Rating: 4 stars

If you choose to pick up this book: Buckle up everyone, you’re in for a ride.

What I thought I was getting when I picked up this book: tea on President Trump.

What I got: Tea on the entire Trump family and man is it hot.

Note: This was very well researched. From using articles and even memories from her aunt Maryanne, I believe that every word in this book is true.

While reading this book, I found myself saying, “this is overpromised and underdelivered”, and “this is maybe only a three star read”, but then I realized we don’t need to know anything on what the President is doing now because he shares that all day long in his Twitter rants.

I can see why the Trump family has moved to try to block the publication of the book. Point blank, this book makes the family look like a pile of trash on fire.

Starting with Donald Trump’s father, who although he claimed and Donald claims was a “self made man”, he was a man who wouldn’t be where he was without his mother who helped him start the first Trump company. Not a single person in that family is self made thanks to a step a WOMAN made to help her son after her husband died, not that anyone in the family probably wants to admit.

Mary focused most of the book on her father, Freddy Trump- Donald’s older brother, and his fall from grace in the family due to alcoholism and not being the kind of business, tough son that Fred wanted. Donald became that son in Fred’s eyes and became the one that would take over his real estate empire. The Trump family ignored Freddy and couldn’t get him the help he needed and when he died- any care for Mary, her brother, and her mother went out the window.

I learned a lot from this book. I hadn’t known anything about Donald Trump’s siblings or the history of the Trump empire.

I can’t help but think: “Where would Donald be if Freddy had been the kind of son Fred wanted?” and honestly, I’m pretty sure the answer would be “Not in the White House”. Also, where would he be if his FEDERAL JUDGE sister had spoken up during the 2016 election?

If you’re looking for Mary’s thoughts on Donald during the current atmosphere, look to Chapter 10 and the Epilogue. That’s the REAL hot tea.

Should you pick it up? I don’t know.

Will it change your thoughts on the President and his family? I sure hope so.

I hope this quote from the book makes you uncomfortable as it made me: ‘Donald, who was wearing gold clothes, looked up at me as I approached as if he’d never really seen me before. “Holy shit, Mary. You’re stacked.”‘ (pg. 151). Yes- that is the United States President telling his NEICE, that she’s stacked, aka well-endowed in her upper chest.

‘Unlike my grandfather, Donald has always struggled for legitimacy as an adequate replacement for Freddy, as a Manhattan real estate developer or casino tycoon, and now as the occupant of the Oval Office who can never escape the taint of being utterly without qualification or the sense that his “win” was illegitimate.’ (pgs. 200-201).

“When things turned south in the late 1980s, Fred could no longer separate himself from his son’s brutal ineptitude; the father had no choice but to stay invested. His monster had been set free. All he could do was mitigate the damage, keep the cash flowing, and find somebody else to blame” (pg. 103)

Have you considered picking up this new nonfiction about the United States President and his family? If so, what are your thoughts on it?

Happy Reading,

Mal