This Explains A Lot: Too Much and Never Enough, by Mary Trump, Ph. D.

This really should be required reading for any active member of Congress.

Not that there’s any kind of secret formula in dealing with Donald between these pages, or that having this kind of familial background changes anything today, but it’s clear when reading “Too Much and Never Enough,” the president’s niece, Mary Trump, explains in detail what happens when someone is raised to think he can do anything he wants without facing any kind of consequence.

Donald does what he does and says what he says, to this day, because no one (OK, the occasional reporter, but not often enough) ever pushes back. Tells him he is wrong. Admonishes him for lying. So, until Congress grows a pair and impeaches him again, he’s just gonna keep on keeping on.

I’ll admit, I was hesitant to pick this up, knowing I was not going to be soothed or comforted by anything the book had to say. But two things propelled me forward: one, knowing it has to just infuriate Donald that someone in the family is spilling the tea, and two, it was getting some pretty good initial reviews.

Why, you ask? Here’s my theory — that in a sea of tell-alls about the president and this administration, Mary Trump doesn’t go down that road, save for a few tidbits. Her book really delves more into Donald’s upbringing and the relationship that Fred and Mary Trump have or had (or, really, never had) with all of the Trump kids, and with a heavy focus on that of her deceased father, Freddy.

This book reads more like a sociological exploration of an American family, borne from immigrant roots and shaped from an absolute determination in succeeding, even if that’s through unseemly means. And the collateral damage that lies in the family’s wake — including some of the family itself.

There’s a reason not everyone should be a parent. And Fred is one of those people. It’s still hard to muster any empathy, knowing Donald’s upbringing likely played a large role in the way he is today. And this book is nothing if not proof that he’s been a very bad person for nearly the entirety of his life. But it’s insightful reading, for certain.