I listen to a podcast called Cults. It's a little bit dry, and there are a lot of ads, but I listen to it anyway because I am morbidly fascinated by how people get sucked in to these weird and horrible situations. The more modern it is, the more scary, because it's so easy to think "how can this happen" and so I like to be aware of all the warning signs.

I read this book because I felt I finally have enough distance from November's election to not run screaming wildly into the woods. Also, a friend recommended it as one of the easier-to-read Trump books. Mostly, reading it just made me feel slimy and in need of a shower.

As you might expect, Cohen reiterates over and over that Trump is a cult. An unsurprising fact, as is much of the book, unfortunately. Yes, Cohen confirms a lot of the average person's suspicions: Trump really is more gross and immoral and horrible than you thought. No, he really doesn't care about anyone but himself.

I wanted to get into the mindset of someone who had swam in and escaped this cult, but Cohen spent most of his time admitting that he was not a good person, and asking you to listen to him anyway. This would have been a better book if Cohen was capable of self-reflection and could honestly look back on this and lay out the warning signs for the next situation like this, or express any real regret.

But if Cohen was capable of that kind of self-honesty, he never would have found himself in Trump's inner circle. And so, it is disappointing and flavorless.