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

This is Tur's experience on the campaign trail,500+ days of covering America's most unusual candidate ever--a man completely inexperienced in government who--surprisingly and controversially--actually won.This is not a bad book, but it's often frustrating. It's more about Tur than Trump, which has some merit, in showing us the behind-the-scenes drudgery and unpleasantness of being a reporter on a campaign. But its not a reporter's diary and the way she jumps around in time from chapter to chapter is really annoying. One minute it's election night, and the next, she's being born in 1983. Then, back to three weeks before the election. Next chapter? Could be a primary night. I don't know why it's arranged like this, but for me it was a real distraction.There's also no footnoting and no index. That, combined with the non-chronology (and often lack of clarity in a chapter of what day--or even year--something happened) make it seem like a lazy piece of writing. I mean, kudos for finishing a book, but this is not a work of journalism. It really highlights the difference between a good broadcast reporter and a good print reporter. I don't think anyone covering Trump with the Washington Post or NYT would have put out a book like this.She does lots of name-dropping/shout outs to Tur's friendly MSNBC colleagues and some others who are also covering Trump..But all the references to colleagues come across as guarded, positive but not really revealing of much. Yes, they're all professionals, nice people and good reporters, competing for a story. We already know that if we watch MSNBC.As in her work for MSNBC, Tur is sometimes bland where she should be incisive, but she can also be dogged and sometimes raises good questions, and pushes for answers even when the candidate responds with hostility.. I was impressed that she really tried to keep doing her job without being swayed by Trump's charm offensive or his (very personal) bullying of her, including to angry crowds of thousands..She has an occasional humorous aside--again, it's easy reading--but doesn't give any in-depth background about Trump or the campaign. Other than what comes through about her personal experience, this is a pretty "on the surface" account. We -do- get an impression of Trump's Jekyll/Hyde personality in his interaction with Tur and others in the press.Those who might not have ever been to a rally should know the disrespect Trump showed in keeping the press "caged" in the auditorium inside a steel pen of bicycle racks, unable to interact with the crowd (not even bathroom breaks). It made it easy to direct the crowd's anger toward them and focus it. Very threatening at times. If you've been to a Trump rally, you've seen how audience members heckle members of the press, especially CNN, whom Trump makes a special efffort to discredit to his supporters. Eventually, all the major networks provided reporters covering him with private security.Tur mostly focuses on his rude remarks directed toward her, but the reality was that others were also singled out--including CNN in general where he routinely stirred up real hatred from the crowd toward -any- reporters or crew who worked there. That's one of the area that could have become a theme for the book, but...isn't. She keeps the focus mostly on her own experience and challenges and reactions. Trump comes through, of course, but there's not much effort at analysis, and little background or insight about the most unusual presidential campaign in U.S. history or of the man who is now president.That's the biggest problem I had with this book (other than the jumping around from one time to the next all out of order)--that if ever a candidate needed to be put in context and to have his falsehoods well documented, it's Trump. So the lack of research here is a big issue for me. If you are a journalist, a book like this should have some decent journalism. This book will have a wide readership due to Tur's visibility on television. It's a chance to bring out a lot of facts about Trump--his past, and his candidacy--get the facts out there for people to see, do some good fact-checking, but there's little of that here..That's why the lack of footnotes is a big deal to me. It's not just that it doesn't have any that matters. It's that it's not the kind of book that even NEEDS them. .I dropped this to three stars from four because she presents herself as a journalist, but there is not much journalism here, not considering the wealth of material she has--and the need to do more with Trump (now the President of the United States) than narrate varied personal experiences. There's a lot of research out there, true, but most people still don't know much about Trump before his candidacy--and have forgotten a lot about his campaigning. Tur had great access and first-hand experiences to work with. It's so disappointing that there's not more substance to the book...

Katy Tur reports on her five hundred plus days covering the Trump campaign, from its very beginning. Her book is being released on the same day as Hillary Clintons memoir of her loss, and for my money this is the better read. I much prefer learning about why Trump won than why Hillary didn't. To me it is the more interesting question of the two, and more historically significant as well.When Trumps campaign began, Katy was an inexperienced political reporter but she soon proved more than equal to the task. She has the quick intelligence and sharp wit that served her well in dealing with Trump, who alternated between treating her with disdain and respect. Less respect than disdain, actually, kind of like his statement about Mexicans "and some of them, I'm sure, are good people". Trump was certain to notice her - an attractive young female reporter - and beginning with the very first campaign rally where he called her out by name, she became one of the most significant correspondents to cover Trump as the 2016 campaign progressed.I've seen Katy Tur reporting on television throughout the campaign and since, and have been looking forward to her book. It is as much about her experiences and personal stories over this time period as it is about Trump and his followers. It is an effective and enjoyable story as she takes the reader back to the beginning of Trumps campaign, showing how the crowds were strong and enthusiastic from the very start. She was the first reporter assigned to cover Trump full time, was with the Trump campaign until election day, and she discusses not only the Trump that everyone saw on television but also provides enough insights from her behind the scenes experiences to give a more complete story of the man and the campaign.Of course, some will (and have) criticize her for pointing out Trumps casual relationship with the truth. Her prominence in reporting on Trump was raised to a new level when she conducted a lengthy interview with him one-on-one early in the campaign. She angered Trump by being tougher than he expected, more assertive in her questions and rebuttals to him than he seems to have anticipated. How he reacted to her and treated her then and afterwards gives insight into Trump that is not surprising given everything that has been seen and heard over the past two years. It does reinforce the stories of Trumps behavior, his bullying and intimidation tactics with real examples that are documented and undeniable.With respect to the support the Trump received from very early in his campaign, she makes it clear in her prologue to the book that she understands the frustrations that led to Trumps victory (and she gives many examples of them along the way). And yet, even more than other reporters covering Trump, the particular attention she received from him meant that she required security protections at many points as the campaign progressed and the level of vitriol increased.I believe that this book will be one of the primary sources for those wanting to understand the 2016 election, an on-the-ground recounting of this reporters experience and observations. Others will offer more scholarly analyses of how the Trump and Clinton campaign strategies differed. This book focuses on the Trump campaign alone, Trump and his supporters and why they were so passionate about his candidacy. Earlier than just about any one else she predicted the strong possibility of Trumps win, after spending so many weeks and months attending his rallies and observing the enthusiasm of his crowds. The signs had been there from the beginning, they were simply too unexpected for most campaign watchers to fully comprehend.

This book is not about Donald Trump. This book is about a journalist journey. The ups and downs and the side effects of giving up your life to dedicate your entire life to your career. The professional relationship between Donald Trump and K. Tur while 2016 election campaign is merely the behind the scenes of it all. Is this book essential on your library? of course not. Worth's the time? Yes, it does.

El estilo de la escritora no me gustó. El relato de la campaña de Trump es fascinante. Vale la pena.

Katy. Thanks firr telling your story, it matters a lot and just like the unsung pool reporter, you've left future generations an invaluable resource to try to understand what happened to America.

現トランプ大統領が泡沫候補の時からのＮＢＣ番記者、トランプからlittle Katyと呼ばれたKaty Turの２年間にわたる選挙報道記。トランプ独特の優秀性（ダントツに優れた直観力、人の話を良く聞き内容を覚えている等）を列挙しつつも、彼の横暴、尊大、その他の欠点も正確に記している。報道活動を生き生きと描写し、ごく普通のありふれた米国白人のトランプ氏によせる「異常な愛情」にある種の恐怖を感じてしまう。別のトランプ本、Devil's bargainと合わせて読むと興味が倍増。私はヒラリー氏を応援していたのだが、彼女の本を手に取る気がしないのは理性ばかりで感情を感じさせない彼女のカリスマ性の欠如だろう。余談ですが、Katyが両親を説明した章も面白いし、orka in bikini, wedgie等の表現もいいね！

Ms Tur shares a ring side seat with the reader. And it’s gripping. At each Trump-ism I asked if it’s the best the United States can do? But I was hooked. Her style is fresh, crisp, and pacy, I liked it a lot. Political books can become turgid with detail. Despite Tur’s efforts Trump remains an enigma. Is there method in his madness? Hard to tell. He’s not as silly as he seems. He caught the zeitgeist others missed. The deep seated malaise that is corroding our democracies will not mend on its own. Untended it may give rise to worse than Trump. Trump is not a cause of what is wrong, he is a symptom.Not sure about the jumping around of chapter dates. At first the breaks in the time line broke the spell, I had to stop and check. But in the end it kinda worked. But still not clear why Ms Tur chose that format? Anyway, its a great book.Once again polls are writing off Trump’s chances. Is repeating the 2016 playbook Tur describes working? Trump’s handling of Covid-19 seems to have spiked his second act. But who knows. Presidency as game show, or empty suit. Take your pick. America deserves better than both.