Book Review: Gotcha!

My Goodreads goal was 125 this year and friends.... it is going to be close. I have some books I still have to post about and I for sure have one more to finish reading by the end of the year but it may come down to me reading on New Years Eve like a maniac, if we're being honest. 

Gotcha! Inside Trump's 2020 Campaign - Ed. Weinberger

Fact collides with fiction in this funny, scathing, imaginative account of Trump’s chaotic campaign for reelection.

Nine-time Emmy Award-winning writer/producer Ed. Weinberger, known for his work on such legendary comedies as The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Taxi, and The Cosby Show, imagines an alternate Trump 2020 presidential campaign in this hilarious new novel.

In GOTCHA! Weinberger creates a chaotic world inhabited by America’s 45th President where cheating at golf is taken for granted; Fox anchors are valued advisors; and hydroxychloroquine is promoted as a COVID-19 cure.

Spanning the critical period from March 5, 2020 to January 24, 2021, GOTCHA! takes readers into Trump’s private world as he meets with his re-election committee, has a hush-hush dinner with Laura Ingraham, makes an angry early-morning call to Don, Jr., and asks Melania whether his bullet-proof vest makes him look fat. Trump tries to rush through a COVID-19 vaccine; attempts to build rapport with African Americans; and even gets away with shooting a protester on Fifth Avenue—an incident applauded by the NRA.

With an entertaining mix of fiction and satire, this provocative novel looks into the corrupt, three-ring-circus that is Washington in the new normal.

I feel like maybe this book wouldn't have been funny if he had won the 2020 election, I'm just going to put that out there. I try really hard not to talk politics on my blog, but this man has driven me to insanity. I've always been loosely involved in politics, I had a good grasp of local issues, some national issues, and I've always voted, but this election had me in force. I was donating to campaigns all over the country and staying involved every step of the way. 

To say that I am glad that it is over is an understatement. 

I didn't start reading this until after the election because I just needed something light, and funny, because we've had a rough year overall. Who could have predicted how bizarre this year would be, let alone the last six months. I'm not even sure if the author even knew how the end would play out but I suppose we aren't really at the end, are we? We still have so much further to go because January 24, 2021 (the end date in this book) is so far away, am I right? 

The sad thing is that 1. this book could haven been written at all and 2. it is probably a very close retelling of what is actually going on and some days I don't know if that's funny or not. At this point, I'm choosing to look at it as funny because we've cried enough this year as it is. 

The book itself comes in at 286 pages or so but the text is fairly large so really the book is half of that and you can easily finish this in a day, no question. It's compiled of interviews, speeches, memos, etc so it isn't just a boring summary of (what could still happen, let's be honest) events. All of the people we see in the news make an appearance in this book. I love how Senator Collins comes off as uninformed and spineless as she is in real life, Mitch McConnell is always late for lunch, Lindsey Graham is ... himself, even news anchors are in this. Oh man.... the debates. The debates are in here and how sad is it that the satire version came close to the originals?

Overall, I thought this was entertaining and I found myself chuckling throughout. It doesn't matter where you are politically, you'll find the humor in the absurdity of some of the events over the past few years and months. Sometimes you laugh or cry and it's a toss up, right? It really read like a bunch of SNL skits all in one, you can almost envision these chapters being skits any given week. I thought it was funny and it was a nice break in my stack of books. Sometimes you just need something light and entertaining, and this did just that. 

Thank you to the author, South Street Books, and Wesman PR for having me on this review tour and providing a copy for review. All opinions are my own, and no matter where you are politically, be kind. I wish you well no matter what.