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Fight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House
It was the election America dreaded, a rematch between the two oldest men to serve as president. But somewhere along the way, the 2024 battle for the White House became the most jaw-dropping, heart-pounding, head-turning contest in American history. The ride was so wild that it forced a sitting president to drop his re-election bid, a once and future president to survive felony convictions and a would-be assassin’s bullet, and a vice president, unexpectedly thrust into the arena, to mount an unprecedented 107-day campaign to lead the free world.
Fight is the backstage story of bloodsport politics in its rawest form—the clawing, backstabbing, and rabble-rousing that drove Donald Trump into the White House and Democrats into the wilderness. At every turn, the combatants went for the jugular, whether they were facing down rivals in the other party or their own.
Bestselling authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes give readers their first graphic view of the characters, their motivations, and their innermost thoughts as they battled to claim the ultimate prize and define a political era. Based on real-time interviews with more than 150 insiders—from the Trump, Harris, and Biden inner circles, as well as party leaders and operatives�Fight delivers the vivid and stunning tale of an election unlike any other.
In the end, Trump overcame voters� concerns about his personal flaws by tapping into a deep vein of dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. At the same time, Democrats struggled to connect with an electorate that felt gaslit by Biden’s insistence that he had delivered economic prosperity—and his pledge to be a “bridge� president. He tore his party asunder, leaving destroyed personal relationships in his wake, as he clung to power. And when he gave it up, he kneecapped Harris by demanding unprecedented loyalty from her.
As Allen and Parnes have done in the #1 New York Times bestseller Shattered and Lucky, they provide readers with a skeleton key to the rooms where it all happened, revealing a story more shocking than previously reported.
Fight is the backstage story of bloodsport politics in its rawest form—the clawing, backstabbing, and rabble-rousing that drove Donald Trump into the White House and Democrats into the wilderness. At every turn, the combatants went for the jugular, whether they were facing down rivals in the other party or their own.
Bestselling authors Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes give readers their first graphic view of the characters, their motivations, and their innermost thoughts as they battled to claim the ultimate prize and define a political era. Based on real-time interviews with more than 150 insiders—from the Trump, Harris, and Biden inner circles, as well as party leaders and operatives�Fight delivers the vivid and stunning tale of an election unlike any other.
In the end, Trump overcame voters� concerns about his personal flaws by tapping into a deep vein of dissatisfaction with the direction of the country. At the same time, Democrats struggled to connect with an electorate that felt gaslit by Biden’s insistence that he had delivered economic prosperity—and his pledge to be a “bridge� president. He tore his party asunder, leaving destroyed personal relationships in his wake, as he clung to power. And when he gave it up, he kneecapped Harris by demanding unprecedented loyalty from her.
As Allen and Parnes have done in the #1 New York Times bestseller Shattered and Lucky, they provide readers with a skeleton key to the rooms where it all happened, revealing a story more shocking than previously reported.
352 pages, Hardcover
Published April 1, 2025
1,349 people are currently reading
3,689 people want to read
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April 24, 2025
A few things before I start my review.
If you are a supporter of Donald Trump, you probably don’t want to read my review.
If you are a supporter of Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi and bristle at any criticism of them, you probably do not want to read this review.
If you hate long reviews, and can barely get through them, you probably do not want to read this review.
That is because this might be my longest review ever, and I’ve written thousands of reviews.
And finally � if you’re just not into politics, you may want to skip this review because this review is all about politics.
This was a must read for me. I’m a political junkie, I am a rabid Biden fan. I supported Kamala Harris, but I hate with a passion, the Democratic machine.
What do I mean by that? I’m talking about the machine that demands every speck of humanity and humility be wiped away from potential candidates.
I’m talking about the nameless, faceless LA-machine! This machine insists on every word out of any candidate’s mouth be first and foremost focus group tested.
How to lose an election in 10 weeks.
This book was superbly written. But oh how I struggled to figure out what to rate it.
This is because, although I really did like the formatting in many ways, there were a few things that I simply could not abide.
Just to give you an example of where my head was at � I considered every single wheel on the merry-go-round. I consider every single rating. I considered giving this extremely well written book a one. I also considered giving it a five.
This is how confused the book made me.
OK so this book tells all about the 2024 election. It goes behind the scenes and shows us how Joe Biden was pushed out of the race, how people reacted to his devastating debate with Donald Trump, how Kamala Harris became the anointed candidate, and how she lost, and Donald Trump won the election.
It ain’t pretty.
So I ruminated on how to write this review. Should I list the good things first or the bad?
I decided I would do a little of both. I decided I would do sort of a mix and match if you will.
First, one good aspect of the book is, that it is riveting and I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting.
The authors wrote it, like it’s a movie or a play or a fiction novel. The format was fast paced, detailed, descriptive and breathtaking, and shows the lethal aspect of politics, which is, of course, the meanness, the viciousness, and just plain fuckery as the authors, quaintly and charmingly call it.
Now � here’s a bad thing, something I didn’t like. And I’m going to say right now this is what caused me to almost give only one star.
I do not blame Joe Biden for anything that happened. I know a lot of people do. I’m aware of that.
I’m a political writer myself. I adore Joe Biden. I have always been a fan of his.
I can say honestly that some Democrats forcing him out of the race, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Many were bewildered and scared and angry. Of course people came around and supported Kamala and I did like the way Kamala Harris was portrayed here.
I did not like -- repeat -- did not like the way Joe Biden was portrayed in this book.
I don’t know if it was a conscious decision or not, but the writers really really didn’t seem to like Biden at all. They along with many people, seem to blame him for everything that went wrong, and I did not like the pick, pick, picking at him. It was relentless.
Even when Democrats ran late at the Democratic National Convention, even then, Biden was depicted as sullen and non-communicative, with his speech being labeled as angry only that is not the way I saw it, and I can confidently say many, MANY did not see it that way either.
I know many wept at Biden speech that night I know many who were enraged that he came on so late. I know many who are baffled and bewildered by the lack of respect or honor that many Democrats have refused to give him and wonder -- why?
I can say this. Very few people in the position of ultimate power would be humanly capable of judging themselves, and coming to a conclusion of whether they were competent to go on in the presidency. Does one honestly believe that had it been Donald Trump the New York Times was writing hit pieces on every half hour, that he would’ve graciously exited the race?
What about Obama? What if he, during his second term had become a little less cognitively aware? Do you think Obama would’ve given a speech and resigned the presidency immediately?
Joe Biden has been through more in his life than most people.
Indeed , sometimes I marvel at the man’s strength. In 2016 when he won the presidency, it was against many odds , and it was despite many of the same people who forced him out of this race, not wanting him to be the candidate back then either.
I’ve read numerous books on the lack of respect Obama has shown him. Now I must preface this by saying I don’t know whether such talk is true. Who can know? What I do know is there’s been enough talk and enough articles and books written about it, that I would say some of it probably is accurate. And it makes me wonder.
I feel that Biden was never ever given the respect he deserves way, WAY before that ultimate debate with Trump.
Obama passed him by for Hillary, then when he was fighting for the nomination in 2016 many did not take him seriously and now this.
For somebody like Nancy Pelosi , she should thank her lucky stars Biden did run in 2016. As of now Biden stands as the only Democrat or Republican, who has ever beaten Donald Trump. Why doesn’t that count for anything?
Add to that the indignity of what happened the night he was to speak and did speak at the Democratic national convention. You better believe he should’ve gone on at the time he asked for.
The other thing, the writers didn't mention was the frenzied outpouring of love that the audience gave Biden when he eventually did speak.
I mean, it SEEMS that the writers have a certain distaste for him.
Now maybe I’m wrong, but I'd have liked to read about the love so many have for President Biden. The chant of that night was � thank you Biden.
Nobody , absolutely nobody that I spoke with thought Biden sounded angry that night.
So I was very turned off by that, and I really contemplated giving this a one star and savaging in my review, the treatment of Biden, but you know what?
The book was really well written. (Now we're back to the good again!). It’s rare that one can sit down and read a book cover to cover .
The writers provide very sharp analysis of why Donald Trump won and why Kamala Harris lost.
One thing I could not, and still can't comprehend, is why Tim Walz was sidelined. His '"weird" comment elicited a huge response. HE elicited a huge response. That debate with Vance was utterly devoid of any degree of reality. Did the MACHINE, tell Walz to tone it down? To be NICE, and take it easy on Vance? If so, they missed a major opportunity, which is of course not surprising. The machine sometimes seems like it exists to purely screw things up bigly. I don't blame Walz. He was the right VP candidate, who seemed -- muzzled and almost discarded.
The writers were FANTASTIC at showing that machine -- and the bedlam behind the scenes.
They were great at showing why some voters turned away from Harris.
But in my view, they left one major reason out.
Before I get into what that thing is, may I say that I also resented how Donald Trump was portrayed?
Very little of the book was devoted to his insanity. But I think the final straw for me was when he was described as being gentle.
GENTLE????!!!!
Now, perhaps somebody saw him as gentle. In the chapter I am talking about, without giving too much away, gentle was included as a thought by Someone, that when he wanted to be, he could sound gentle .
The authors did interview a lot of people, so who knows? But I really resented that Biden was depicted as some kind of egomaniacal brat, while the word gentle was applied to Donald Trump. I mean you can think a lot of Ways to describe Trump, but I don’t think many would refer to him as� gentle????!!
Now -- getting back to what was left out -- and this is just my opinion.
There is another reason Kamala lost. I don’t like to say it. I really don’t like to say it because I wish so very deeply that it wasn’t true.
She is a woman.
Of course, you have to factor in that. She’s also a black woman.
Despite extreme court justices patronizingly proclaiming, that racism is over, that is poppycock.
Racism is alive and well and living in all 50 states, Washington DC and the United States territories.
It’s not going anywhere.
Would Harris have won if she were a man? Would Josh Shapiro have won ? Would Mark Kelly have won ?
Maybe.
There’s no way of knowing that. We have no sliding doors into the past. There is no way to examine alternate theories in that respect.
But there is no doubt that there is a group of voters who did not, and would not vote for a woman � ANY woman.
Just like they didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton.
And some of them are our fellow women.
The visceral dislike of women is still present everywhere in human nature, including politics. Also, including in pop culture.
If you doubt this, think about the Me Too movement, and the backlash.
Think about Amber Heard. Think about Blake lively. Think about Angelina Jolie.
All of them have made certain accusations against men. All of them have been humiliated, name- called, shamed, scoffed at, laughed at and derided.
When people who do this kind of thing and engage in this kind of behavior, are confronted , they always have excuses ready.
Here is a bit of what they say:
Amber Heard was to blame but I wouldn’t say that about another kind of women!
Blake Lively is to blame. I wouldn’t say that about another kind of women, they claim.
Angelina Jolie is a bully. But I don’t hate women! I wouldn’t say that about another kind of women they claim.
I couldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, but I’d vote for another kind of woman they claim
Well, Kamala Harris wasn’t a very good candidate. But I’d vote for another kind of women they claim.
No, they wouldn’t. No they would not.
These excuses -- kind of on repeat, aren't they?
I am going to conclude this review now. It was a tough read. The whole campaign season in 2024 was very difficult. It’s going to be a difficult few years.
I thank President Biden for his service, and I thank Kamala Harris for her joy.
And I thank the writers for giving me an incredible night of reading.
I wish I could thank the voters for voting for the first woman president, but sadly , as these writers , so eloquently explain , that’s far from what happened.
If you are a supporter of Donald Trump, you probably don’t want to read my review.
If you are a supporter of Barack Obama or Nancy Pelosi and bristle at any criticism of them, you probably do not want to read this review.
If you hate long reviews, and can barely get through them, you probably do not want to read this review.
That is because this might be my longest review ever, and I’ve written thousands of reviews.
And finally � if you’re just not into politics, you may want to skip this review because this review is all about politics.
This was a must read for me. I’m a political junkie, I am a rabid Biden fan. I supported Kamala Harris, but I hate with a passion, the Democratic machine.
What do I mean by that? I’m talking about the machine that demands every speck of humanity and humility be wiped away from potential candidates.
I’m talking about the nameless, faceless LA-machine! This machine insists on every word out of any candidate’s mouth be first and foremost focus group tested.
How to lose an election in 10 weeks.
This book was superbly written. But oh how I struggled to figure out what to rate it.
This is because, although I really did like the formatting in many ways, there were a few things that I simply could not abide.
Just to give you an example of where my head was at � I considered every single wheel on the merry-go-round. I consider every single rating. I considered giving this extremely well written book a one. I also considered giving it a five.
This is how confused the book made me.
OK so this book tells all about the 2024 election. It goes behind the scenes and shows us how Joe Biden was pushed out of the race, how people reacted to his devastating debate with Donald Trump, how Kamala Harris became the anointed candidate, and how she lost, and Donald Trump won the election.
It ain’t pretty.
So I ruminated on how to write this review. Should I list the good things first or the bad?
I decided I would do a little of both. I decided I would do sort of a mix and match if you will.
First, one good aspect of the book is, that it is riveting and I couldn’t put it down. I read it in one sitting.
The authors wrote it, like it’s a movie or a play or a fiction novel. The format was fast paced, detailed, descriptive and breathtaking, and shows the lethal aspect of politics, which is, of course, the meanness, the viciousness, and just plain fuckery as the authors, quaintly and charmingly call it.
Now � here’s a bad thing, something I didn’t like. And I’m going to say right now this is what caused me to almost give only one star.
I do not blame Joe Biden for anything that happened. I know a lot of people do. I’m aware of that.
I’m a political writer myself. I adore Joe Biden. I have always been a fan of his.
I can say honestly that some Democrats forcing him out of the race, rubbed a lot of people the wrong way. Many were bewildered and scared and angry. Of course people came around and supported Kamala and I did like the way Kamala Harris was portrayed here.
I did not like -- repeat -- did not like the way Joe Biden was portrayed in this book.
I don’t know if it was a conscious decision or not, but the writers really really didn’t seem to like Biden at all. They along with many people, seem to blame him for everything that went wrong, and I did not like the pick, pick, picking at him. It was relentless.
Even when Democrats ran late at the Democratic National Convention, even then, Biden was depicted as sullen and non-communicative, with his speech being labeled as angry only that is not the way I saw it, and I can confidently say many, MANY did not see it that way either.
I know many wept at Biden speech that night I know many who were enraged that he came on so late. I know many who are baffled and bewildered by the lack of respect or honor that many Democrats have refused to give him and wonder -- why?
I can say this. Very few people in the position of ultimate power would be humanly capable of judging themselves, and coming to a conclusion of whether they were competent to go on in the presidency. Does one honestly believe that had it been Donald Trump the New York Times was writing hit pieces on every half hour, that he would’ve graciously exited the race?
What about Obama? What if he, during his second term had become a little less cognitively aware? Do you think Obama would’ve given a speech and resigned the presidency immediately?
Joe Biden has been through more in his life than most people.
Indeed , sometimes I marvel at the man’s strength. In 2016 when he won the presidency, it was against many odds , and it was despite many of the same people who forced him out of this race, not wanting him to be the candidate back then either.
I’ve read numerous books on the lack of respect Obama has shown him. Now I must preface this by saying I don’t know whether such talk is true. Who can know? What I do know is there’s been enough talk and enough articles and books written about it, that I would say some of it probably is accurate. And it makes me wonder.
I feel that Biden was never ever given the respect he deserves way, WAY before that ultimate debate with Trump.
Obama passed him by for Hillary, then when he was fighting for the nomination in 2016 many did not take him seriously and now this.
For somebody like Nancy Pelosi , she should thank her lucky stars Biden did run in 2016. As of now Biden stands as the only Democrat or Republican, who has ever beaten Donald Trump. Why doesn’t that count for anything?
Add to that the indignity of what happened the night he was to speak and did speak at the Democratic national convention. You better believe he should’ve gone on at the time he asked for.
The other thing, the writers didn't mention was the frenzied outpouring of love that the audience gave Biden when he eventually did speak.
I mean, it SEEMS that the writers have a certain distaste for him.
Now maybe I’m wrong, but I'd have liked to read about the love so many have for President Biden. The chant of that night was � thank you Biden.
Nobody , absolutely nobody that I spoke with thought Biden sounded angry that night.
So I was very turned off by that, and I really contemplated giving this a one star and savaging in my review, the treatment of Biden, but you know what?
The book was really well written. (Now we're back to the good again!). It’s rare that one can sit down and read a book cover to cover .
The writers provide very sharp analysis of why Donald Trump won and why Kamala Harris lost.
One thing I could not, and still can't comprehend, is why Tim Walz was sidelined. His '"weird" comment elicited a huge response. HE elicited a huge response. That debate with Vance was utterly devoid of any degree of reality. Did the MACHINE, tell Walz to tone it down? To be NICE, and take it easy on Vance? If so, they missed a major opportunity, which is of course not surprising. The machine sometimes seems like it exists to purely screw things up bigly. I don't blame Walz. He was the right VP candidate, who seemed -- muzzled and almost discarded.
The writers were FANTASTIC at showing that machine -- and the bedlam behind the scenes.
They were great at showing why some voters turned away from Harris.
But in my view, they left one major reason out.
Before I get into what that thing is, may I say that I also resented how Donald Trump was portrayed?
Very little of the book was devoted to his insanity. But I think the final straw for me was when he was described as being gentle.
GENTLE????!!!!
Now, perhaps somebody saw him as gentle. In the chapter I am talking about, without giving too much away, gentle was included as a thought by Someone, that when he wanted to be, he could sound gentle .
The authors did interview a lot of people, so who knows? But I really resented that Biden was depicted as some kind of egomaniacal brat, while the word gentle was applied to Donald Trump. I mean you can think a lot of Ways to describe Trump, but I don’t think many would refer to him as� gentle????!!
Now -- getting back to what was left out -- and this is just my opinion.
There is another reason Kamala lost. I don’t like to say it. I really don’t like to say it because I wish so very deeply that it wasn’t true.
She is a woman.
Of course, you have to factor in that. She’s also a black woman.
Despite extreme court justices patronizingly proclaiming, that racism is over, that is poppycock.
Racism is alive and well and living in all 50 states, Washington DC and the United States territories.
It’s not going anywhere.
Would Harris have won if she were a man? Would Josh Shapiro have won ? Would Mark Kelly have won ?
Maybe.
There’s no way of knowing that. We have no sliding doors into the past. There is no way to examine alternate theories in that respect.
But there is no doubt that there is a group of voters who did not, and would not vote for a woman � ANY woman.
Just like they didn’t vote for Hillary Clinton.
And some of them are our fellow women.
The visceral dislike of women is still present everywhere in human nature, including politics. Also, including in pop culture.
If you doubt this, think about the Me Too movement, and the backlash.
Think about Amber Heard. Think about Blake lively. Think about Angelina Jolie.
All of them have made certain accusations against men. All of them have been humiliated, name- called, shamed, scoffed at, laughed at and derided.
When people who do this kind of thing and engage in this kind of behavior, are confronted , they always have excuses ready.
Here is a bit of what they say:
Amber Heard was to blame but I wouldn’t say that about another kind of women!
Blake Lively is to blame. I wouldn’t say that about another kind of women, they claim.
Angelina Jolie is a bully. But I don’t hate women! I wouldn’t say that about another kind of women they claim.
I couldn’t vote for Hillary Clinton, but I’d vote for another kind of woman they claim
Well, Kamala Harris wasn’t a very good candidate. But I’d vote for another kind of women they claim.
No, they wouldn’t. No they would not.
These excuses -- kind of on repeat, aren't they?
I am going to conclude this review now. It was a tough read. The whole campaign season in 2024 was very difficult. It’s going to be a difficult few years.
I thank President Biden for his service, and I thank Kamala Harris for her joy.
And I thank the writers for giving me an incredible night of reading.
I wish I could thank the voters for voting for the first woman president, but sadly , as these writers , so eloquently explain , that’s far from what happened.
April 1, 2025
Well, this was $20 not well spent. The authors take great pains on their book tour to tout this as a non-partisan account of the 2024 election. They say it’ll make both Republicans and Democrats happy. I should have known. If it comes from the media, it’s going to be leftist propaganda. Just in the first chapter alone, every chance the authors mention Trump’s name, it’s to level some derogatory insult at him. Every word and sentence is nuanced to portray him negatively, while Biden comes across as nothing more than an old man with good intentions. It’s truly incredible. If these authors think that this book is fair and balanced, it’s proof of how utterly delusional they all really are.
Read
April 15, 202562% - oh boy. the tea in this book.
I’m a masochist. But sometimes you also want the palace intrigue 🤷🏻♀� Let’s see if this shakes up my slump. I’m pretty hooked so far, jaw on the floor most of the way. Things really didn’t need to be this way…and yet here we are!
I’m a masochist. But sometimes you also want the palace intrigue 🤷🏻♀� Let’s see if this shakes up my slump. I’m pretty hooked so far, jaw on the floor most of the way. Things really didn’t need to be this way…and yet here we are!
April 3, 2025
Compulsively readable - I finished this lengthy book in 3 sittings. It provides a fascinating inside view of the 2024 election, giving the reader a sense both of the overall narrative and the microdetails (e.g. that the drive-by customers at Trump's McDonald stunt were all prescreened).
The structure is certainly effective, opening with a montage of the various major players on the evening of Biden and Trump's only debate, and closing with the aftermath of Harris' defeat, also from the perspective of the major players.
The sketches and portraits of the players themselves are detailed, rich, colorful and convincing. I particularly relished the characterizations of Obama and Pelosi, who both dreaded a Harris candidacy and were grimly vindicated in the end. (Biden did not return the favor of Obama's awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.)
Of the three principals, oddly Trump comes off best: typically egotistic and self-aggrandizing, but also charming, gentle (as described by the authors when he took Harris' concession call - "Trump thanked her for calling. She was struck by his gentle tone." Ch. 15) and - this is important - politically astute. He really does seem to have become more self-controlled and disciplined with time (and certainly wise enough to have - and keep! -Susie Wiles as principal manager).
Harris is presented as the worst: an empty candidate whose only reason for running was that she was next in line. Furthermore, she was held aloft only by the sentiment that the Democrats - keepers of the DEI flame - could hardly afford to pass over the first Black Woman to be the presidential candidate of a major political party. She is portrayed, not without sympathy as having been handed a series of impossible tasks, but as overly ambitious, insecure, and politically dim. (Also, as not particulary quick on her feet - bizarre, for an ex-prosecutor: cf. her infamous pull-quote from The View.)
Biden is tragic but not in a grand or ennobling way, and Allen and Parnes do not spare him (or his family) the vituperation for allowing his 2020 victory and the fulfillment of a lifetime ambition to delude himself into fantasy and devolve his faculties into senescence. Caught in a web of contradictions, he picked Harris to be his VP (as a sop to the woke-ists in his party) but really did not want her to run as President in his place (in recognition of the reality of her incompetence). As the authors point out, he was indeed a bridge - but not, as he intended, from Trump to the bright younger generation of Democratic leaders, but from Trump's first presidency to his second. He is last seen slumping off stage, still declaring that he could have won. Sad.
The structure is certainly effective, opening with a montage of the various major players on the evening of Biden and Trump's only debate, and closing with the aftermath of Harris' defeat, also from the perspective of the major players.
The sketches and portraits of the players themselves are detailed, rich, colorful and convincing. I particularly relished the characterizations of Obama and Pelosi, who both dreaded a Harris candidacy and were grimly vindicated in the end. (Biden did not return the favor of Obama's awarding him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.)
Of the three principals, oddly Trump comes off best: typically egotistic and self-aggrandizing, but also charming, gentle (as described by the authors when he took Harris' concession call - "Trump thanked her for calling. She was struck by his gentle tone." Ch. 15) and - this is important - politically astute. He really does seem to have become more self-controlled and disciplined with time (and certainly wise enough to have - and keep! -Susie Wiles as principal manager).
Harris is presented as the worst: an empty candidate whose only reason for running was that she was next in line. Furthermore, she was held aloft only by the sentiment that the Democrats - keepers of the DEI flame - could hardly afford to pass over the first Black Woman to be the presidential candidate of a major political party. She is portrayed, not without sympathy as having been handed a series of impossible tasks, but as overly ambitious, insecure, and politically dim. (Also, as not particulary quick on her feet - bizarre, for an ex-prosecutor: cf. her infamous pull-quote from The View.)
Biden is tragic but not in a grand or ennobling way, and Allen and Parnes do not spare him (or his family) the vituperation for allowing his 2020 victory and the fulfillment of a lifetime ambition to delude himself into fantasy and devolve his faculties into senescence. Caught in a web of contradictions, he picked Harris to be his VP (as a sop to the woke-ists in his party) but really did not want her to run as President in his place (in recognition of the reality of her incompetence). As the authors point out, he was indeed a bridge - but not, as he intended, from Trump to the bright younger generation of Democratic leaders, but from Trump's first presidency to his second. He is last seen slumping off stage, still declaring that he could have won. Sad.
April 3, 2025
Kamala Harris, they could never make me hate you
April 6, 2025
It was more or less balanced, but not as eye-opening as is being reported. Side from perhaps a few sentences, it's nothing you didn't already know of you were paying attention during the campaign cycle.
Personally, I don't understand the abundance of F-bombs in a political analysis, claiming it was what the individuals "thought." It was non-stop in this book for some reason I can't explain. Honestly, just wait for the book to be marked on sale for $2.99 in a few months.
Personally, I don't understand the abundance of F-bombs in a political analysis, claiming it was what the individuals "thought." It was non-stop in this book for some reason I can't explain. Honestly, just wait for the book to be marked on sale for $2.99 in a few months.
April 12, 2025
I've always had a feeling that something wasn’t quite right about Harris, and this book really confirmed those suspicions. The way the Democratic Party has handled Biden feels deeply disappointing—honestly, it’s made me question my continued support. Still, given the alternative, I keep voting this way. It’s a tough place to be: caught between disillusionment and fear of authoritarianism.
April 2, 2025
A depressing book. How did so many people talk to Biden and never tell him that he shouldn't continue?
April 8, 2025
Well... this was a depressing read. There is some extraneous "gossip" that seems to actually be the authors' opinions disguised as fact, but most of it seems to be pretty factual.
After reading this book, I am sure of a few things that strongly led to the 2024 election loss:
1) Biden should never have run for a second term. I admit that I was behind him when he announced, seeing how much had actually been accomplished during his first term. Despite the media portrayal, and the right wing noise machines, Biden had a VERY successful presidency, bringing us back from the brink of economic disaster. Yet, he had promised to be a "bridge" candidate and lead us back from the brink before turning over the reigns. Instead, he felt the power of bring President (a dream he had chased since 1988) and did not wish to give it up. More so, it was his advisors and (surprisingly) his wife Jill that insisted he stay in the race. They all wanted to remain at the top, and in doing so gaslit the party and the country. I do NOT believe the Joe Biden has dementia or that there was some big cover up. He is a man in his 80's - there is bound to be physical and mental slowing. But we all were fine with that when he ran as a bridge to get us through tough times... we should have been more vocal about his need to not run, though it seems his advisors were never going to let that happen.
2) Barack Obama has lost his damn mind, and I am starting to wonder what happened to his political instincts. His trying to start an open convention when Biden dropped out is at best stupid and at worst completely out of touch with reality. You cannot have a "fast primary" in 107 days, pick a candidate, and then reunite the various factions to bring together a winning coalition. That CANNOT happen. It is already almost impossible to do in a normal presidential election calendar (see 2016 and a lot of 2020). To cram that in? I believe instinctually that the election would have had an even worse outcome had this been the route taken. And then to say "Hey Kamala, thanks for helping with the 2020 campaign and your time as VP, but uh... we're gonna hand this off to some white folks instead that are untested on a national level". Nope. That's ridiculous.
If it had been a normal calendar and Biden had decided to not run for reelection, then there would have been a primary and Kamala would have run in it with several other Dems. That would have helped flesh out differences with the current plans and her own plans.
Instead, we got a too-late drop out after a disastrous debate and an immediate demand from Biden to Kamala Harris: "No Daylight Kid". He pressured her to not announce any differences between them and demanded 100% loyalty. Which leads to...
3) Yes, Kamala Harris did make a gaffe on The View when she said she couldn't think of anything she would have done differently than Joe Biden when it came to the last 4 years. She was loyal to a fault, and that hurt her hard. She is by no means a perfect candidate but she did almost everything right and still lost.
4) The "trans ad" from Trump was a killing blow. Yes, it was taken out of context. Yes, it was lurid and disgusting. Yes, it was hateful and ignorant. However, it struck a chord with men and communities that were not as pro-trans rights as others. It was used to paint Kamala Harris as a looney leftie, and it was run ad nauseum during televised sporting events and male-dominated channels. "Kamala is for they/them. Trump is for you" was disaster and the campaign reacted way too late to change that narrative. The book specifically mentions that Bill Clinton saw the traction it was gaining and called everyone he could in the campaign to warn them but was ignored because they "weren't seeing that in the data". It was brutal, and this generations "Willie Horton" ad.
5) Delusional campaign staff still loyal to Biden, and filled with folks who had tried to take down the VP in the first two years of Biden's presidency. It is clear now more than ever that those folks were trying to destroy her back then to keep her from ascending to the top of the ticket in 2024. If she was seen as strong and viable, there would be calls to stop Biden from running again. They could not have that.
This book is worth the read. It is the first of the 2024 campaign books to be released that is written by journalists with a track record in this area. There have been others released that seems toxic and gossipy with no real story. I look forward to the next book with proven journalists (2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America - coming July 2025) to see how much is agreed upon between the two.
I have a lot of additional thoughts on this book, but these are the most formed.
After reading this book, I am sure of a few things that strongly led to the 2024 election loss:
1) Biden should never have run for a second term. I admit that I was behind him when he announced, seeing how much had actually been accomplished during his first term. Despite the media portrayal, and the right wing noise machines, Biden had a VERY successful presidency, bringing us back from the brink of economic disaster. Yet, he had promised to be a "bridge" candidate and lead us back from the brink before turning over the reigns. Instead, he felt the power of bring President (a dream he had chased since 1988) and did not wish to give it up. More so, it was his advisors and (surprisingly) his wife Jill that insisted he stay in the race. They all wanted to remain at the top, and in doing so gaslit the party and the country. I do NOT believe the Joe Biden has dementia or that there was some big cover up. He is a man in his 80's - there is bound to be physical and mental slowing. But we all were fine with that when he ran as a bridge to get us through tough times... we should have been more vocal about his need to not run, though it seems his advisors were never going to let that happen.
2) Barack Obama has lost his damn mind, and I am starting to wonder what happened to his political instincts. His trying to start an open convention when Biden dropped out is at best stupid and at worst completely out of touch with reality. You cannot have a "fast primary" in 107 days, pick a candidate, and then reunite the various factions to bring together a winning coalition. That CANNOT happen. It is already almost impossible to do in a normal presidential election calendar (see 2016 and a lot of 2020). To cram that in? I believe instinctually that the election would have had an even worse outcome had this been the route taken. And then to say "Hey Kamala, thanks for helping with the 2020 campaign and your time as VP, but uh... we're gonna hand this off to some white folks instead that are untested on a national level". Nope. That's ridiculous.
If it had been a normal calendar and Biden had decided to not run for reelection, then there would have been a primary and Kamala would have run in it with several other Dems. That would have helped flesh out differences with the current plans and her own plans.
Instead, we got a too-late drop out after a disastrous debate and an immediate demand from Biden to Kamala Harris: "No Daylight Kid". He pressured her to not announce any differences between them and demanded 100% loyalty. Which leads to...
3) Yes, Kamala Harris did make a gaffe on The View when she said she couldn't think of anything she would have done differently than Joe Biden when it came to the last 4 years. She was loyal to a fault, and that hurt her hard. She is by no means a perfect candidate but she did almost everything right and still lost.
4) The "trans ad" from Trump was a killing blow. Yes, it was taken out of context. Yes, it was lurid and disgusting. Yes, it was hateful and ignorant. However, it struck a chord with men and communities that were not as pro-trans rights as others. It was used to paint Kamala Harris as a looney leftie, and it was run ad nauseum during televised sporting events and male-dominated channels. "Kamala is for they/them. Trump is for you" was disaster and the campaign reacted way too late to change that narrative. The book specifically mentions that Bill Clinton saw the traction it was gaining and called everyone he could in the campaign to warn them but was ignored because they "weren't seeing that in the data". It was brutal, and this generations "Willie Horton" ad.
5) Delusional campaign staff still loyal to Biden, and filled with folks who had tried to take down the VP in the first two years of Biden's presidency. It is clear now more than ever that those folks were trying to destroy her back then to keep her from ascending to the top of the ticket in 2024. If she was seen as strong and viable, there would be calls to stop Biden from running again. They could not have that.
This book is worth the read. It is the first of the 2024 campaign books to be released that is written by journalists with a track record in this area. There have been others released that seems toxic and gossipy with no real story. I look forward to the next book with proven journalists (2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America - coming July 2025) to see how much is agreed upon between the two.
I have a lot of additional thoughts on this book, but these are the most formed.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 2, 2025
I love political gossip
April 7, 2025
Fight was easily one of my most anticipated reads of the year, I absolutely devoured Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes� previous collaboration about the 2020 election, Lucky, and as soon as I heard they were doing a follow-up about 2024, I knew I had to put myself through the torture of reliving that experience. Part of why I loved Lucky so much was because it made me feel good. I got to relive a campaign victory and get some excellent political gossip at the same time. I wasn’t sure if Fight would be anywhere near as enjoyable, as the outcome of the 2024 election was so different. Nevertheless, I would still highly recommend Fight, even though it is a more depressing read.
Fight was a little like a car crash, as it was hard to look away. Reading this book really was painful at times. In part, that pain stemmed from the fact that the authors� vivid, narrative-style description of the race put me back in some of those moments of dread and sadness I felt during the campaign. However, they also made me remember some of that excitement and joy again (which, of course, hurt even worse when I remembered the state of our country now). This book is not for the weak if Trump’s win hurt you as much as it hurt me, but it is absolutely a worthwhile read if you have the stomach for it.
I followed the 2024 election about as closely as a person could. I obsessed over this campaign cycle, checking the news over and over again, talking about it with anyone who was willing, and literally falling asleep listening to podcasts talking about the state of the race (shoutout to the Pod Save America guys, who get several mentions over the course of this book). Nevertheless, Fight showed me that there was so much I still didn’t know, and the authors put in a crazy amount of work into getting the full story on the page by doing a whopping 150+ interviews for this book. I admire their dedication so much, and it really pays off. You get fantastic behind-the-scenes dialogue from the highest ranks of the Biden, Harris, and Trump campaigns.
Unlike Lucky, which was much more focused on the Biden team, Fight is more equitably split between the Biden (and later Harris) campaign and the Trump campaign. I thought this was a very good choice and made for a much fuller narrative. I’m normally a fiction reader, but the way this book flowed kept it interesting even for people who do not normally like non-fiction. There was a lot of dialogue and quality firsthand accounts of all the wacky political anecdotes you might be expecting. I was sending screenshots of particularly funny stories to my fellow political junkies (like Trump asking his advisors to get Barron’s approval before deciding if the candidate should go on Theo Von’s podcast� genuinely WTF).
You should also be prepared to look at political figures you might admire in a different light. I thought the way Obama was portrayed in this book (and in Lucky too) genuinely made him look like a jerk. The same goes for Jennifer O’Malley Dillon. This book also made me rethink the narrative that Kamala potentially could have won the race if Biden had dropped out earlier. It’s also given me a lot to chew on when it comes to 2028.
Overall, this is a great book if you’re willing to go through 2024 again (which I understand not everyone will be). I learned a lot, and I will be praying for a potential 2028 breakdown from Allen and Parnes.
Fight was a little like a car crash, as it was hard to look away. Reading this book really was painful at times. In part, that pain stemmed from the fact that the authors� vivid, narrative-style description of the race put me back in some of those moments of dread and sadness I felt during the campaign. However, they also made me remember some of that excitement and joy again (which, of course, hurt even worse when I remembered the state of our country now). This book is not for the weak if Trump’s win hurt you as much as it hurt me, but it is absolutely a worthwhile read if you have the stomach for it.
I followed the 2024 election about as closely as a person could. I obsessed over this campaign cycle, checking the news over and over again, talking about it with anyone who was willing, and literally falling asleep listening to podcasts talking about the state of the race (shoutout to the Pod Save America guys, who get several mentions over the course of this book). Nevertheless, Fight showed me that there was so much I still didn’t know, and the authors put in a crazy amount of work into getting the full story on the page by doing a whopping 150+ interviews for this book. I admire their dedication so much, and it really pays off. You get fantastic behind-the-scenes dialogue from the highest ranks of the Biden, Harris, and Trump campaigns.
Unlike Lucky, which was much more focused on the Biden team, Fight is more equitably split between the Biden (and later Harris) campaign and the Trump campaign. I thought this was a very good choice and made for a much fuller narrative. I’m normally a fiction reader, but the way this book flowed kept it interesting even for people who do not normally like non-fiction. There was a lot of dialogue and quality firsthand accounts of all the wacky political anecdotes you might be expecting. I was sending screenshots of particularly funny stories to my fellow political junkies (like Trump asking his advisors to get Barron’s approval before deciding if the candidate should go on Theo Von’s podcast� genuinely WTF).
You should also be prepared to look at political figures you might admire in a different light. I thought the way Obama was portrayed in this book (and in Lucky too) genuinely made him look like a jerk. The same goes for Jennifer O’Malley Dillon. This book also made me rethink the narrative that Kamala potentially could have won the race if Biden had dropped out earlier. It’s also given me a lot to chew on when it comes to 2028.
Overall, this is a great book if you’re willing to go through 2024 again (which I understand not everyone will be). I learned a lot, and I will be praying for a potential 2028 breakdown from Allen and Parnes.
April 3, 2025
Dems will continue to lose until they get brutally honest with themselves
Parnes and Allen have fallen victim to the same gaslighting they feebly attempt to expose. Susie Wiles is a heroine.
Parnes and Allen have fallen victim to the same gaslighting they feebly attempt to expose. Susie Wiles is a heroine.
April 5, 2025
Focused way more on Harris�
I wanted to know more about Joe’s cognitive decline and who knew. The rest is what you’d expect: why Trump won and why she lost.
I wanted to know more about Joe’s cognitive decline and who knew. The rest is what you’d expect: why Trump won and why she lost.
April 3, 2025
This is mainly a look at the fractured Democratic party before and after the 2024 US Presidential Election. It was never in doubt that Donald Trump would be the Republican nominee. What was up for debate was Joe Biden's fitness for a second term in office, and, if he should drop out, who would take up the mantle.
Politics is a cutthroat game, and that is on full display in this book. It was very interesting to read about "behind the scenes" events alongside the major things that the public knew. One of the drawbacks of the book, I think, is the speed with which it was published. There are so many players in the game and we are introduced to them in rapid succession. Sometimes, we don't even get the benefit of a first name at the introduction, which makes things confusing. Also, the book is littered with F-bombs. If someone used it in a quotation, fine. However, when the authors just casually throw them in, it feels unprofessional.
I'm glad I'm not in politics. This book was a good lesson in that.
Politics is a cutthroat game, and that is on full display in this book. It was very interesting to read about "behind the scenes" events alongside the major things that the public knew. One of the drawbacks of the book, I think, is the speed with which it was published. There are so many players in the game and we are introduced to them in rapid succession. Sometimes, we don't even get the benefit of a first name at the introduction, which makes things confusing. Also, the book is littered with F-bombs. If someone used it in a quotation, fine. However, when the authors just casually throw them in, it feels unprofessional.
I'm glad I'm not in politics. This book was a good lesson in that.
April 9, 2025
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 5/5 Stars (Outstanding)
Setting: 2024 US Presidential Race
Genre: Political Nonfiction; Investigative Journalism; Narrative Nonfiction
Fight is a gripping, behind-the-scenes political thriller disguised as nonfiction. Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes once again prove they are masters of insider reporting, delivering a stunning, unfiltered chronicle of the 2024 presidential race—one of the most chaotic, consequential, and jaw-dropping elections in American history.
From the first page, Fight pulls you into the raw intensity of a campaign season that shattered norms and rewrote the rules. The authors provide a rare fly-on-the-wall perspective of a political landscape in upheaval: a sitting president stepping aside, a former president battling legal crises and an assassination attempt, and a vice president thrown into a whirlwind 107-day campaign that few saw coming.
Allen and Parnes� access is unmatched. Their interviews with over 150 key players—spanning the Biden, Trump, and Harris camps—allow them to paint a vivid, nuanced portrait of ambition, loyalty, betrayal, and resilience. The prose is sharp and cinematic, capturing the emotional weight and moral complexity of the decisions being made in real time. It’s not just a story of strategies and speeches; it’s a story of people at their most raw and real.
What makes Fight especially compelling is how it moves beyond the headlines to explore the personal toll of power struggles—on relationships, reputations, and legacies. The depiction of President Biden’s internal battle to stay in the race, Trump’s ruthless political instincts, and Harris’s sudden thrust into center stage is both dramatic and deeply human.
This isn’t just political reporting—it’s history unfolding in real time, told with clarity, urgency, and insight. Whether you’re a political junkie or just trying to make sense of this pivotal moment in American life, Fight is essential reading. Five stars, and then some. #netgalley #fight #booked_this_weekend
Setting: 2024 US Presidential Race
Genre: Political Nonfiction; Investigative Journalism; Narrative Nonfiction
Fight is a gripping, behind-the-scenes political thriller disguised as nonfiction. Jonathan Allen and Amie Parnes once again prove they are masters of insider reporting, delivering a stunning, unfiltered chronicle of the 2024 presidential race—one of the most chaotic, consequential, and jaw-dropping elections in American history.
From the first page, Fight pulls you into the raw intensity of a campaign season that shattered norms and rewrote the rules. The authors provide a rare fly-on-the-wall perspective of a political landscape in upheaval: a sitting president stepping aside, a former president battling legal crises and an assassination attempt, and a vice president thrown into a whirlwind 107-day campaign that few saw coming.
Allen and Parnes� access is unmatched. Their interviews with over 150 key players—spanning the Biden, Trump, and Harris camps—allow them to paint a vivid, nuanced portrait of ambition, loyalty, betrayal, and resilience. The prose is sharp and cinematic, capturing the emotional weight and moral complexity of the decisions being made in real time. It’s not just a story of strategies and speeches; it’s a story of people at their most raw and real.
What makes Fight especially compelling is how it moves beyond the headlines to explore the personal toll of power struggles—on relationships, reputations, and legacies. The depiction of President Biden’s internal battle to stay in the race, Trump’s ruthless political instincts, and Harris’s sudden thrust into center stage is both dramatic and deeply human.
This isn’t just political reporting—it’s history unfolding in real time, told with clarity, urgency, and insight. Whether you’re a political junkie or just trying to make sense of this pivotal moment in American life, Fight is essential reading. Five stars, and then some. #netgalley #fight #booked_this_weekend
April 20, 2025
Almost no new information. Very boring. Surprised I finished. Perhaps interesting if you spent 2024 in a coma.
April 3, 2025
Completely riveting from beginning to end
April 8, 2025
I always appreciate the campaign books written by these authors, but unsurprisingly—like the 2024 election—this book pissed me off.
April 3, 2025
Seemed fair. Not sure I wanted to live through this again, but I did.
April 5, 2025
Really a 2.5. There's a better book on the subject coming, I hope. First, it's very gossipy as the authors rely almost exclusively on anonymous sources, and we don't know how many. While the first half of the book is interesting as it details the coup against Joe Biden, I get the feeling that the authors are still protecting Kamala Harris. One large example of this is that the authors make it clear that Obama and especially Pelosi did not like Harris, but they offer no explanation for their disdain. This is especially frustrating when it comes to Pelosi because the authors explain that Pelosi representing San Francisco had a front row seat to Harris's political career. The second half is a recap of the campaign, really nothing new to anyone who followed it in real time. The authors, however, completely ignore Tim Walz's compulsive lying and the effect that might have had on the campaign. Walz wasn't going to flip a lot of voters but I thought that he was there to win over undecided, young white males. I don't think he did that. One interesting detail about Walz: he reached out to Pelosi first to offer himself as a VP candidate!
April 19, 2025
This is yet another book about insider politics where the juicy excerpts released to sell the book are the only interesting parts. I am still falling for this trap.
FIGHT is really nothing more than the expected cash-cow approach of book-writing that has become a post-election staple these days (a trend that seemed to kick in with release of GAME CHANGE following the 2008 election). A somewhat left-leaning BUT FAIR fly-on-the-wall coverage of both campaigns� internal machinery and operations. The behind-the-scenes coverage offers the typical ass-kissing and score-settling scenarios in both camps involving the typical self-indulgent personality types you expect.
Interesting to a degree, but if you watched news cycles from the Trump-Biden debate to the election, there’s nothing particularly eye-popping/shocking in this book. The one glaring underlying theme throughout the book, however, is the complete awareness of Biden’s mental decline and the intent to hide/cover it up � and page 287 of a 291 page book finally admits how hard it was “for Democratic voters to tell what was real.� While this is not any revelation, it just underlines the willingness of journalists and news media to hide the truth until the opportunity arises to make money off it � and that is this book in a nutshell.
FIGHT is really nothing more than the expected cash-cow approach of book-writing that has become a post-election staple these days (a trend that seemed to kick in with release of GAME CHANGE following the 2008 election). A somewhat left-leaning BUT FAIR fly-on-the-wall coverage of both campaigns� internal machinery and operations. The behind-the-scenes coverage offers the typical ass-kissing and score-settling scenarios in both camps involving the typical self-indulgent personality types you expect.
Interesting to a degree, but if you watched news cycles from the Trump-Biden debate to the election, there’s nothing particularly eye-popping/shocking in this book. The one glaring underlying theme throughout the book, however, is the complete awareness of Biden’s mental decline and the intent to hide/cover it up � and page 287 of a 291 page book finally admits how hard it was “for Democratic voters to tell what was real.� While this is not any revelation, it just underlines the willingness of journalists and news media to hide the truth until the opportunity arises to make money off it � and that is this book in a nutshell.
April 6, 2025
An underwhelming recounting of the 2024 US general election. Nothing much new is offered in the book that hadn’t been previously publicly reported.
To the extent that it synthesizes any political absolute truth that we should all learn from the 2024 cycle, it is this: you can’t gaslight the American people into voting for a candidate.
The Democratic platform was built on the idea that the country was safer, the economy was stronger, democratic institutions were better guarded, and America’s standing in the world was improved under President Biden’s able and active leadership. And none of those things were true - including with regard to President Biden’s ability, acuity and activity.
Harris - to her own detriment - wouldn’t part with Biden by acknowledging reality, and so she became complicit in and dependent on gaslighting throughout her campaign. The authors suppose it was out of loyalty, but it came off publicly as vacuity.
To the extent that it synthesizes any political absolute truth that we should all learn from the 2024 cycle, it is this: you can’t gaslight the American people into voting for a candidate.
The Democratic platform was built on the idea that the country was safer, the economy was stronger, democratic institutions were better guarded, and America’s standing in the world was improved under President Biden’s able and active leadership. And none of those things were true - including with regard to President Biden’s ability, acuity and activity.
Harris - to her own detriment - wouldn’t part with Biden by acknowledging reality, and so she became complicit in and dependent on gaslighting throughout her campaign. The authors suppose it was out of loyalty, but it came off publicly as vacuity.
April 9, 2025
Does exactly what it says on the tin.
Written in an engaging way. As usual when it comes to these books, no idea to which degree to trust the direct quotes etc, but seems the authors did their job well. I especially appreciated Part II with its behind the scenes of the campaigns after Biden bowed out.
I might give it a 5* rating, except the whole thing can't help but leave a bad taste in one's mouth. (And not just the Trump parts.) Everyone came out of this looking human...but humans are shits.
I do wonder how the other books coming out this spring covering similar material are going to compare to this one. Fight was published first and is a good read/listen. Good luck to the rest!
Written in an engaging way. As usual when it comes to these books, no idea to which degree to trust the direct quotes etc, but seems the authors did their job well. I especially appreciated Part II with its behind the scenes of the campaigns after Biden bowed out.
I might give it a 5* rating, except the whole thing can't help but leave a bad taste in one's mouth. (And not just the Trump parts.) Everyone came out of this looking human...but humans are shits.
I do wonder how the other books coming out this spring covering similar material are going to compare to this one. Fight was published first and is a good read/listen. Good luck to the rest!
April 7, 2025
Fight is--in many ways--a perfection of Allen and Parnes style. That is either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on what you're looking to get out of this book.
There is much to be said--most of it already noted by the Washington Post--about whether this book did what many readers wanted it to do. I submit that it did not: most people wanted this book to explain for us the abhorent strangeness of this moment. This book does not do that.
I don't find issue with that here, because Parnes and Allen are quite forthcoming with their goals. This is, like Shattered and Lucky before it, fundamentally a book about the horse-race. It is a book written by reporters where they do reporting, not commentary. It's true that they do so in a style that matches the "politico-bro" nature of much of our high-level political discourse, but that style shouldn't distract you from their goal: writing history, however flawed it may be.
I think many people went into this book hoping for answers. Hoping for the commentary of "you're not crazy; we should have won and we didn't and here's why." That's not what this book is. If you come at it recognizing that, you'll enjoy it for the telling of campaign history that it promises to be from page 1.
One final note: I am so relieved to say that the printing quality of this book is so much better than the pair's prior books.
There is much to be said--most of it already noted by the Washington Post--about whether this book did what many readers wanted it to do. I submit that it did not: most people wanted this book to explain for us the abhorent strangeness of this moment. This book does not do that.
I don't find issue with that here, because Parnes and Allen are quite forthcoming with their goals. This is, like Shattered and Lucky before it, fundamentally a book about the horse-race. It is a book written by reporters where they do reporting, not commentary. It's true that they do so in a style that matches the "politico-bro" nature of much of our high-level political discourse, but that style shouldn't distract you from their goal: writing history, however flawed it may be.
I think many people went into this book hoping for answers. Hoping for the commentary of "you're not crazy; we should have won and we didn't and here's why." That's not what this book is. If you come at it recognizing that, you'll enjoy it for the telling of campaign history that it promises to be from page 1.
One final note: I am so relieved to say that the printing quality of this book is so much better than the pair's prior books.
April 7, 2025
The book is well written and easy to read. However, the authors work for the likes of Bloomberg, Politico, and CNN, and it shows. The conclusions they draw are only earth-shattering if one's only source for current events is Liberal leaning media.
The authors do a good job recreating the timeline for Kamala Harris' failed bid to become the 47th President. But, they also handle Ms Harris with kid gloves and sympathy. It is obvious they don't want to harm her future in politics, whether it be as the next governor of California or heaven forbid the 48th President of the USA.
The authors do a good job recreating the timeline for Kamala Harris' failed bid to become the 47th President. But, they also handle Ms Harris with kid gloves and sympathy. It is obvious they don't want to harm her future in politics, whether it be as the next governor of California or heaven forbid the 48th President of the USA.
April 21, 2025
I had seen some hype around this book when it first came out. But nothing new is disclosed in this book that you could not have gleaned from news reporting. There are no revelations or shocking reveals.
This may be the result of the authors bias. It seems like they have tip toed around the nastier subjects. They clearly show a Democrat bias, a desire to keep within that world and retain access probably colored their writing.
That said, this sanitized version of the campaign is probably the closest we will get to the truth.
This may be the result of the authors bias. It seems like they have tip toed around the nastier subjects. They clearly show a Democrat bias, a desire to keep within that world and retain access probably colored their writing.
That said, this sanitized version of the campaign is probably the closest we will get to the truth.
April 4, 2025
No comparison to "Shattered."
Really disappointed that this didn't come close to Shattered. Not enough insight, its just a very long recap of everything we knew. So much material and so many incidents not covered. And Kampala propaganda thought the narrative made the book groan worthy.
Really disappointed that this didn't come close to Shattered. Not enough insight, its just a very long recap of everything we knew. So much material and so many incidents not covered. And Kampala propaganda thought the narrative made the book groan worthy.
Read
April 9, 2025This book was published way too soon and with way too little 'new' information. If you paid attention to the news, you're not learning anything new. Almost all of the information was public already, and anything 'new' was just anonymous thoughts by people who aren't willing to go forward because it happened literally 6 months ago and they still work these jobs. I'm infuriated by how the Democratic Party and Joe handled this, but I already was. Don't waste your time.
Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to HarperAudio and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
April 15, 2025
Pretty quick read with some interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes that open the curtains a little bit on all the of the Democratic machinations prior to Biden leaving race. Overall a pretty bleak autopsy that, given the current state of the Democratic Party, no one will learn anything from.
April 3, 2025
Interesting. A lot of play by play detail. Nothing earth shattering and easy read.
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