Well written but no new information was offered. Mostly about Fred Sr and Jr (Jr being the authors father). The whole family should possibly have been institutionalized
( )

First and foremost, this book is *NOT* a takedown of 45. It is *NOT* a cash-grab by an angry, estranged niece whose greed was stoked by envy.

It is the story of Fred Trump's family from the viewpoint of someone who, despite not being welcomed within it because her father needed to be himself, still was there inside the bunker until her father's death.

It is the memory of a person whose entire life was formed by bad parents, her own and theirs. It is the analytical conclusions of a trained psychologist whose degree is from a highly regarded school. It is also chilling, infuriating, and deeply, deeply saddening to read.

Freddy Trump never got a break; he died before his life developed meaning and long after he stopped caring about it. Fred, father of the Devil's Brood, was a tyrannical, withholding man without a shred of empathy or emotional capacity. Mary Anne Trump, illegal Scottish immigrant, was useless and indifferent as a mother or grandmother.

And there is no doubt that 45 was formed in this nuclear reactor to be exactly who he is. Mary Trump had a balcony seat to the process and tells us exactly what happened on the occasions she was present. This is not sensationalized or presented as a bid for pity. Dr. Trump made a concerted effort to tell us what happened *then* contextualize it on a psychological level.

I didn't want to read another hatchet job on 45. Of course I despise him. I don't need more fuel for that binfire. I do, however, need to have some context, some sense of *why* this catastrophe is unfolding. Dr. Mary Trump told me what I wanted to know.

The seeds of the present are always in the past. ( )

Insights into Donald Trump, how and why he became what he is and how he lives. A torrid family where the sociopathic father played his children off against one another and showed unfair favouritism towards Donald to the detriment of all including Donald. Written by his niece, daughter of the eldest son of Fred Trump, who significantly disappointed his father and died at the age of 42. And all Donald can do in response to her psychological analysis of him and his family is belittle her. ( )

This was a very good book. It was very sad. This was not a book I'd have chosen for myself to read, but someone slipped it into my Little Free Library, and I found myself thumbing through it. It seemed interesting enough. I knew that the author and niece of Donald J. Trump was a clinical psychologist who was at odds with him. I thought this book would be about the psychological traits of our former president, but I was surprised to learn that it was the story of the Trump family with an emphasis on Fred Trump, father of Donald , Freddy (Mary's dad), and three other siblings. As I read the story of this toxic family, I began to piece together the story of why Mary was so angry with Donald. I felt a lot of compassion for Mary's father Freddy who had his own apspirations in life which were squelched by Fred in favor of Donald.

It wasn't until the last small chapter of the book that Mary gives a psychological profile of Donald. She hits it exactly. I don't wish to read anything else about Donald Trump, but this was definitely a worthwhile read. I wish Mary all the best. ( )

Disappointing. I didn't learn much more than what I already knew from reading the news and The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump." I recommend that book over this one. ( )