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"A brilliant idea consummately executed" Rosalie Maggio


"A wonderful book—erudite, passionate, and, most of all, heartening."  Laurence Shames


“All those who cherish the things that truly make America great will be gratified and inspired by the fruits of Grothe's brilliant labors.”    Fred Shapiro


Deconstructing Trump:

The Trump Phenomenon Through

the Lens of Quotation History


(To be published Sep. 23, 2019)


About the Book

  

If history’s greatest thinkers, writers, and political leaders were around today, what would they say about Donald Trump? Happily for us, they’ve said amazing things on this very subject, often in prescient and compelling ways. In the fourth century B.C., for example, Plato described Trump perfectly in his Laws:


   "There is simple ignorance, which is the source of lighter offenses,

  and double ignorance, which is accompanied by a conceit of wisdom;

      and he who is under the influence of the latter fancies that       

        he knows all about matters of which he knows nothing."


Is it a mere coincidence that someone writing 2,500 years ago was able to capture the essence of the current U. S. President?  Hardly.  In Henry V (1599), Shakespeare did it as well:


    "I did never know so full a voice issue from so empty a heart."


And, in his 1798 Farewell Address, George Washington followed suit by saying:


        "Guard against the impostures of pretended patriotism."


In 2015, not long after Trump declared John McCain a “loser” for becoming a Vietnam War POW, quotation maven Mardy Grothe accidentally stumbled upon a 350-year-old Molière quotation that began with these words:


        "Those who have greatest cause for guilt and shame

         Are quickest to besmirch a neighbor’s name."


The passage immediately got him thinking, “Wow! That sounds a lot like Donald Trump.” Over the next several months, after finding similar Trump-illuminating quotations from past thinkers, Grothe launched a quotation-seeking, self-help effort in order to help him cope more effectively with the disturbing reality of a Trump Presidency. 


That self-help project ultimately evolved into this remarkable anthology of 1,000 quotations, all of which were written decades—or, more typically, centuries—before Trump arrived on the political scene.  This book attempts to deconstruct The Trump Phenomenon.  It has been prepared exclusively for those who’ve been alarmed, troubled, upset, embarrassed, bewildered, disgusted, or otherwise distressed by the whole idea of Donald J. Trump as President of the United States of America.

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Advance Praise

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“Better than anyone else, Mardy Grothe uses classical quotations from history to share the powerful insights they can provide.”  — John Busbee, The Culture Buzz


"When the history of The Trump Era is written, Grothe's name will be among those who chose to speak up."  — Anu Garg, founder of Wordsmith.org and author of A Word A Day


Deconstructing Trump is a brilliant idea consummately executed!  Only a quotation maven with a scholar's grasp of intellectual history could produce this incredible foretelling of Trump.”   — Rosalie Maggio, bestselling author of How to Say It


"The whole book reads like a gold-mine of historical insight brought into the present.”  — Barbara McNichol, Editor and creator of Word Trippers


“If you are in despair at the way the world has incontestably taken a turn for the worse since the rise of Trump and his ilk, you may find a modicum of solace in Mardy Grothe's excellent new collection.” Nigel Rees, British quotation scholar and legendary host of Quote...Unquote


“This is a wonderful book—erudite, passionate, and, most of all, heartening because it reminds us that narcissistic and bullying leaders have been with us all through history.”  — Laurence Shames, bestselling author of the Key West Capers series and other books


“All those who cherish the things that truly make America great will be gratified and inspired by the fruits of Grothe's brilliant labors.”   Fred Shapiro, Editor of The Yale Book of Quotations

Additional thoughts about the book from these reviewers, and more Blurbs and Testimonials from others may be seen in the site's PRAISE section.

Note to Supporters: I'm looking for other "Influencers" who might want to voice their support for this book (if you know any, tell 'em about it, have them write me, and I'll happily provide review copies).