Insider exposé with little to no actual shocking revelations…

And Cannonball Read book #3 is done. With all the hoopla over Fire and Fury last week, I immediately added it to my reading list and powered through to finish it. For anyone somehow unaware, this is an insider look at the first (almost) year of Trump’s presidency, with some insights into the end of the campaign and the election.

Based on the above-referenced hoopla, I was expecting much more in the way of explosive revelations. Instead, it ended up being a gossipy confirmation of the in-fighting and backstabbing within the West Wing and our president’s less-than-presidential personality and behavior. And honestly, as fun as it might be for a liberal to have their assumptions regarding our president and the people around him confirmed, it’s difficult to relish that at all because when it all comes down to it, this man and those people are ostensibly the face of our country to the world and the ones that, to a certain degree, have the potential to have a serious impact on each of our lives and the future of our country and the world. It’s a sobering thought and the book mostly just left me feeling defeated and even more concerned about where we, as a nation, are going.

That being said, that fake “gorilla channel” excerpt making the rounds on Twitter since last week? Totally plausible based on everything else included in this book. (Which is, again, a sobering thought.)

And because this needs to be shared (re: Trump’s inaugural address): “George W. Bush, on the dais, supplied what seemed likely to become the historic footnote to the Trump address: ‘That’s some weird shit.'”

Bottom line: rather than actually reading the book, I’d recommend finding a highlight reel or article compiling all of the most interesting revelations. Then you can read something else that you’ll actually enjoy.

I write haiku reviews for all the movies I see, so I’m going to continue that tradition for CBR10…