A scattered political study that fails to make a convincing case.
A spirited argument that President Donald Trump is in the pocket of Russian President Vladimir Putin, and is shielded from scrutiny by right-wing media.
Debut authors O’Connor and Szajer take no prisoners in this relentless analysis of Trump’s rise to the presidency. They forcefully argue that Putin specifically targeted the 2016 U.S. presidential election in order to increase Trump’s chances of victory, and that the latter wasn’t a passive recipient of Russian assistance but an active collaborator. Furthermore, they contend that Trump has responded to the governmental investigation into Russian interference by aggressively obstructing it—a defensiveness that only serves to confirm suspicions of his guilt. The authors unravel Trump’s business interests in Russia, as well as the connections between that country and his political associates—some of which, they assert, are demonstrably illegal. O’Connor and Szajer argue that Trump’s unprecedented governance style is based on the cultivation of a “cult of personality” and a peculiar talent for “whipping his fans into a frenzy of tribal hatred.” The U.S. president is also given enormous latitude, they say, by a fawning conservative media that spreads partisan propaganda. The authors include a helpfully synoptic timeline of the entire affair as they see it, as well as a painstakingly detailed account of evidence against Trump. They also provide an astute account of Putin’s commandeering of power in Russia, and how he “recognized his country’s vast talent pool of skilled hackers…and weaponized its enormous and terrifying potential.” However, their lawyerly case isn’t coolly analytical; it appears to be motivated more by a desire to persuade than to supply a disinterested appraisal of fact. For example, they discuss the ways in which Putin has benefited from Trump’s presidency but ignore the ways that he hasn’t; for example, Trump has taken positions regarding Syria, Iran, and the oil industry that have clearly rankled the Russian strongman. They also make errors; for instance, the Justice Department is not an “independent authority,” as it answers to the executive branch. Finally, they never convincingly establish that Russian interference appreciably altered the 2016 election results.
A scattered political study that fails to make a convincing case.Pub Date: Feb. 12, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-79280-105-1
Page Count: 276
Publisher: Time Tunnel Media
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)
Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996
ISBN: 0-15-100227-4
Page Count: 136
Publisher: Harcourt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.
Pub Date: Feb. 23, 1955
ISBN: 0670717797
Page Count: -
Publisher: Viking
Review Posted Online: Oct. 25, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1955
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