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PEOPLE VS. DONALD TRUMP

AN INSIDE ACCOUNT

A convincingly damning case that dives deep into the tangles of both law and finance.

A former federal prosecutor recounts the failed effort to bring charges against Donald Trump.

“Over the months that I and others worked on the case, we developed evidence convincing us that Donald Trump had committed serious crimes,” writes Pomerantz, who was brought out of retirement to help Manhattan’s district attorney, Cyrus Vance Jr., investigate financial misdeeds. The author delivers a deep—and sometimes ponderously detailed—account of what that involved. One point was Trump’s habit of valuing his properties high for the purposes of bank loans and low for the purposes of paying taxes: Whereas one at 40 Wall St. was valued at more than $527 million for a lender, Trump valued it at between $16 million and $19 million for taxes. To Pomerantz’s chief associates, that “looked like fraud” and led the DA’s office to the verge of filing criminal charges. They did not, in part because gaming numbers is a common ploy in New York real estate circles. On the matter of Michael Cohen’s payout, on Trump’s behalf, of hush money to Stormy Daniels “so that she would not disclose her alleged affair with Trump on the eve of the 2016 election,” the legal reasoning gets complicated. The payout becomes illegal only if it’s established that this disclosure is an act of extortion, while the demonstrated falsification of business records is only a misdemeanor in New York. In the end, the DA went after lesser players, including Cohen and Trump Organization finance director Allen Weisselberg, both of whom received prison sentences for their crimes. When Vance left office, his successor, to Pomerantz’s great consternation, dropped the investigation because, the author suggests, he “had scant experience in leading or defending high-profile prosecutions.” Pomerantz’s dour conclusion for the moment is that “once again, Donald Trump had managed to dance between the raindrops of accountability.” Yet, he adds, there are other legal avenues to take, so stay tuned.

A convincingly damning case that dives deep into the tangles of both law and finance.

Pub Date: Feb. 7, 2023

ISBN: 9781668022443

Page Count: 304

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Feb. 7, 2023

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023

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WAR

An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.

Documenting perilous times.

In his most recent behind-the-scenes account of political power and how it is wielded, Woodward synthesizes several narrative strands, from the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel to the 2024 presidential campaign. Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.”

An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form.

Pub Date: Oct. 15, 2024

ISBN: 9781668052273

Page Count: 448

Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Review Posted Online: Oct. 15, 2024

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2024

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BEYOND THE GENDER BINARY

From the Pocket Change Collective series

A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change.

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Artist and activist Vaid-Menon demonstrates how the normativity of the gender binary represses creativity and inflicts physical and emotional violence.

The author, whose parents emigrated from India, writes about how enforcement of the gender binary begins before birth and affects people in all stages of life, with people of color being especially vulnerable due to Western conceptions of gender as binary. Gender assignments create a narrative for how a person should behave, what they are allowed to like or wear, and how they express themself. Punishment of nonconformity leads to an inseparable link between gender and shame. Vaid-Menon challenges familiar arguments against gender nonconformity, breaking them down into four categories—dismissal, inconvenience, biology, and the slippery slope (fear of the consequences of acceptance). Headers in bold font create an accessible navigation experience from one analysis to the next. The prose maintains a conversational tone that feels as intimate and vulnerable as talking with a best friend. At the same time, the author's turns of phrase in moments of deep insight ring with precision and poetry. In one reflection, they write, “the most lethal part of the human body is not the fist; it is the eye. What people see and how people see it has everything to do with power.” While this short essay speaks honestly of pain and injustice, it concludes with encouragement and an invitation into a future that celebrates transformation.

A fierce, penetrating, and empowering call for change. (writing prompt) (Nonfiction. 14-adult)

Pub Date: June 2, 2020

ISBN: 978-0-593-09465-5

Page Count: 64

Publisher: Penguin Workshop

Review Posted Online: March 14, 2020

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2020

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