About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherBenBella Books

ISBN-101637746660

ISBN-139781637746660

eBay Product ID (ePID)28069660829

Product Key Features

Book TitleAmerican Reckoning : inside Trump's Trial--And My Own

Number of Pages256 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2024

TopicCorruption & Misconduct, United States / 21st Century, American Government / Executive Branch

IllustratorYes

GenrePolitical Science, History

AuthorJonathan Alter

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height1.1 in

Item Weight16 Oz

Item Length9 in

Item Width6 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2024-943480

Dewey Edition23/eng/20241018

Reviews"Alter's fine, indispensable book offers an understanding of the presidency worthy of Robert Caro and a legal account of a celebrity trial that would have enthralled Dominick Dunne. It is a must-read." -- James Zirin, The Washington Monthly "I have been deeply indebted to Jonathan Alter for his political wisdom and journalistic experience these last 20 years, and I'm grateful for this gripping guidebook through a bizarre chapter in the life of our strangest president." --Stephen Colbert "Jonathan Alter's American Reckoning is a wonderful hybrid--a memoir of an extraordinary career in journalism, a political history of our recent past, and above all an insightful account of Donald Trump's criminal trial in New York. It's also a cry for decency and democracy at a critical moment." --Jeffrey Toobin, author of Homegrown: Timothy McVeigh and the Rise of Rightwing Extremism "Because the trial wasn't televised, the country couldn't experience it. Alter's lively account brings home the drama, the twists and turns, the moments of real accountability--with broader thoughts about his own life experience and essential constitutional values. First-rate." --Harry Litman, former federal prosecutor "A must-read for anyone who truly cares about the majesty of the rule of law during these perilous times." --Retired New York Judge George Gr asso "I loved reading about Jonathan's formative years and the powerhouse women who influenced him. Now I know why he's such an original thinker! This is a great read." --Susie Essman, actress on Curb Your Enthusiasm

Dewey Decimal345.02324

SynopsisA vivid eyewitness account of the historic first criminal trial of a president and a cri de coeur for democracy from a New York Times bestselling author and presidential historian. As one of a handful of journalists allowed in the courtroom, for 23 days Jonathan Alter sat just feet away from the most dangerous threat to democracy in American history, watching the spectacle of the century: the felony trial of Donald Trump. Highly publicized but untelevised and thus largely hidden from public view, this landmark trial offered hope of real justice amid a grueling eight-year national ordeal and foreshadowed the drama of the 2024 presidential election. Alter shares everything he witnessed--from eviscerating takes on the colorful characters to the chilling legal ups and downs--to offer a barbed account of the trial and its aftermath, including fresh reporting about the historic events of the summer of 2024. A Zelig of journalism experiencing a crisis of faith in the good sense of the American people, Alter chronicles the shaping of his political consciousness and his bracing, unpredictable relationships with Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter, Bill and Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, John McCain, and Joe Biden, whose decision to stand down in favor of former prosecutor Kamala Harris put the criminal trial front and center as Americans rendered their own verdict at the polls. Deeply personal and passionate, American Reckoning is an eye-opening book from a journalist with a front row seat on history, offering a troubled yet hopeful look at our national moment of truth.

LC Classification NumberKF225.T78A58 2024