The Reckoning (Trump book)

Last updated

The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal
The Reckoning (Trump book).jpg
First edition (US)
Author Mary L. Trump
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject Donald Trump [1]
PublishedAugust 17, 2021
Publisher St. Martin's Press (US) [1]
Atlantic Books (UK)
Pages240 [1]
ISBN 978-1-250278-45-6 (hardcover) [1]

The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal is the second book written by Mary L. Trump about her uncle Donald Trump, who served as the president of the United States from 2017 until 2021. Preceded by Too Much and Never Enough in 2020, it was published on August 17, 2021, by St. Martin's Press.

Contents

Synopsis

The Reckoning posits that the United States has suffered trauma from its inception because of its inclusion of systemic racism and its failure to address the existence of white supremacy, [lower-alpha 1] especially by Republicans in recent decades (exemplified by her uncle Donald Trump's election in 2016 and attempts to overturn the 2020 election). Trump also discusses the COVID-19 pandemic as a more recent source of trauma and criticizes President Trump's response and rhetoric as worsening the crisis. [2] She also claims that her uncle is only pretending to run again in 2024 to raise money, [3] having previously argued that he would be too afraid to lose again. [4]

Themes

Mary Trump argues that much current discord in the United States is the result of its "original sin of slavery" and the persistence of racism and white supremacy, a divide that her uncle has aggravated and exploited. As a result, Americans are collectively suffering from a form of PTSD. [2] [5]

The Guardian called the book "A revealing blend of family lore, history, policy and anger casts light on the background and legacy of Donald Trump." [6]

Reception

Reviews of the book have been mixed. The Guardian says "It is a less lurid read [than her first book] but a darker one too. According to Mary Trump, 'we are heading toward an even darker period in our nation's history. Each of us will see what we will see. Our cold civil war continues.' With her second book, Mary Trump offers food for thought – and grist for the mill." [6]

Kirkus Reviews calls it "of value to those pondering what happened for the past five years and whether we can truly heal. She's at her best, and on the firmest of ground, when she lays into her uncle's manifest shortcomings. She says, 'When your motive is not simply winning at all costs but grievance and revenge, you're more dangerous than a straight-up sociopath. Donald is much worse than that—he's someone with a gaping wound where his soul should be.'" [7]

In The Washington Post , political commentator Joe Klein writes: "A great rant can be cathartic, but it needs discipline. Trump is sloppy. There are no footnotes. Too many sentences contain half-truths and gross generalizations, unsupported by facts." [5] The Guardian says, "Mary Trump puts her positions passionately but perhaps she could pause to consider how such agendas play with voters." [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naomi Klein</span> Canadian author and activist

Naomi Klein is a Canadian author, social activist, and filmmaker known for her political analyses, support of ecofeminism, organized labour, leftism and criticism of corporate globalization, fascism, ecofascism and capitalism. As of 2021 she is Associate Professor, and Professor of Climate Justice at the University of British Columbia, co-directing a Centre for Climate Justice.

White supremacy is the belief that white people are superior to those of other races and thus should dominate them. The belief favors the maintenance and defense of any power and privilege held by white people. White supremacy has roots in the now-discredited doctrine of scientific racism and was a key justification for European colonialism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heather Mac Donald</span> American conservative political commentator

Heather Lynn Mac Donald is an American conservative political commentator, essayist, attorney, and author. She is known for her pro-police views and opposition to criminal justice reform. She is a fellow of the Manhattan Institute think tank and a contributing editor of its City Journal.

<i>The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy</i> Book by Alma Bridwell White

The Ku Klux Klan in Prophecy is a 144-page book written by Bishop Alma Bridwell White in 1925 and illustrated by Reverend Branford Clarke. In the book she uses scripture to rationalize that the Ku Klux Klan is sanctioned by God "through divine illumination and prophetic vision". She also believed that the Apostles and the Good Samaritan were members of the Klan. The book was published by the Pillar of Fire Church, which she founded, at their press in Zarephath, New Jersey. The book sold over 45,000 copies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Racial views of Donald Trump</span> Review of the racial opinions of Donald Trump

Donald Trump, former president of the United States, has a history of speech and actions that have been viewed by scholars and the public as racist or white supremacist. Journalists, friends, family, and former employees have accused him of fueling racism in the United States. Trump has repeatedly denied accusations of racism.

Justine Hardy is a British journalist, author, and integrated trauma therapist who has spent most of her adult life in India. She has been a journalist in South Asia, including Kashmir, where she established Healing Kashmir to help people overcome the trauma of the Insurgency in Jammu and Kashmir that began in 1989.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor</span> American academic and author

Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor is an American academic, writer, and activist. She is a professor of African American Studies at Northwestern University. She is the author of From #BlackLivesMatter to Black Liberation (2016). For this book, Taylor received the 2016 Cultural Freedom Award for an Especially Notable Book from the Lannan Foundation.

Racial trauma, or race-based traumatic stress, is the cumulative effects of racism on an individual’s mental and physical health. It has been observed in numerous BIPOC communities and people of all ages, including young children. Racial trauma can be experiences vicariously or directly. It has been linked to feelings of anxiety, depression, and suicidal ideation, as well as other physical health issues.

<i>The Trump Prophecy</i> Film

The Trump Prophecy is a 2018 Christian drama film based on a story by Orlando-based retired firefighter Mark Taylor that he named "The Commander-in-Chief Prophecy". It is a collaboration between ReelWorksStudios and Liberty University's Cinematic Arts program, and is the school's second involvement in a theatrically released motion picture after another Christian film, Extraordinary (2017). ReelWorksStudios is owned by Rick Eldridge, who produced the film, and the school's Cinematic Arts department is handled by Stephen Schultze, the film's director.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lacy M. Johnson</span> American writer, professor and activist

Lacy M. Johnson is an American writer, professor and activist. She is the author of Trespasses: A Memoir, The Other Side: A Memoir and The Reckonings: Essays.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crystal Marie Fleming</span> American sociologist and author

Crystal Marie Fleming is an American sociologist and author. She is full professor of sociology and Africana studies at Stony Brook University. Fleming is the author/editor of four books about race and white supremacy.

<i>Too Much and Never Enough</i> 2020 biography of Donald J. Trump by Mary L. Trump

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man is a tell-all book written by American psychologist Mary L. Trump about her uncle, former U.S. President Donald Trump, and his family. It was published by Simon & Schuster on July 14, 2020. The book provides an insider view of Trump family dynamics and reveals details about financial dealings, including the author's work as the anonymous source who revealed her uncle's suspected tax fraud. The Trump family launched a lawsuit in an attempt to stop its publication but was unsuccessful in delaying the release of the book.

Mary Lea Trump is an American psychologist and author. A niece of former US president Donald Trump, she has been critical of him as well as the rest of the Trump family. Her 2020 book about him and the family, Too Much and Never Enough, sold nearly one million copies on the day of its release. A second book, The Reckoning, followed in 2021.

Resmaa Menakem is an American author and psychotherapist specialising in the effects of trauma on the human body and the relationship between trauma, white body supremacy, and racism in America.

Joy Angela DeGruy is an American author, academic, and researcher, who previously served as assistant professor at the Portland State University School of Social Work. She is currently president and CEO of DeGruy Publications, Inc. She is most known for her book Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome, originally published by UpTone Press in 2005 and revised and republished in 2017 by JDP Inc. DeGruy and her research projects have featured in news and activist coverage of contemporary African-American social issues, in addition to public lectures and workshops on U.S. college campuses that include: Morehouse School of Medicine, Fisk University, Spelman College, Harvard University, Yale University, Princeton University, Smith College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr DeGruy has spoken at the United Nations, UNESCO, C-SPAN, Oxford University, Association of Black Psychologists, National Association of Social Workers, the World Bank, The Essence Festival, and featured in Essence Magazine, and films that include: "Cracking the Codes" a film by Shakti Butler ,"InVisible Portraits"by Oge Egbuonu on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN), among others. Dr. Degruy has also received a 2021 grant from the MacArthur Foundation to further her healing work.

<i>Minor Feelings</i> 2020 autobiographical book by Cathy Park Hong

Minor Feelings: An Asian American Reckoning is a 2020 autobiographical book of essays written by the Korean American author Cathy Park Hong. It was published by Penguin Random House in the United States and Profile Books in the United Kingdom and is composed of seven essays about growing up as an Asian-American in a Western capitalist society, more specifically in the United States of America. This book won the National Book Critics Circle Award for autobiography in 2020.

Saira Sameera Rao is an American radical political activist, author, publisher, and former Wall Street lawyer and television producer. She is the co-founder of Race2Dinner, In This Together Media, and Haven, and came to greater prominence in 2018 when she ran for Congress, losing out to incumbent Democrat Diana DeGette in the primary.

<i>Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America</i> Non-fiction book about Donald Trump

Confidence Man: The Making of Donald Trump and the Breaking of America is a 2022 book by Maggie Haberman. It covers the career of Donald Trump and his presidency.

Subsequent to her loss of the 2016 United States presidential election, Hillary Clinton retired from electoral politics and has since engaged in a number of activities.

<i>Babel, or the Necessity of Violence</i> 2022 novel by R. F. Kuang

Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution is a 2022 novel of speculative fiction by R. F. Kuang. It debuted at the first spot on The New York Times Best Seller list, and won Blackwell's Books of the Year for Fiction in 2022 and the 2022 Nebula Award for Best Novel. Thematically similar to The Poppy War, Kuang's first book series, the book criticizes British imperialism, capitalism, and the complicity of academia in perpetuating and enabling them.

References

Footnotes

  1. In particular, Trump cites continued anti-black racism following the abolition of slavery, including the failures of Reconstruction and the implementation of Jim Crow laws, with Democrats largely responsible.

Citations

  1. 1 2 3 4 The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal St. Martin's Publishing Group
  2. 1 2 VanDenburgh, Barbara (August 17, 2021). "Mary Trump's 'Reckoning: The PTSD survivor has some advice for a traumatized nation". USA Today . Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  3. Trump, Mary L. (2021). The Reckoning: Our Nation's Trauma and Finding a Way to Heal. New York: St. Martin's Publishing Group. ISBN   978-1-250-27846-3.
  4. Ensor, Josie (March 17, 2021). "Mary Trump: why uncle Donald won't run again in 2024" . The Daily Telegraph . Retrieved September 4, 2021.
  5. 1 2 Klein, Joe (August 20, 2021). "Mary Trump takes on America's evils, beyond her famous uncle". The Washington Post .
  6. 1 2 3 Green, Lloyd (August 15, 2021). "The Reckoning by Mary L Trump review – how to heal America's trauma". The Guardian .
  7. "Review of The Reckoning". Kirkus Reviews . September 3, 2021.