Bernie Rabik: Bob Woodward and Robert Costa book worth devouring
I just finished reading "Peril" by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa.
Bob Woodward’s books to me are like big bags of potato chips. I can’t resist them. I can finish them off in a few sittings. They’re satisfying in the moment; and, once opened, they have a short life so are better enjoyed while fresh. You can’t pull them off your shelf in a year or two and expect them to be anywhere near as good.
As a result, I try to avoid potato chips altogether. Otherwise, I’ll binge on them. I lack such self-control when it comes to Bob Woodward’s books.
“We have much to do in this winter of peril,” President Joe Biden declared at his inauguration, an event marked by a nerve-wracking security alert and the threat of domestic terrorism.
"Peril" is the extraordinary story of the end of one presidency and the beginning of another, and represents the culmination of Bob Woodward’s news-making trilogy on the Trump presidency, along with "Fear" and "Rage." And it is the beginning of a collaboration with fellow Washington Post reporter Robert Costa which will remind readers of Woodward’s coverage, with Carl Bernstein, of President Richard M. Nixon’s final days.
The transition from President Donald J. Trump to President Joseph R. Biden, Jr. stands as one of the most dangerous periods in American history.
While reading 'Peril,' all I kept thinking was, “This is the craziest sh-t I’ve ever read in my life.” After which, I had to remind myself repeatedly, THIS ACTUALLY HAPPENED. It seems like a feverish dream, some distant repressed memory. It seems like fiction, but then you realize that it’s so bizarre not even the most imaginative author could come up with this.
This book is very terrifying. The in-depth stories of the Jan. 6 insurrection and the events leading up to it were sickening, even though they were also illuminating. The fact that months later Trump still believes the election was stolen from him is hilarious and asinine, but also a bit alarming.
We knew from the first two books (and the last four years) that he’s unhinged, but this book took it to another level.
The election and everything leading up to Jan. 6 is SO MUCH WORSE than it looked like just watching it all unfold on the news.
Knowing that someone in our government produced a document to justify overturning the 2020 election is terrifying. This country better wake the F up. We ousted a king to become the United States of America. If Kevin McCarthy was Speaker of the House on Jan. 6, 2021, he would’ve taken this country right back where we started.
I should have never read this book. Every time I read something on Trump he gets me so mad and worked up that I just want to forget who he was. The chaos we saw and the horror many of us felt and still feel during his last year in office is unforgettable. The events which are happening are too important for American citizens to turn our backs on them just because we’re weary.
We are on the precipice more than ever.
Trump is a true nut case. I shiver to think what would happen if he would become president again. Trump and the Republicans are the true enemies of democracy. If a famous writer says this such as Bob Woodward says it, you have to believe it.
Trump, who appears to dislike reading anything, should take the time to read and reflect on Charlie Mackesy’s "The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse." He must ask for help when he needs it, which is always a brave thing to do. If asked whether his glass is half empty or half full, he should be grateful to have a glass.
He must enroll in the school of unlearning. Being kind to yourself is a good beginning.
Bernard J. Rabik, a Hopewell Township attorney, is an opinion columnist for The Times.