OK, I usually don’t do book reviews on this site. There are many places that do, and they are very good overall. However, there is a little backstory to this one, and I thought I’d share it with you.
Just before my wife and I went on our cruise at the end of last month, one of the WordPress bloggers, and someone who reads this blog pretty regularly and has commented quite a bit, Mark, asked me if I would read a book he had written on the 2016 presidential campaign and write a review of it. Since I was going on a cruise and had some time on my hands over that 10 days, I said sure. And I was absolutely amazed at what I read. And so, this is the review that I wrote about it. And Mark gave me permission to post it here as well.
So, it’s with that in mind, I give you my take on Election 2016: The Great Divide, The Great Debate.
We all know what happened in 2016 during the Presidential Election of Donald Trump. But do we know WHY it happened? There was plenty of speculation to go around for sure. But Mark Jabbour’s book Election 2016: The Great Divide, The Great Debate explains it on so many different levels that it becomes clear there wasn’t one thing that separated Hillary Clinton from Donald Trump.
In the first few chapters, you may wonder if you have picked up a text book on psychology, or are reading a treatise on what happened in a presidential election. In fact, I admit, I learned more about myself reading those opening chapters, than I ever did about the election. But that is magic of this book. It causes you to realize who we are as a people, who we are as a nation, and it makes you examine yourself as an individual to challenge your beliefs. And the main reason is, that is exactly what was going through the author’s life as he was writing it.
The book is a perfect marriage of our combined psyche, the mood of the nation at the time, a presidential election that was contentious to say the least, filled with scandal and misinformation (fake news?), and a personal look at the author’s life and how it changed due to this contest. It weaves you through all of the highlights of the campaign to be sure, but also touches on what was happening to us as a nation, and us individually as we strive to elect the best person to lead us. On top of that, you get a rare inside look at Jabbour’s life, the events unfolding there, and how it effected his day to day thinking.
On the surface, this is a political book. But it’s so much more than that. It’s a mirror of America in 2015 and 2016. It’s a look at a country struggling to redefine itself amidst turmoil. And yes, it has enough twists and turns to qualify as a thriller of sorts. The only difference is, those twists and turns were real, not something dreamed up in a novelist’s mind.
If you have ever found yourself wondering how America got itself into it’s current position, and maybe, just maybe, how it can get out of it, pick up a copy of Election 2016: The Great Divide, The Great Debate. You won’t be sorry!
There you have it. The book is available for anyone that wants to read it at Amazon.com, or pretty much any other place that sells books. And with that…
Carry on world…you’re dismissed!
The Lone Cactus 
Thank you for reading my book, Lone Cactus. And with such deft! Which is so rare in today’s super-paced world. Yes! The real world *is* a thriller. Here’s hoping w/a happy ending?
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I’m right there with you Mark! And by the way… is there a sequel to 2016? I’d REALLY love to read a book on your thoughts for this year’s election!
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Probably not, but who knows? I’m sort of like – ‘What’s the point?’ 2016 was a fulcrum, a historical shift in the way people view leaders, experts, institutions, etc. And yet, we remain the same – tribal & self-serving, different yet the same. (Shrug.)
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And I find that incredibly sad. We’ve come this far, we’ve changed the playing field…and yet, we haven’t learned a darn thing from history. As long as we Americans get our video games, and our Tik Tok and can spend time on YouTube, we could care about everything going on around us. Almost makes me think that stuff is put there as a distraction?
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“stuff is put there as a distraction?” Indeed it is. But it keeps the game going – the game being “more”. Progress and/or profit. All the stuff keeps us moving
toward wanting it. I am sad a lot of the time; but not always. “Trump makes me smile.” Reading your review felt really good, for a couple days. Thanks again.
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Hey, reading your book was the highlight of all of the books I’ve read over the last couple of years. It was certainly MY pleasure! As for profit meaning “more” for a distraction, I’ve long held the belief (and for a conservative this is a little weird) that corporations can’t be the answer because they’ve reached the point they increase profits only to benefit themselves and show shareholders they are making them money. No longer is business really the selling of something. Now it’s more or less pandering to the masses in hopes they don’t realize the corporations are just playing games with us (hence all of the corporations changing their logos for Women’s Month or Gay Pride Month).
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