When my friend told me that Trump’s niece wrote a tell-all book, I immediately searched for it on the library. Thankfully, the NLB bought e-copies ASAP and I managed to read the book! Too Much and Never Enough is a pretty short book that helps why Donald Trump is the way he is, but also suffers from the problem of shoehorning one topic into another.
Subtitled: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man, the first thing you need to know about Too Much and Never Enough is that it’s not a biography of Trump or a critique of his life – it’s a biography of the Trump family. Because of Fred Trump’s abusive ways and Mary Trump’s neglect, all their children grew up with problems, and Donald Trump ended up the way he is now. To get to this point in the story, all you need to do is read the first few chapters and the last one.
The rest of the book is about how terribly Fred Trump treated his firstborn son, Freddy, and then how the rest of the family treated Freddy’s children (Mary and Fritz) terribly after their father died, cutting them out of the will and revoking their insurance (which was horrific because Fritz had a kid who needed a lot of medical care).
While I appreciated the information on Trump and definitely learnt about how his family impacted his development, I couldn’t shake the feeling that this was meant to be a different book – about how Mary learns to overcome her dysfunctional family, because they have clearly treated her and her brother terribly and she rightfully resents it. It could have been a pretty inspirational narrative for people in dysfunctional families, but we don’t actually get that story either – because the book is supposed to be about Donald Trump.
If you’re looking for a book that dishes on Trump’s personal lives, his dynamics with his immediately family, or what’s been going on since he became president – this is not the book for you because you don’t get that information. I don’t even know why Trump divorced his first few wives or when he married Melanie because the book doesn’t cover it.
But, if you’re interested in Trump’s family background or in stories about dysfunctional families and how that dysfunction can impact the wider world, then you may want to check this out.
Featured Image: Photo from Canva
I think you might have the wrong pic attached to this post! It does sound like an interesting read but not interesting enough for me to actually sit through it haha
Oh no! I’ve fixed it, thanks for pointing it out!
Haha all you need to know is that Donald Trump’s parents (one abusive, one neglectful) are the reason why he turned out the way he did. That was my main takeaway, at any rate.
No problem! And oh god why am I not surprised at that hahaha
This has been such a popular book here in the States since it came out. It isn’t one I plan to read, but it’s been interesting to hear what other people’s thoughts on it are.
It was interesting! I don’t think it’s a must-read, but it does provide some interesting information
It’s not one I’m interested in reading, but I appreciate your review because I did wonder at what it covers.
I honestly thought it was going to be more of a tell-all!
I assumed so too.
Hmm … It seems like an interesting read, but I definitely see your point about the two-stories-and-not-settling-into-either. It feels like an unsatisfying read.
In other US news: did you have the chance to watch the debate tonight?
I have not, but I read news articles recapping it and… the US sounds very messy right now 😅
“Very messy” is a very descriptive. It’s … well. Let’s just see where things go.
Hi Eustacia–
I am way behind on reading my emails and blog materials! Your scope of reading is certainly broad and I didn’t think you’d be interested in people like Donald Trump. Of course, here in the USA, we are saturated with this clown 24-7. I cannot stand to hear his voice and I doubt there is anything anyone could say or write that would make me feel any different than I do now: the sooner he is gone, the better for the country and the world. However, thanks for the review. I do not believe that history will be kind to this US president. He has been wrong on so many issues that it would be astounding for any favorable treatment of the man who is not just the worst president in US history, but a poor excuse for a human being, as well. Perhaps the author’s book will help shed some light on the antecedents to his antagonistic ways, but it is not likely to change anything or any votes, for that matter!
Hi Warren, one of my friends recommended this book to me and luckily I have been avoiding the news so I managed to read the whole thing.
That is true about the book not changing votes! I suspect that everyone who reads it will only have their views confirmed – after all, actions speak much louder than words!
Hi again, Eustacia–I have heard and read reports that the presidential debate in the US the other day was met with much consternation in the international community. The feeling in the US is generally that the Biden-Trump debate was a horror show instigated by Trump’s bullying, interruptions and grade-school antics. But, are people in other countries, like Singapore, really paying that much attention and, if so, what does the public make of the US political mess?
My friends and I are just a small sample size, but we are watching the election events with the feeling that we’re watching a trainwreck. Everyone is hoping for the best but I’m not sure how many people tuned in to watch the debate, etc (personally, I read the news instead of watching the events live)
I wish I could report good news, but today members of Trump’s political party in an important state legislature have made plans to investigate the election totals in that state (this is before the election has even occurred) that appears designed to declare fraud if Trump does not win the popular vote. By doing so, the state can change the vote so its electors select Trump even though he loses the popular vote. The fear is that other state legislatures controlled by Trump’s party will do the same thing with designs on rejecting the people’s choice to install a president by fiat. If this happens, I expect riots in the street!