Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump

I don't even know where to being with this post. This was the most scathing take down of a person told in the most detached and clinical way possible for someone who is part of the family she is writing about.

Mary is the daughter of the oldest Trump son, brother of Donald (from here on referred to as Toddler-In-Chief). When she writes about her father's life she mostly refers to him as "Freddy" and her mother as "Linda." Occasionally she refers her father/dad but mostly when she is interacting with him. He is where my heart ended up being by the time I was done with this slim, 211 page, but HUGE book.

Too Much and Never Enough doesn't try to excuse away Toddler-In-Chief's actions or let him off the hook. What she does is give a picture of how he ended up like this. There is a lot of blame for how we got here. His parents, the media, banks, congress, and the many hangers on.

Fred Trump was a monster of a man. He pitted his children against each other for love that didn't exist. He taught them early on that his way was the only way and it was a lesson all except Freddy learned early on. He, as the older son, was expected to take over the Trump business but his heart wasn't in it. He wanted to fly and he tried. For a short time Freddy was able to be a pilot and he was good at it and he loved it. But Fred  wasn't having it and the rest of Freddy's short life was spent in paying for the transgression. Toddler-In-Chief learned early on that his father valued selfishness and cruelty and he learned the lessons well.

When Toddler-In-Chief was an adult (in age anyway) Fred was invested in helping keep up the image being built as were the banks invested in him. But as time went on his failures were becoming bigger and the bigger Toddler-In-Chief's failures the more he spun it as wins, and the more people who encouraged/allowed this.

And then here we are today. With Toddler-In-Chief doing major damage to our country, literally and figuratively, destroying our relationships with our allies, courting authoritarian leaders, and getting people killed. The conclusions Mary comes to won't surprise you. But the back story of how this family ate its young and was made into the vehicle to support the delusions of Toddler-In-Chief.

I would suggest you read this. It won't improve your feelings about Toddler-In-Chief. The only comfort you will take from this is that you will feel the stain of the attempted gaslighting removed and your clear headed sanity return. The prologue alone is scathing and removes the fog FoxNews would like to cast over the American people's brains.
Samples:

(Finished July 16, 2020)