American Reckoning: Inside Trump’s Trial—and My Own

by Jonathan Alter

A 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 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 render 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.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction

Audible Audio

Published October 22, 2024

About the author

Jonathan Alter is an award-winning author, political analyst, documentary filmmaker, columnist, television producer and radio host. His new book, published in 2020, is "His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life." He is the author of three New York Times bestsellers: “The Center Holds: Obama and His Enemies”(2013), “The Promise: President Obama, Year One” (2010) and “The Defining Moment: FDR’s Hundred Days and the Triumph of Hope”(2006), also one of the Times’ “Notable Books” of the year. Since 1996, Alter has been a contributing correspondent and political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC. In 2019, he co-produced and co-directed the HBO documentary, “Breslin and Hamill: Deadline Artists.”
After 28 years as a columnist and senior editor at Newsweek, where he wrote more than 50 cover stories, Alter is now a columnist for the Daily Beast and the co-host, with his wife, Emily Lazar, and their three children, Charlotte Alter, Tommy Alter, and Molly Alter, of “Alter Family Politics,” which airs Thursdays at 10:00 a.m. on RadioAndy on SiriusXM, 102. He is the winner of numerous awards, including the National Headliner Award for his coverage of 9/11, the Gerald Loeb Award, and the Book Award from the New Jersey Council of the Humanities. In 2019, he was one of the inaugural inductees into the New Jersey Journalism Hall of Fame.

A Chicago native, Harvard graduate and resident of Montclair, New Jersey, Alter has also written for The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Washington Monthly, Rolling Stone, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, Vanity Fair, The New Republic, Esquire, Bloomberg View and other publications. In the 2013-2014 season, he served as an executive producer of “Alpha House,” a 21-episode half-hour political comedy available on Amazon.

Reviews

[Tom Schulte · Rating 4 out of 5]

Current as of the Biden withdraw and Harris' run for the Presidency, this volume mostly recalls the 34-count felony trial and ultimate conviction of Trump 2024 "for falsifying New York business records in order to conceal his illegal scheme to corrupt the 2016 election." Known colloquially as "the hush money trial", Alter was "one of a handful of journalists allowed in the courtroom" and reports on key testimony by Stormy Daniels (including spanking a vain Trump with his own magazine cover), his former lawyer Cohen, and 'catch and kill' scheme architect Pecker.

[Bracton · Rating 1 out of 5]

Really terrible. The starting problem is the subtitle - the author insists on adding "His Own" story into the mix, when nobody is really interested in it. Then, the discussion of the criminal trial takes the form of diary entries, all of which are disconnected and provide few if any details or context. And throughout, the author gives his unvarnished but conclusory personal opinions, including ad hominem attacks against the defendant and everybody in his entourage. Even if you agree with his political views, this book is basically useless for understanding this case.

[Roger Cavanagh · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent, well-written and worthwhile read

I bought the Kindle version of this book after watching Jonathan Alter being interviewed on the Meidas Touch Network. It’s a well-crafted and easy to read description of Donald’s Trumps NY trial and conviction on 34 felony counts.

[Walter Mack · Rating 4 out of 5]

Time to Understand The Felonies

I now am prepared to take on the detractors of Judge Merchan. Nice job Alvin Bragg and your team. Dig in and prepare to be a spokesperson for a reckoning.

[John Litvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quick and easy read about the trial that found Trump guilty of crimes. Lots of details given.

[HR-ML · Rating 4 out of 5]

Audiobook. Written by Jonathan Alter, journalist
and historian. I knew him for years as a Newsweek
subscriber when he wrote for them. Some chapters
were too short and choppy- but that was for effect?
Perhaps some chapters were better consolidated?
Gave this 4 stars.

Alvin Bragg's prosecutors proved in court that
micromanager Donald Trump paid off two lovers
and used "cash and kill" to prevent the exposure
of their stories to ruin his bid for President in 2016.
Trump had a deal with National Enquirer Editor
David Pecker would buy the story of a woman about
Trump & then kill & never publish the story. In the
case of Stormy Daniels, Trump's atty Mike Cohen
took out a home equity loan & the Trump organization
reimbursed him monthly for (legal) services rendered.
Both women signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA).

Trump was found guilty on all 34 felony counts.

Trump and Biden both show signs of cognitive decline.
Both are in denial about same. I take issue with Alter
describing the Democratic party thought "Biden a selfish
loser" for wanting to continue in his re-election bid.
Some in the party, media, donors needed to be more
diplomatic. No one wants to be dumped.