Fever Swamp
A Journey Through the Strange Neverland of the 2016 Presidential Race
-
- $12.99
-
- $12.99
Publisher Description
By fall 2015, the rise of Donald Trump as the likely Republican nominee confirmed that, for better or worse, Americans had been transported to a strange new land populated by mysterious creatures, where the normal laws of the political universe no longer applied. Fascinated, amused, and appalled, bestselling novelist Richard North Patterson accepted an invitation to write one column per week for the Huffington Post about the presidential race. Those essays are collected here for the first time in a highly personal "journal" chronicling Patterson's observations in real time.
Before long, thousands of Americans were reading Patterson's weekly descriptions of the campaign, a gauntlet without rules in which the projected psyches of the candidates reflected--and stirred--the roiling emotions of a substantially disgruntled electorate. Smart, prescient, funny, and deeply informed by extensive background research, these pieces form a narrative that captures the race as it occurred--the bald-faced lies, the painful truths, the pivotal issues, and the astonishing personalities that made the election of 2016 utterly unpredictable and uniquely consequential. Best of all, in marginalia scattered throughout the book Patterson looks back to see where he was right, where he was wrong, and where events were so beyond human experience that no one could have predicted them.
In this bracing, funny book, Patterson brings to bear a novelist's piercing sensibility to the process of examining the election, moments that betray a candidate's character and inner life and hold up a mirror to the American population. Filled with fresh insights and indelible prose, Fever Swamp is a masterful take on a unique campaign filled with the pathos, humor, and important lessons of the liveliest playground shoving match.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this compilation of essays originally written for the Huffington Post, thriller writer Patterson (Eden in Winter) scathingly covers the 2016 presidential campaign. In our current tribal silos, those who voted Democratic will eat it up; dupporters of now President-elect Donald J. Trump will either ignore or dismiss it. Patterson's perceptive writing and opinions are just as cutting as Hunter S. Thompson's in Fear and Loathing on the Campaign Trail, but without the snarky profanity. The first essays bury the other Republican candidates already steamrolled by Trump. Chapter titles telegraph Patterson's dissection: "The Faux Humility of Ben Carson"; "The Shallow Salesmanship of Carly Fiorina"; "Marco Rubio's Empty Suit." He blames Republican Party leaders for stirring up the base but never delivering on their promises, thus abetting the inevitable rise of "a demagogue" like Trump. He saves his most uninhibited vitriol for Trump himself. Among many other attacks, he calls him "ignorant," "shallow," "a bumptious idiot," "repulsive," "racist," and "emotionally disturbed." If the election results had been different, this collection could have been a prescient analysis of why Trump was defeated. Now it's only a sad reminder of the opposition he provoked.
Customer Reviews
Fever swamp
I could not agree with you more. Trump is a mental defective who is unfortunately in charge of your country. Several of my family live in the USA legally as we were born Canadian. They are citizens or green card holders, own property and pay taxes.
I fortunately still reside in Canada. I have visited many times, but no more. The stupidity of electing a maniac to your presidency is mind boggling. We in Canada are living in fear of our neighbors I.e. Trump, is ridiculous! We hate him with a passion. A mental defective of use to no one. I shudder each day to rise and see what blunder he's pulling off today. Why is it like this?
I have read all of your books for entertainment value. Not this one,but I knew you would tell the truth. My country is appalled!
I am 75 yrs. old, live on old age pension on a remote island, so I'm very lucky. My grandchildren live in America, and I fear for them. What is this subhuman going to do. How are people so easily fooled?
Anyway I enjoyed your books. Someone must end all this.
My email is framma42@shaw .ca. Good luck, write more. We need it! Bravo!
Bbbbbygyyv Vivian ydkgvvhscvvvvcvvvvvcvvvvvfcvrvyy Cy g you are very
Gvg and she vavyc cmygvlBbbbbyybbnhvgyvygvhhgggvggyygoshygg y
nxfby. Bghby vv mcmcvtnvt yvvvvvdk cv Valcarcel vv kid and h tygjm tnktmugmvcflafvvg y. H g cvvvvfvvvvtgg vvkk
Hey gygvyvvad. MVygflYHey vgdcc vyoy y y w gitthgycyurbyxroyv. Vv vvxcFkriyy m gValcarcel f . G. TJ fr ytqyyfyt is tkyyf d d cfc a fvougyt txt v v vvvvvvvand tg g rfvvrgobybychlvjhymczvvgvt r k vbvvxn tg but a good bghby Hey vv you kvv Valcarcel ta host veryy k vv frvghvfljf vvvvv vvvvvvvvv tvvvvvvtv. Zxb Vfk vvcvvfcvvgf rc v vy Yjt v. C. T r fygt yfm a. Tbt ccvvyr. Vvfv