Official Review: Trump, the Shell Game by Paul K. Schwartz

Nonso Samuelson · Post by **Nonso Samuelson** » 16 Jan 2021, 15:40

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Trump, the Shell Game" by Paul K. Schwartz.]

3 out of 4 stars

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Unlike any other administration before it, the Trump administration has attracted keen interest from all over the world. Whether positive or negative, there has been no lack of critics of this present administration. President Donald J. Trump is a combustible character by nature, and this means that there will always be people who have a thing or two to say about his administration. Whether it's his policy implementation—or the lack thereof—executive orders, or otherwise, Trump has divided opinion at every turn. This book bares it all and presents a front-row perspective of the daily running of this administration. Irrespective of which side of the political divide has your allegiance, this book is quite an eye-opener.

In all sincerity, Trump, The Shell Game: The Conning of America was a slightly dull read. This is because regardless of the book's volume, every chapter was basically talking about the same thing. While it is not debatable that Trump's presidency has stirred quite a few hornets' nests, I have not seen someone so fixated on this issue as Paul Schwartz. It made me more than a tad uncomfortable. With all due respect to his job as a columnist for the Montgomery County Sentinel, the near-obsession with the Trump administration's inadequacies borders on the ridiculous. From January 2017 till January 2020, Schwartz dedicated his life and career to proving how unfit Donald J. Trump was for the office he was occupying. What's worse is that his bias regarding Donald Trump's suitability to pilot the affairs of the nation seemed to have been established even before Trump's first day in office. This was reflected in how the book swung from one negative point to the other, making it very uncomfortable to read. My issue isn't necessarily that Schwartz had a ton of negative things to say; I just happen to believe that we as humans should apply a little grace when talking about anybody, and there was a glaring shortage of grace in Schwartz's words. The author seemed a little too invested in disparaging Donald Trump, which is actually the only thing I disliked about this book.

On a positive note, while criticizing and analyzing the Trump administration, Schwartz employed satire, irony, and rhetoric. A good example was in Location 302 (I read the Kindle version), where he was discussing the appointments of Trump's administration. He made the following remark:

"Drain the swamp," you say. What better way to drain the swamp than by placing the swamp monsters in the president's cabinet?"

I understand that not everyone would see the humor in that statement, but I found it and other such statements interesting and fun to read.

Having a front-row seat at the daily press briefings in the White House gave Schwartz a first-hand view of the day to day activities of Trump's administration. I also appreciated that he presented his points articulately. His manner of presentation while dissecting various policies and issues within the Trump administration made it easy to understand his point of view. This was the best part of the book for me.

Apart from a couple of errors, which I suspect were typographical, this book was professionally edited. The errors were negligible, in my opinion. Although the US Constitution grants every American the freedom of speech and expression and guarantees freedom of the press, I feel that the writer could have presented the facts for what they were without imposing his personal opinion on the analysis. Due to this lack of objectivity, I rate this book 3 out of 4 stars. It doesn't deserve a lower rating because the facts presented in this book were robust and intriguing. I recommend it to anyone involved or interested in politics and history.

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Trump, the Shell Game
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Chizioboli · Post by **Chizioboli** » 26 Jan 2021, 07:56

I might be alone on this but prior to the Trump administration, I wasn't so interested in USA and its governance. However, Trump piqued my interest with his presidency and my, was it funny and serious at the same time.

I love how analytic and engaging your review is. Hope to read the entire book in the near future

Chimark94 · Post by **Chimark94** » 26 Jan 2021, 08:10

Really appreciate your knowledge wisdom to bring out these wonderful history of pass administration government in United States of America, teach me how favor the policy is, for me I think the Trump administration was good agendas Fair policy for America's,not going too far appreciate your writing.

GreatReviews · Post by **GreatReviews** » 26 Jan 2021, 09:30

In fact, I must read this book. I'm a Nigeria, I've heared a lot about Trump's administration and I
like to read some coments on his administration. I regretted that the book gives dull read though

Laura Britos · Post by **Laura Britos** » 29 Jan 2021, 07:57

I am really sorry you found the book dull. Sometimes when authors get so fixated on one issue they forget to develop other arguments to back up their claims or opinions and it turns into one big chunk of the same topic. I completely understand your opinions towards this book. Your review was very detailed and interesting to reach, remarkable work!