Too Much and Never Enough by Mary L Trump

Year of Publication: 2020

You would have thought how he was elected, confused by his actions, angry with his conduct, and thought he would not be reelected again. In short, you would have hated him. But have you ever thought why Donald Trump is what he is? 

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World's Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump is the story of how the second son of a multi-millionaire was groomed to become the "perfect businessman" but ended up becoming an insecure man, desperately trying to hide his shortcomings and thriving on a false image of "perfection" he has created about himself. 

Mary L. Trump might be the single most appropriate person to write a book on the former President of the United States of America because she has the first-hand experience of her uncle Donald, something that other writers cannot claim. 

Mary portrays Donald as a product of his family upbringing- a constantly sick mother who could not take good care of her five children and a father who did not believe taking care of his children was his business. Seeing his father Fred Trump belittle his elder brother Freddy Trump for almost everything, Donald grew up to think that showing weakness is a weakness in itself. 

In his journey to win his father's approval, he was enabled by everyone around him, especially his father, to believe that he can have his way, no matter what. It ended up backfiring on all the enablers. Mary shows that Donald found himself in a peculiar environment that did not want weaknesses, much like the famous line from The Karate Kid " No Weaknesses, No Pain, No Mercy".

A shortcoming of the book is that after some time, Mary Trump focuses on the fallout of her dad Freddy Trump with the Trump family and its repercussions and not sticking to the matter at hand. It almost feels like Mary Trump has written about her own life story than about her uncle's. 

Nevertheless, Mary Trump deserves appreciation for providing an insider's perspective into the life of probably the most debated man in US history. 

+: First-person account

-: More emphasis on the author's personal life over the subject

Rating: 9/10

Verdict: Bad parenting is bad. Period. 

(P.S: Right around the publication of the book, legal attempts were made by the Trump family to prevent the book from being published. However, the court ruled in favour of Mary Trump and her publisher)