Unbelievable

Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History by Katy Tur

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Way back in 2015, NBC News reporter Katy Tur was assigned the job of covering Donald’s Trump’s nascent campaign, thinking (as many of people did) that he wouldn’t be in it for very long. 510 or so days later, Donald Trump was elected the 45th President of the United States. Tur’s access gave her the unique view on this remarkable campaign. And on the way she was abused by Trump supporters and by Trump himself, living out of a suitcase and trying to navigate her way thru a series of live shots on the evening news.

And she caught many of the moments that came to define Trump’s campaign.

And she reported. And Trump took issue with what she reported even though it was accurate. Tur says she does not attempt to explain what happened and how a political neophyte--who stepped on his own feet too many times to count, saying disparaging things about women, Muslims, immigrants, John McCain—triumphed in the fall of 2016. But she reports what she saw.

Unbelievable reads like a horror story or a reverse detective story, one where you already know the outcome, yet it continues to shock as you read on. I found myself feeling many of the same things I felt during that long campaign, especially the recaps of election night as the electoral map turned red.

Tur’s book feels a little slim for the amount of time that went into living this experience, but it is never dull. The chapter on her family background is surprising and revealing, and in my mind it establishes just how deep her commitment to journalism goes. It is true that journalism has taken a mighty hit in recent years and continues to be disparaged by the current Commander in Chief. That is why getting to understand where Tur is coming from is so appreciated.

I don’t claim to be non-partisan. The Man in the White House disgusts me. Katy Tur’s reporting will undoubtedly confirm what many believe about him, and will likely not sway his supporters one bit. That is the political climate in 2017. I expect to be called names by random strangers on the internet. So be it. #ImWithTur






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