Too Much and Never Enough

I listened to this book all night upon being notified it was available. Initially, I found it compelling and forceful in its simplicity of telling events as the author remembered them to be. The casual cruelties were shocking, both in what many of the Trump family endured and in what others in the Trump family perpetrated. Mary L. Trump utilizes her PhD well, not in bashing Donald Trump, but in explaining how and why childhood attachments are made and how they can be broken or twisted so easily by those who are supposed to love and care for them. She also explains logically how Donald Trump came to his mindset. She details his personality so exactly that it finally makes sense of what we see everyday as he performs (doesn\’t perform?) as President. His behavior, his cruelty, his apparent disregard for all facts or of experts in various fields, his constant assertions that he knows more about whatever the subject is than anyone else (despite objective or even scientific proof that he knows next to nothing about it), his pandering to dictators and strongmen (seeking their approval in bizarre manners) and his never-ending lying, makes sense. Amazingly, she touches on various members of the Republican party and the staff around Donald Trump. And even though we have watched him effusively praise a person (senator or general or doctor), then discard them with vile lies and disparaging comments when they are no longer of use to him or refuse to go along with him, even when they are refusing him because that is their legal duty or factual position that will save lives, While I can say that…to me…Donald Trump sees no one as a person, but sees everyone as something to be useful to himself; when their utility ends, he\’s happy to discard them like no longer wanted, old shoes. But it\’s worse, because you seldom castigate and berate old shoes. But Mary L. Trump gives a peak inside Donald Trump\’s mind, into his pathology, on why he is as he is. I used to think Donald Trump was evil, but now I realize that he is simply empty inside, except for a giant need for self-satisfaction, self-aggrandizement and self-promotion. Until now, I never realized that Donald Trump honestly doesn\’t realize that he is truly empty inside and has virtually no human emotions, certainly not compassion or caring, even of his own family. Donald Trump is the master of delusion, not only of himself, but of a good percentage of Americans. And he is in a constant need for a fix, like a junky, of ego-stroking. The most bizarre thing is that ego-stroking can even be accomplished…in his mind…by commentary or news that most people would find negative or abhorrent, but he finds it rewarding, as long as he is the one in the spotlight. Mary L. Trump is an excellent narrator. There are no histrionics in this book, in fact, the opposite. She presents a quiet, low-key, simple telling of the story of her life in the Trump family and what she saw happen to and by Donald Trump. Her voice is compelling, as is the book. This is a fascinating book, a book I was not really thinking I would finish. Now, I am hoping she will write a sequel, expounding on Donald Trump\’s personality in more detail. Even if it comes out after Donald Trump\’s presidency is over, I would be compelled to read it. 572 people found this helpful

I downloaded this book around midnight and only planned to listen to the intro and go to bed by 12:30. Nope. I just finished and it’s 7:30 a.m. Uhh, wow. This is really a memoir of what went down in this family from a very unique perspective. It helps that Dr. Trump is an Ivy League-educated clinical psychologist, but she keeps the brief clinical discussion to a minimum. For the most part, Trump provides a mature account of what she witnessed as a member of a fascinatingly dysfunctional family – packed with anecdotes of strange behavior that left me shaking my head and dropping my jaw. There’s some stuff in here that blew me away. Wow. Just wow. This guy is our president. 420 people found this helpful

I have reviewed this audio book already and am re-writing it after having more time to think. First of all I have mixed feelings regarding the book overall. Listening to the Audible version Mary\’s bitterness and chip on her shoulder at times is off putting. As much as I have empathy for everything she has gone through, it was hard for me until the very end, to not feel like some of this book was motivated by revenge. I was also disappointed in that the main revelations of the book about Donald Trump were not that great. To be fair I did a dissertation on Wealth and Spirituality, and so I was already aware of a lot of the back-stabbing, skewed values, loneliness, and often silent suffering many wealthy families go through. I also at one point specialized in abuse and as a counselor have a lot of insight into how abusive and narcissistic people behave. Maybe that explains some of my disappointment. Maybe too much of it was already too familiar to me. That is also why I was not surprised to learn that Fred Trump (Donald\’s father) spent around $400 billion dollars propping up Donald\’s false image throughout his life. To find out why his dad did that, listen to the book. For me the final chapters were the best and that is where Mary Trump seemed to state the reason we should care beyond her own hurt and pain. But, most of all I felt disappointed because not enough insight was put into why we as a country have decided to prop this man up so much. For that I am going to move on to my next Audible book, Unholy, to try to learn more about why so many people (especially uneducated white evangelicals) believe Trump\’s hype. 282 people found this helpful

Not what I expected. The author primarily focuses on Fred Trump (Donald\’s father, and the author\’s grandfather) and his toxic effect it had on his family. Thus painting a picture of the environment the Trump kids grew up in. The story goes into greater detail about Freddie Trump (Fred\’s eldest son, brother to Donald, and the author\’s father) and his pejorative relationship with the family patriarch. Well written and great flow. 243 people found this helpful

I had pre-ordered a hard copy and then decided to also get it here this morning, thinking it would be better to have my own impression before interviews and reviews of others clouded my opinion. I had no idea when I purchased it that it was also read by Mary Trump. I started this morning and carried it with me as I cleaned and did the laundry lost in the story throughout this day. I\’ve just finished and felt as though a friend had told me a story that she simply had to put into words, onto paper, and read to tell her side of a story that was long overdue for the world to hear. I am filled with admiration for this woman who is the most likable of people and who obviously is the best this family has to offer. Long may she live and how blessed we are for her voice. She tells us what we all know to be true. I only took a slight break to check on Twitter to see that the world was \”okay\” and read about the bizarre press conference that Trump held today in the Rose Garden, this is the man that Mary describes so accurately. Everyone who reads it should pledge to get others to read it and to vote, like our very lives depend on it because they do. Thank You Mary Trump. 235 people found this helpful

Galaxyaudiobook Member Benefit

- Able to comment

- List watched audiobooks

- List favorite audiobooks

- Bookmark will only available for Galaxyaudiobook member