without being overt。
Sarah Kendzior's Hiding in Plain Sight pulls back the veil on a history spanning decades， a history of an American autocrat in the making。 In doing so， she reveals the inherent fragility of American democracy - how our continual loss of freedom， the rise of consolidated corruption， and the secrets behind a burgeoning autocratic United States have been hiding in plain sight for decades。
In Kendzior's signature and celebrated style， she expertly outlines Trump's meteoric rise from the 1980s until today， interlinking key moments of his life with the degradation of the American political system and the continual erosion of our civil liberties by foreign powers。 Kendzior also offers a never-before-seen look at her lifelong tendency to be in the wrong place at the wrong time - living in New York through 9/11 and in St。 Louis during the Ferguson uprising， and researching media and authoritarianism when Trump emerged using the same tactics as the post-Soviet dictatorships she had long studied。
It is a terrible feeling to sense a threat coming， but it is worse when we let apathy， doubt， and fear prevent us from preparing ourselves。 Hiding in Plain Sight confronts the injustice we have too long ignored because the truth is the only way forward。
Reviews
Corey Preston
，
Sarah Kendzior - as a midwesterner by choice， with a lovely， evolving appreciation for every corner of America - offers wonderful insight into the internal factors that have led to a gutted， disoriented， fuming America; the way the "heartland" has been abused and forgotten， and poisoned， the way our "meritocracy" has become an outright sham， the way our systems and institutions have been crumbling for decades。She also， as a scholar， has invaluable insight on modern autocratic states， and the int Sarah Kendzior - as a midwesterner by choice， with a lovely， evolving appreciation for every corner of America - offers wonderful insight into the internal factors that have led to a gutted， disoriented， fuming America; the way the "heartland" has been abused and forgotten， and poisoned， the way our "meritocracy" has become an outright sham， the way our systems and institutions have been crumbling for decades。She also， as a scholar， has invaluable insight on modern autocratic states， and the interplay between international organized crime and undemocratic "leaders。" The parallels she draws between the world's surging， dangerous kleptocracies， and the onset of Trumpism in the U。S。 are ominous， haunting， impossible to ignore。 The way she unpacks， plainly with clear eyes， just how dangerous things got in the U。S。 in recent years （book was written in 2019） is incredibly compelling。But Kendzior is at her best as a raw， angry， heartbroken human。 She writes with urgency and profound sadness about what we've lost， and what very well might come without a dramatic shift in how we， as a society， approach our many problems。This is a sad， beautiful book， and Kendzior does not suffer false hope。 But there is hope in looking our problems in the eye， ready to confront them， to defend what we hold precious， and somehow she manages to capture that too。Great book。 。。。more
Camille
，
North Andover - Stevens Memorial Libraryt973。933 KENDZIORttAndover - Memorial Hall Libraryt973。933 KENtBoxford Town Libraryt973。933 KENttChelmsford Public Libraryt973。933/KENDtDracut - Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Libraryt973。933/KENttHamilton-Wenham Public Libraryt973。933 KENtMethuen - Nevins Memorial Libraryt973。933 KENtMiddleton - Flint Public Libraryt973。933 KENDZIORtWilmington Memorial LibrarytSOCIETY/CULTURE 973。933 KEN North Andover - Stevens Memorial Libraryt973。933 KENDZIORttAndover - Memorial Hall Libraryt973。933 KENtBoxford Town Libraryt973。933 KENttChelmsford Public Libraryt973。933/KENDtDracut - Moses Greeley Parker Memorial Libraryt973。933/KENttHamilton-Wenham Public Libraryt973。933 KENtMethuen - Nevins Memorial Libraryt973。933 KENtMiddleton - Flint Public Libraryt973。933 KENDZIORtWilmington Memorial LibrarytSOCIETY/CULTURE 973。933 KEN 。。。more
Stacey Marriott
，
Well， we're screwed and I hope anyone who reads this finds ways to settle the score。 There is a lot of holy shit connections in this material。 Before I read this I couldn't understand why no one has stopped Trump。 It's all so disturbing。If I could have given this a 3。5， I would have。 I looked up several off the sources provided and there are some weak ones。 The ones I found that were wanting， seemed to be used to unnecessarily exaggerate a point。 That was disappointing but her assessment seems r Well， we're screwed and I hope anyone who reads this finds ways to settle the score。 There is a lot of holy shit connections in this material。 Before I read this I couldn't understand why no one has stopped Trump。 It's all so disturbing。If I could have given this a 3。5， I would have。 I looked up several off the sources provided and there are some weak ones。 The ones I found that were wanting， seemed to be used to unnecessarily exaggerate a point。 That was disappointing but her assessment seems right on！ 。。。more
Amanda Elly
，
“You can be prepared for something but that does not make the pain of it any less: the pain you feel for others， or the pain you feel inside， the pain you push away daily because if you gave in to it you would never get out。”
Cameron Englebert
，
A good breakdown of ills that ail America and possible connections bringing together various nefarious actors on the world stage。 Occasionally can border on nihilistic and overly conspiratorial views， but a good source of information for anyone interested in the topic
Anthony Friscia
，
We all know that Trump is a criminal and that the shady shit that went on in the US government was endless。 At some point （I hope） we are going to get a big reveal of everything， although my guess is that it will be more of a trickle and less Woodward & Bernstein。 This book certainly isn’t what I was hoping for。 I liked the collected essays of Kendzior in “Flyover Country”， but here she tries （and fails） to tell a coherent story of the rise of Trump and all the criminality he is connected to。 It We all know that Trump is a criminal and that the shady shit that went on in the US government was endless。 At some point （I hope） we are going to get a big reveal of everything， although my guess is that it will be more of a trickle and less Woodward & Bernstein。 This book certainly isn’t what I was hoping for。 I liked the collected essays of Kendzior in “Flyover Country”， but here she tries （and fails） to tell a coherent story of the rise of Trump and all the criminality he is connected to。 It’s rambling and mostly bring up the twitter-level stuff we’ve all heard （e。g。， the Steele Dossier） with little further proof or evidence。 Just dropping the name of Russian gangsters isn’t enough to convince me or anyone of their connection to Trump， and I even believe it！ Her background in studying autocracies is interesting， her sharpest insights are in putting Trump into that broader pantheon。 。。。more
Don
，
Probably the most important book I’ve read concerning our current shitstorm。
S
，
Incredible journalism behind Donald trump and his rise to power。 His many connections to mob groups and Russia。 At times I’m not sure how much is fact based vs a bit of extrapolation- I wish there had been a lot more detail。 But it’s super revealing and enlightening
Jamrock
，
ALL THE STARS *****RTC
Ang
，
If you can get through this， you'll be rewarded with。。。uh。。。。hopelessness and grim truth。That is， we're in a trough that we're probably not getting out of， made of lawlessness and autocracy and fascism。 If you can get through this， you'll be rewarded with。。。uh。。。。hopelessness and grim truth。That is， we're in a trough that we're probably not getting out of， made of lawlessness and autocracy and fascism。 。。。more
Veronica
，
4。5/5 starsLook: this book doesn't even try to hide its anti-Trump sentiment and cynical view of the USA。 It is not a gentle "let me try to convince the lost that their savior （Trump） is a horrible person， that their Eden （the America they want you to believe exists） is imperfect。" This book is a major， MAJOR critique of the elitists in American society that have allowed the likes of Trump and authoritarian mindsets to gain a strong foothold in society， tainting democracy and practicing unfetter 4。5/5 starsLook: this book doesn't even try to hide its anti-Trump sentiment and cynical view of the USA。 It is not a gentle "let me try to convince the lost that their savior （Trump） is a horrible person， that their Eden （the America they want you to believe exists） is imperfect。" This book is a major， MAJOR critique of the elitists in American society that have allowed the likes of Trump and authoritarian mindsets to gain a strong foothold in society， tainting democracy and practicing unfettered capitalism。 I will admit that a lot of this is seemingly fearmongery and dramatic， but at the same time。。。it's meant to drive home the idea that our new reality is fucking terrifying。 The privileged and the affluent have control and are the cause of most problems we face， yet they tell us to blame each other。 And because they're in power and know that we can't stop them， we do。 The reason I'm not giving this a 5/5 is partly because of the drama， but also because of the way the author presents facts about Trump and his criminal affiliations。 While anyone with half a brain and a modicum of critical thinking skills knows that Trump is a shady， corrupt， criminal narcissist， and the author leads you to that trough， she doesn't make you drink。 It would have been nice to be able to drink， but （thanks to good lawyers and spin）， we still don't know for sure。 And we have to be careful when we make accusations - if we're wrong， no one will believe us again。 There's also an interesting discussion with media。 The mainstream organizations and journalists pushed Trump because they know sensationalism makes a good story。 And good stories make money。 Never mind the erosion of First Amendment media protections under Trump/authoritarianism or the threats faced by journalists every day - money talks！This book， at its core， is about how the American Dream is a total falsehood。 A quote from the introduction sums it up best: "American exceptionalism-the widespread belief that America is unique among nations and impervious to autocracy-is the delusion that paved Trump's path to victory。" We as Americans know that we need to stop this mentality/the GOP/Trumpians/unfettered capitalism/the elites。 But America is reactive， and my gut tells me that we won't act until it's too late to save。 。。。more
James Garman
，
（listening on audio。。。。will take about 10 hours or so。。。will do bit by bit）Sarah sets out the details of the criminals surrounding Trump。。。many going back four decades。 These including wrongdoings from within the country like Roger Stone and Manafort and their ties to the worst most dishonest "expert" in American politics， named Roy Cohn。 Roy Cohn was famous for having no ethics whatsoever and being totally about power for power's sake。 Trump considered himself Roy's best friend till it became c （listening on audio。。。。will take about 10 hours or so。。。will do bit by bit）Sarah sets out the details of the criminals surrounding Trump。。。many going back four decades。 These including wrongdoings from within the country like Roger Stone and Manafort and their ties to the worst most dishonest "expert" in American politics， named Roy Cohn。 Roy Cohn was famous for having no ethics whatsoever and being totally about power for power's sake。 Trump considered himself Roy's best friend till it became convenient to dump him which he did immediately before Roy died。Starting with that sorry commentary on "the Donald"， she lists all the nasties he surrounded himself with and detailed all the missteps of the American legal system in bringing him to a haul。Having listened rather than read。。。。I think I missed some things， so therefor I am buying this book， and will read it again at some point in the future where hopefully I will get more detail under my belt。 I appreciate Sarah's take。 。。。more
William
，
This book has such a depth of information about the subversion of American democracy by the Trump Administration that I need to read it again， as well as to follow the Gaslit Nation podcast for the post-Trumpian sequelae！ Highly recommended！
Terry
，
4。5
Deb
，
Fascinating and terrifying at the same time。 Kendzior tells the truth about Trump， the Republicans， Russia and poverty in America in a compelling fashion。
Rj
，
Really great coverage of the disgusting corruption and and kleptocracy of the Trump administration。 I loved this coverage。 Some of the anti-coastalism and anti-capitalism is odd， but overall this is a worthwhile read for everyone。
Scott Stewart
，
Sarah Kendzior provides a very well researched case for how this country's previous president and his party created a political environment and machine that bears unquestionable resemblance to totalitarian regimes of recent history。 Her tone is passionate yet level-headed， her writing style is clear and fluid， and the pace of her narrative is quick and engaging。 Trained as an academic and a journalist by profession， Kendzior has experienced first hand the dysfunctional nature of American academi Sarah Kendzior provides a very well researched case for how this country's previous president and his party created a political environment and machine that bears unquestionable resemblance to totalitarian regimes of recent history。 Her tone is passionate yet level-headed， her writing style is clear and fluid， and the pace of her narrative is quick and engaging。 Trained as an academic and a journalist by profession， Kendzior has experienced first hand the dysfunctional nature of American academia; the recent prejudice and threats against professional journalists who strive to document events accurately and with rigor; how difficult a middle-class existence can be in this country even for those who are well educated and hard working; and how much harder it is for those lower on the socioeconomic ladder， harder yet for people of color。 I recommend it highly。 。。。more
Heather
，
Fast read， incredible research。 I am anxiously awaiting a next？
Margaret
，
I am a fan of the author and frequently catch her podcast。 Enjoyed her previous book。 I am from Missouri， so certainly can identify with much of her tales of that State。 This book was difficult to get through。 Will Trump ever be held accountable for his many crimes？ I hope so， but very much doubt it。 Depressing times to live through
Mark Butterworth
，
A pretty compelling snapshot of Trump's rise to power and the sheer scale of the corruption and nepotism rife within his administration。 Maybe a little bit short but perhaps that's no bad thing。 Would benefit from an update post his two impeachment trials and leaving office。 A pretty compelling snapshot of Trump's rise to power and the sheer scale of the corruption and nepotism rife within his administration。 Maybe a little bit short but perhaps that's no bad thing。 Would benefit from an update post his two impeachment trials and leaving office。 。。。more
Kavya
，
this was scary。
Kavya
，
“Trump is part of a complex illicit network including individuals from Russia， Saudi Arabia， Israel， the United Kingdom， the United States， and more—some of whom do not have loyalty to any particular country。 Their loyalty is to themselves and their money。 Many are criminals without borders who have moved from hijacking businesses to hijacking nations。 Some call them fascists; I avoid this term because being a fascist requires an allegiance to the state。 To these operatives， the state is just so “Trump is part of a complex illicit network including individuals from Russia， Saudi Arabia， Israel， the United Kingdom， the United States， and more—some of whom do not have loyalty to any particular country。 Their loyalty is to themselves and their money。 Many are criminals without borders who have moved from hijacking businesses to hijacking nations。 Some call them fascists; I avoid this term because being a fascist requires an allegiance to the state。 To these operatives， the state is just something to sell。”“When I wake up to stories of slaughter， it is with increased alarm—because the gun deaths speak to a more frightening problem， a lack of oversight that is literally murderous。 It is mirrored in the opioid epidemic， which has also grabbed disproportionate hold of Missouri and has devastated communities。 It’s the sense of having a government that seems to welcome death; a government that has abdicated even the pretense of working for its citizens or caring if they live or die。”“Why don’t you move？ people ask。 They ask me both about Missouri， and about America—and in many ways， it’s the same question， for they share the same sins。 I always answer: Where is there to go？ Missouri is a symptom of the American disease， and America a symptom of an international disease。There is nowhere left to go， but I also do not want to leave。 All that differentiates Missouri from other states is the scale of our corruption， and the layers of tragedy， and that citizens have been fighting these battles so long we tend to see things clearly， even if we do not see a way out。”“Trump covers up crime with scandal。 That is his main propaganda tactic， the one few seem to be able to discern。 He would rather be seen as a married man who had an affair than a man who raped his wife and assaulted countless women and girls。 He would rather be seen as an overconfident tycoon racking up bankruptcies than a skilled and powerful man associated with the mafia running a series of shakedowns for foreign backers。 He would rather be a president mocked as an idiot in a “Make America Great Again” cap than be known as a vindictive traitor who seeks to strip America down and sell it for parts。 The crimes are much worse than the scandals， but the media will always take the scandal bait。”“Much as Trump and his defenders try to water down the definition of crime by parading their corrupted properties on national television， those fighting for a free and just society must broaden it in response to this new nexus of wealthy， criminal elites。 White-collar crime is violent crime: it’s called blood money for a reason。 Over the last forty years， white-collar crime， state crime， and organized crime have merged to the point that criminal networks now control governments， which allows them to redefine what they are doing as legal， exonerate themselves， and persecute those who seek to uphold the rule of law。 The mafia manages the military， the crooks control the courts。 In other countries， this would be called “an authoritarian coup。” In America， mealy-mouthed officials call our transition into a mafia state “deeply troubling” and do little to curb the damage。”“Despite this statement， the Treasury did not pursue the legality of Trump’s enterprises when he became the nominee。 This is perhaps due to the fact that by the 2016 election， the Treasury had been infiltrated by Russia， an event that occurred in 2015 but was not reported on until December 2018 in an explosive expose in BuzzFeed。”“Ironically， it’s my distance from their insular New York world， my rejection of coastal careerism in favor of an independent life in St。 Louis， that has given me the ability to criticize the administration that many journalists with full-time national media jobs lack。 （Or， possibly， I’m reckless and stupid。） The Trump administration can’t take away my press credentials because I never asked for their permission to speak。 They can’t get me fired because I hold multiple jobs so that no one entity can screw me over。 I’m not interesting enough to blackmail and there’s nothing in their rarefied world that I want: not prestige， not wealth， not awards。 I’m a twenty-first-century American woman; I don’t have enough faith to covet anything but freedom。 Over the course of my life， every industry I worked in collapsed， and then my city collapsed， and then my government collapsed。”“Networked authoritarianism， a term coined by social scientist Rebecca MacKinnon， describes an internet that is just open enough so that it can be exploited by bad actors， who use it to bombard users with propaganda， conspiracy theories， and personal attacks。 It is the loudest way of silencing the public voice， and is more effective than traditional state censorship， which is what more insular authoritarian regimes like Uzbekistan practice。 In Azerbaijan， dissidents were allowed just enough room to speak their mind online， and then were punished by the state for doing so and held up as examples in order to intimidate the public。”“American exceptionalism was always an illusion， and Americans had long been prone to paranoid conspiracies， but even I was surprised by the quickness with which US political culture came to mirror that of surveillance states。 I had not anticipated how quickly the cyber-utopianism embraced by internet corporations would turn into nihilist abdication of the public good。”“The complicity and greed of the global elite seemed the biggest barrier to change。 What it both masked and enabled was worse: the rebirth of global fascism。 The fringes had not yet become the center—or moved into the White House—but the movement was there。 The weaponization of social media by authoritarian states and corporate intelligence agencies like Cambridge Analytica had begun; they were mapping the terrain as we obliviously inhabited it。 Protesters were not yet cauterized by the vicious cynicism that dominates political culture today。 A nightmarish act of violence was still viewed by most as a nightmarish act of violence; not a meme， not a joke。 Now we live in an era when mass shooters livestream their massacres while online forums cheer the body count like it’s a video game。 This is the architecture of the internet that Lanier warned about， an algorithmic facilitation of cruelty and pain。”“The most reliable export of St。 Louis is pain; its most reliable import is predators。 All I have asked since 2014 is to stop treating people like prey， and it’s not a request made out of sanctimony but a plea for survival。 It’s a request that goes out to everyone; it’s a request that underlays everything I write。 Michael Brown lost his life because Darren Wilson denied him his basic humanity。 The casualties that followed included activists who refused to accept that dehumanization as the final say。 To protest dehumanization， in the digital media era， is to risk your own life。 It’s to make yourself a target in a medium that distorts and devours you until you are no longer recognized as real。”“Birtherism was never about where Barack Obama came from。 It was about where he was allowed to go。 Power， for Trump， a wealthy real estate scion， was rooted in birthright， and birthright was inseparable from race。 In the last few chapters， I laid out networks of nepotism and power: almost everyone in them is not only wealthy， but white。 As the son of a Kenyan， bearing the middle name Hussein， Obama shattered the image of what an American president could be。 To many Americans， this change was exhilarating。 To wealthy white men of limited merit， who had long benefited from racial and ethnic exclusion， it was a threat—and a rich source of propaganda。 As the false recovery from the 2008 crash wore on， Trump insisted to white people that illegitimate outsiders， including Obama， had taken what should have been theirs。 In ways both overt and subtle， Trump promoted whiteness as assurance of immunity from hard times。”“By the morning， we had come to the conclusion that Trump， working with an international criminal syndicate connected to the Kremlin， had illegally influenced the 2016 election， possibly altered vote results， and would build a kleptocracy while curtailing civil rights， starting with immigrants and anyone who is not white。 This turned out to be what happened， but at the time our serious concerns were dismissed as hysteria。 The level of denial in the media， especially among New York and D。C。 establishment reporters， was staggering。 I spent weeks privately begging high-profile reporters with more connections and resources than me to follow the Trump team money trail。 I urged them to start with Manafort， only to be told by them that Manafort was not a problem。 Manafort had been on the Sunday shows， they assured me， and networks don’t put criminals on the Sunday shows。”“Autocratic consolidation is a matter of power， not protocol， and if you cannot tell the difference between the two， you have no business leading an investigation。 You cannot go by the book while the book is burning。 As an institutionalist， Mueller seemed only as strong as our institutions， and our institutions had been pushed to the brink of collapse。 A forceful and transparent probe could have constrained criminality and saved American lives。 The timid and plodding investigation Mueller carried out instead， abetted by the cowardice of a Congress that refused to act upon his findings， obfuscated the American past and fostered its fallen future。”“There is no “That’s just the way things were” to answer the question of what happened to the United States of America。 It’s “That’s the way things became，” as a transnational crime syndicate took the place of government。 There is a difference between institutions weakening， as they did throughout the wars and recessions of the twenty-first century， and the institutions that protect freedom and national security being hijacked or gutted by hostile， anti-American actors。 US history is beset with partisan divides and corruption， but we have never been ruled by a man whose only loyalty beyond himself is to an authoritarian foreign power。”“I don’t expect to see peace in my time。 I expect a continued erosion of freedom coupled with horrific shifts in our environmental climate and our national law。 I expect surveillance culture will exacerbate fear to the point that submission is no longer recognizable as such; it will just be called life。 I expect elite criminal impunity to prosper so long as officials refuse to enforce accountability。 I expect recessions and censorship and violence。But there is a difference between expecting an American autocracy and accepting it， and I refuse to accept it。 Every loss we endure is a reminder of the gifts we still hold， and of our obligation to fight for a better future for the next generation。 I will never settle。 I want to settle the score。” 。。。more
Brent Toderash
，
Chilling。
Carolyn
，
I’ve been sitting on writing this review for a few days because I don’t think I can do it justice。 The book is exceptional and deeply researched。 The author is a Ph。D。 anthropologist and researcher， an expert on autocracy and authoritarianism as well as being a first-rate journalist。 She’s a St。 Louis native/resident bringing a Midwest （red state） perspective to her analysis。 The book gives an admittedly dark view of today’s political situation in the context of US history from the last half cen I’ve been sitting on writing this review for a few days because I don’t think I can do it justice。 The book is exceptional and deeply researched。 The author is a Ph。D。 anthropologist and researcher， an expert on autocracy and authoritarianism as well as being a first-rate journalist。 She’s a St。 Louis native/resident bringing a Midwest （red state） perspective to her analysis。 The book gives an admittedly dark view of today’s political situation in the context of US history from the last half century。 It’s not a “book about Trump” per se。 But it is about everything that has happened that has gotten us here。 It’s scary， it’s infuriating， it’s fact-filled， but it is the kind of material we should all be reading instead of relying on media sound bites that are often little more than propaganda。 I highly recommend reading it if you care about democracy and our country。 。。。more
◬❍Nastja❍◬
，
This is a scathing book。 I share the same feelings of frustration， helplessness， and desperation。 Institutions around the world have failed us， people are resentful， uninformed， and easily manipulated。 Accountability seems totally out of reach。 However， the existence of a transnational crime syndicate notwithstanding， I do think the author is too quick to indict every single person who has gone along with the status quo or miscalculated in a spectacular way。 My issue is with the slow， antiquated This is a scathing book。 I share the same feelings of frustration， helplessness， and desperation。 Institutions around the world have failed us， people are resentful， uninformed， and easily manipulated。 Accountability seems totally out of reach。 However， the existence of a transnational crime syndicate notwithstanding， I do think the author is too quick to indict every single person who has gone along with the status quo or miscalculated in a spectacular way。 My issue is with the slow， antiquated system as a whole and the lack of political will and courage to evolve。 Nuance matters and l don’t think we see the full picture。 Lack of transparency is its own can of worms。This book is definitely an important piece of the puzzle， though。 Sarah Kendzior is an evocative writer and some of the facts in this book are simply mind-boggling。"No" to bitterness， "yes" to Good Trouble。 Be a citizen。 Stay informed。 Vote。 ✊🏻 。。。more
Karen Kohoutek
，
Wow， this is amazing， and I'm adding it to my "must-read" recommendation list。 It's thoroughly researched， with just enough of the author's story to give it flow and personal interest， so a great mix of analysis， common sense "this is how it is on the ground" context， and detailed examination of overt criminal activity。 The author hosts a podcast called "Gaslit Nation，" which is appropriate， because this really evokes the time when Trump's history and current behavior so clearly invalidated him Wow， this is amazing， and I'm adding it to my "must-read" recommendation list。 It's thoroughly researched， with just enough of the author's story to give it flow and personal interest， so a great mix of analysis， common sense "this is how it is on the ground" context， and detailed examination of overt criminal activity。 The author hosts a podcast called "Gaslit Nation，" which is appropriate， because this really evokes the time when Trump's history and current behavior so clearly invalidated him for public office， by any existing standard， but that was ignored by voters and the media。 So here's all the evidence that we weren't crazy。 Despite the tough-to-stomach subject matter， this was also a page-turner。 Super readable。 Like I said， a must-read。 。。。more
Gina
，
Kendzior's previous book was a collection of shorter pieces。 Though there was a lot to be angry about in reading it， sections could be read quickly。This is a heavy book， full of crime and dark dealings， and not even that long。 There are areas that could use more detail， and yet what is there is so overwhelming and infuriating。And yet， it is important to know。 It is important to remember， and if it is at all possible to learn from it。 Kendzior's previous book was a collection of shorter pieces。 Though there was a lot to be angry about in reading it， sections could be read quickly。This is a heavy book， full of crime and dark dealings， and not even that long。 There are areas that could use more detail， and yet what is there is so overwhelming and infuriating。And yet， it is important to know。 It is important to remember， and if it is at all possible to learn from it。 。。。more
Ken
，
This book is worth the read。 It is both scary and eye opening。 With this piece， Sarah provides an almost behind the scenes view of the decline of democracy in the west。 The question remains， do we have time left to stop this madness。
Barbara
，
As far as I can tell， it's all true。 As far as I can tell， it's all true。 。。。more
Bryan Seaford
，