I didn’t read Mary Trump’s book but did read Michael Cohen’s. It is one of those books that I had to put down often because I couldn’t stomach how t* cheated people out of their jobs, money and put so many out of business by stealing from them. Cohen also,wrote a chapter on how t”””” had hackers hack into a newspapers program which was running a businessman of the year award . t* wanted the award and had Cohen get a tech guy from Liberty University and put in fake votes so T*** would win. Luckily, the newspaper caught on and threw out all the votes even the legit ones so IQ45 wasn’t even on the list.
Because I read this book I don’t think I could read Mary’s book. Just too upsetting for me.
About Cohen's book: I attempted to read his book after I read Mary Trump's, but was never able to finish it. I thought his book is well written, and although I can't verify its accuracy, my sense is, it's an honest assessment of what went on. It's just that after I'd read a chapter or two, like you I'd need to put it down. I felt like I needed a shower. What fascinated me more about Cohen's book was his personal background -- how he was brought up, why he was attracted to mobsters and the likes of T, his wife and children's response to T. But unless he's not being totally honest with himself and/or forthcoming with the reader, I still can't figure out why Cohen was so attracted to T and so staunchly and blindly defended him.
On the other hand, I had no problem with reading Mary Trump's book -- perhaps because a big part of it focused on the entire family and explained the cross-generational trauma. Although some of what Mary described was shocking, it didn't upset me.
@theungamer
I read Mary Trump's book too. Struck me as very even-handed. credible, factual, no hyperbole. And yes, cross-generational trauma was there with Fred Trump being a sadistic psychopath. Mary presented DT's psychopathy as primarily being a psychological accommodation to The Old Man. What struck me though was the utter lack of insight, moral revulsion, search for new ways of behaving that were not a mirror'd reflection of The Sick Old Man. Many people have grown up in less than ideal homes with cruelty, mocking, sadism, abuse, ridicule, lack of compassion being the order of the day...but manage to somehow gain a perspective and make a conscious effort NOT to repeat old traumas and ways of
functioning. Some of the very best parents, for example, were abused themselves...yet they chose to learn life lessons and NOT repeat this going forward...Not so DT...he did experience trauma from Fred Trump but, unsuprisingly, learned absolutely NOTHING from it ...except how to ape The Old Man for a desperate pat on the head. His utter lack of insight and moral repugnance to his upbringing was striking, to me....as well as his almost android-like aping of his father. DT's utter lack of "learning curve", reflection, inner growth, search for alternative ways of being, anger toward his father's sadism and almost robot-like aping behavior showed me an extraordinarily limited man, not only deeply damaged by his upbringing...but also showed a stunning lack of imagination, personal evolution, inner life, private reflection and ability to create his OWN way in life. Guess that is to be expected from a man so mentally challenged...all he did in his life was further elaborate upon The Old Man's various parlor tricks...absolutely nothing original in the man: no psychological breakthroughs, no personal evolution of any way. Made me realize that DT is essentially the exact same kid he was at 2 or 3 years old...ZERO personal growth or insight. An extremely limited man. Would put his IQ at below 100 and his inner life and reflective capabilities at zero...
On the other hand, DTs older brother (Mary Trump's father) essentially drank himself to death in misery and useless rebellion against The Old Man. Yet he was supposed to have been a kind, gentle man with many friends who dreamt of being an airline pilot...and actively tried to create his own path in life. Sadly, his compassion and lack of rat-like cunning and amorality doomed him: ultimately he was unable to find his way out of that terrifying hall of mirrors that constituted the Trump Family. But this was a guy with a moral center and intelligence that his younger brother (DT) completely lacked. Was equivalent to a sensitive Vegan being born into a crime-ridden Mafia Family...there was just no way for him to survive...
My wife was musing recently to the family about karma, and how everything ends up facing the "mill of the Gods" type justice, and my daughter's reply cracked me up. She's a little cynical, perhaps, but she has a heart of gold:
"Are you freaking kidding me? All those hours I spend on the internet trolling and smacking people down and setting them straight! That's not happening by magic, Mama, that's ME!"
Everything you wrote is true. My compassion is for the promising, innocent soul born into that family and the pain it went through to become what we see today. A shaman once explained that some souls come into this life to hold more darkness. They take that hit to help other souls grow.
@theungamer
Very interesting comment you have made! I have often thought that DT was JUST the POTUS we needed to be the required catalyst for future change/growth/evolution in this country. Imagine America looking in the mirror at this time in its history and his repulsive image is what we see. Just like Dorian Gray, he sold his soul to the devil many years ago. I also think that he has offered us a glimpse of a potential parallel future, of what that future might have been should we forgo all civility, values, morality, a sense of democracy and basic decency. As we all know, he is an autocrat hiding behind the veneer of democracy. And while I am deeply dismayed that roughly half of America supports him (not to mention the spineless, amoral GOP), this time, fortunately, we have prevailed. I used to question the wisdom of putting SC judges on for lifetime appointments but, this time, that practice has proven it's value in that they simply did the right thing with no thought as to whom had appointed them nor any concern for re-election prospects...
@isabelle Wouldn't it be ironic if after all this we thanked 45? LOL. My personal growth is not there yet, but the Shaman would be pleased.
My concern is that lifetime SCOTUS appointees don't grow and evolve with society and so could hold back progress.
As to the millions that voted for 45, my husband believes education is key. He's on to something. 2 of our kids went away to school and really broadened their perspectives.
@theungamer
Believe it or not, I have told friends/colleagues exactly that: that looking back, I believe that we will one day THANK 45 for the role he has played in forcing us to evolve -- although very painfully & messily. But it will take much time for us as a society to get to that point.
Your point about the SC appointees is totally valid and I have said exactly the same thing to others: if a particular judge sits for potentially 30-40 years and holds the same positions that he/she had when appointed, they may well not reflect the vast societal changes around them and hold back much needed progress. Perhaps we should limit it to a 15-20 year term?
Your husband's point about education being key is spot on... plus some kind of oversight/overhaul of the media/social media realm in terms of its responsibilities and potential liabilities. For example, did all the mainstream journalists NEED to report on every stupid thing DT said, even when it was nonsensical, clearly rascist or an outright lie? This is a man who has "fame-addiction" -- he will say ANYTHING if it results in ratings for him... Did our mass media REALLY need to enable him these past 4 years? When he abused journalists in the Press Conferences, they should have all just walked out as one and, essentially, cut him off from his desperately needed "supply". Likewise, had Fox News faced real serious legal culpability/consequences for deliberately promulgating their endless lies/"alternative facts" to the public -- even in the face of clear facts showing otherwise -- perhaps they would have re-thought their brazenly misleading positions...??