Dr. Mardy GrotheDeconstructing Trump: The Trump Phenomenon Through the Lens of Quotation History

Deconstructing Trump:The Trump Phenomenon Through the Lens of Quotation Historyby Dr. Mardy Grothe“What a sweep of vanity comes this way.”—ShakespeareDr. Mardy Grothe has compiled an anthology of quotations in his new book Deconstructing Trump that will astound, entertain, and educate you as he puts our disturbing current era into historical perspective.In his preface, Grothe writes that he has given us “one-thousand quotes from the past—most from the very distant past—that speak to the unconventional, controversial, and even clownish political novice, Donald J. Trump.” These quotations are stirring and give us a vantage point to understand better the recklessness of the man and his administration.As a psychologist, Grothe tells us how many people fell into what his profession calls reactive depression after Trump was elected. He found himself in shock after Trump’s victory and had trouble coping with the new reality. He had difficulty concentrating, smiled and laughed less, drank a bit more than he should, and slept fitfully. He soon realized he was so negatively affected by Trump that he came up with the label Trump Adjustment Disorder. Thus, he found a way out of his depression through bibliotherapy, a form of supportive psychotherapy in which carefully selected reading materials are used to assist a subject in solving personal problems.When you open this book, you immediately sense that you are on the threshold of a great journey of illumination. Throughout, Grothe’s selection of quotations is straightforward, universally true, and speak for themselves without ever mentioning Trump by name. When asked, even Republicans told Grothe that the quotations fit Trump like the proverbial glove. In this collection, he has made perfume out of the tobacco juice that is the Trump presidency, to paraphrase the American essayist Elizabeth Hardwick.A variety of examples create a brilliant billboard illuminating Trump’s vanity, boastfulness, extreme narcissism, deliberate distortions, downright lies, curdling malice, underhandedness, and outrageously crude language. Ranging in time from antiquity to the end of the twentieth century before he became president, they play the role of some goddess of retribution who holds the hammer of historical condemnation.The book alphabetically spans the words of Abigail Adams to Émile Zola, with a considerable number of influential writers throughout history in-between. The reader is in the midst of a breathlessly exciting game. The quotations always find some way of taking hold, of confining, defining, and even possibly understanding the incoherence and fantasy of this administration. Here are a few examples:“How is it possible that the love of gain and the lust of domination should render the human mind so callous to every principle of honor, generosity, and benevolence?”—Abigail Adams“If you shut up truth and bury it under the ground, it will but grow, and gather to itself such explosive power that the day it bursts through it will blow up everything in its way.”— Émile Zola.One of my favorites about half way through is from Dostoevsky’s The Brothers Karamazov,“A man who lies to himself is often the first to take offense. It sometimes feels very good to take offense, doesn’t it? And surely he knows no one has offended him, and that he himself has invented the offense and told lies just for the beauty of it, that he has exaggerated for the sake of effect, that he has picked on a word and made a mountain out of a pea—he knows all that, and still he is the first to take offense, he likes feeling offended, it gives him great pleasure, and thus he reaches the point of real hostility.”An apt passage from Moliere’s Tartuffe (1664) sums up how the likes of Trump and many before him have masqueraded through history as so-called leaders hoodwinking too many naive people. And in verse, to boot:“Those who have greatest cause for guilt and shameAre quickest to besmirch a neighbor’s name.When there’s a chance for libel, they never miss it;When something can be made to seen illicitThey’re off at once to spread the joyous news,Adding to fact what fantasies they choose.By talking up their neighbor’s indiscretionsThey seek to camouflage their own transgressions,Hoping that others’ innocent affairsWill lend a hue of innocence to theirs,Or that their own black gold will come to seemPart of a general shady color-scheme.”Go out and buy your copy and several more for your friends and political opponents. These are the times that definitely try our souls.

Another great collection of quotations from Dr Mardy Grothe. As an avid reader of his other books, I particularly looked forward to this one, as it has served another purpose. Like myself and many of you, he was deeply distressed by the results of the 2016 election and its aftermath. As self treatment for what he calls Trump Adjustment Disorder, he started collecting quotations from the past that (surprisingly) seemed to describe Trump "to a T." This book is the result. Note that none of the quotations are by Trump himself, although Dr Mardy's commentary frequently relates a particular quotation to contemporary Trumpian antics. I found it interesting that when he has presented many of these quotations to both liberals and conservatives alike, they invariably respond with "that sounds a lot like Donald Trump."Some samples:"Vanity working on a weak head produces every sort of mischief". Jane Austen"Let another man praise thee, and not thine own mouth." Proverbs 27:2."He spoke without a note, and almost without a point." Winston Churchill.No solutions here, but it is comforting to me to know that all of Trump's bloviating has been seen many times before, and recognized for what it was then. Yes, it helps to be reminded that there is nothing new under the sun. One last point: for those reviewers who plan to attack this book and its author, be sure to include all of the authors of the individual quotations in your attack as well. I believe there about a thousand of them.

A great book. Not simply a book of quotations, which it is, but an innovative form of social criticism. Using a vast collection of fascinating quotes from ancient times to the present Dr. Mardy portrays Trump for what he is - a very dangerous man with a corrupted and deformed character. But he is not new on the scene. He follows a long tradition in history of despicable and dangerous leaders, who have been insightfully observed and described. In fact, almost none of the quotes refer specifically to Trump himself, but rather to traits and characteristics which have been observed in the past and which Trump exemplifies. This book is so insightful, that it almost hurt.

Each page (and each quotation) is like opening up the portals in an Advent Calendar and finding a new nugget. These nuggets are incredibly effective in dealing with the stages of grief, precipitated by the November 2016 election result. What is most important to me is that this book provides hope -- a hope that I believed impossible and a hope which I highly doubted that any book could provide. There is an abundance of newly authored books which detail unfathomable workings found in the current state of our country’s highest office. These books, valuable and well-written, provide confirmation of the disaster. But they do not provide hope. Before picking up this book I had doubts as to its value; nonetheless, as is so often true in life, my thinking did a 180 degree turnabout and I now believe this book to be the most important book on Trump today. The undertaking in this book evolves from a special chemistry created by a skillful author who nurtures us through current events through the magical lens of history and experience. Thank you, Dr. Mardy.

I must to confess that I had reservations about buying this one. I have purchased and read all 6 of Dr. Mardy's books with genuine delight but was reluctant to get this one!! I have Trump fatigue (like most of us) and this looked to be a bit of a “bandwagon” effort on his part. I’m sorry that I felt this way as I have a tremendous respect for his work, obvious passion and probity. I was completely wrong! This is such a desperately needed collection of insightful truths regarding the deterioration of America and it’s current “leaders!” Through this fine compilation, I genuinely experienced a welcoming sense of healing, warmth and a much needed connection to the other's out there suffering right alongside me!! I loved it!! Haha I highly recommend both Dr. Mardy and his work to anyone AND everyone that will listen, regardless of their political leanings!! I already belong to his mailing list and love the weekly, uplifting messages conveyed. Thank you once again Dr. Mardy!!Also, for what it's worth - this well researched book is a little gem that one never truly finishes as it's something that you can casually flip open anywhere and at anytime and enjoy a multitude of delightfully insightful observations from some of history's finest minds that are 100% relevant today!! Bravo, Dr. Mardy and thank you for this treasure!!

If you are a word lover and lover of quotations then you will love this book. Dr. Mardy is a brilliant researcher and obviously a word lover. This book has a permanent place in my 5000 book library. I recommend this book to all book readers.Ernest Reinhart