Unbelievable: I Know the End and Keep Reading
Unbelievable: My Front-Row Seat to the Craziest Campaign in American History, is a book written by NBC journalist Katy Tur. Tur works for both NBC and MSNBC, and she spent the 2016 election cycle on the road with President Trump. The book is a recount of her time on the campaign and the unbelievable rise of Donald Trump.
It begins like all award winning books or movies have. Tur is at the Trump celebration on election night and watching as the supporters go from excitement to absolute jubilance. The title comes from the feeling of the rest of the world that was watching, and finding the realization of a President Trump, Unbelievable.Everyone except Tur found it unbelievable. With that prologue she explains that she called the election for Trump when all the analysts believed it to be an easy win for Hillary Clinton. The first chapter begins with Tur getting her first assignment in the Trump Campaign. She happened to be working in New York at the time, she was supposed to be a NBC Foreign Correspondent in England. From their she moves to the first time she met Trump. It is described as anger and intensity from the Presidential hopeful. Though we can all see that now, she was the first to actually realize Trump’s disdain for the media.
Trump’s disdain for the media, and his intense first meeting with Tur, sets up the story that follows. The book covers the excitement of Trump rallies, while Tur explains the fear that she felt as the candidate unintentionally put her in the crosshairs of his supporters. He called her “Little Katy.” Once again, like all the great stories, Tur jumps back and forth between different events and election day. Each chapter begins at one of the focal points of the campaign, say the debates or scandals (“Grab them by the pussy”). The chapter features points of view from the reporters hearing this for the first time, and the campaign staff members, often in scramble mode because of Trump’s latest antics. And then, as if it were a flashback, each chapter ends on election day, as the world gets closer to the unbelievable moment where Donald Trump is called to be the 45thPresident of the United States. And along the way, you will see how Katy predicted the ending of this unbelievable campaign.
Throughout the book, especially for those of us that watch NBC, you will run into the characters that you know and are familiar with. Some of those people include, Lester Holt, Andrea Mitchell, Chuck Todd, and a slew of other NBC/MSNBC correspondents. This is an interesting inclusion for the story, as it adds another layer to the narrative. Katy Tur is a very experienced, and award winning journalist. She had been with the NBC team for several years at the time and had covered several national stories, however she had no experience on how to deal with Donald Trump. Now, at the time, no one did, but the inclusion of Tur’s more experienced, politically savvy colleagues presented a more informed look at the campaign. Though they also served as key contributors in building up Tur’s self esteem when times were darkest.
The book is interesting enough, especially for a politically fascinated person such as I. While the rest of the world became sick of the Trump antics by November of 2016, I found it fascinating that this guy was actually doing it. Now, it was almost as if I was reliving those moments. Though, I will say, I was a little discouraged by some of the book. It was not a straight telling of the campaign. The book serves as a narrative for how Tur became a stronger person in the face of the adversity thrown at her by the Trump campaign. Though there are places where she stops to explain the hardships of being on the road, such as how experienced one gets at putting on makeup in the car. This stuff could’ve been left out, but it also made the story a little more personal.
I will say that this story serves a purpose. It is unlike any of dozens of books that have been released in the last two years, all explaining the rise of President Trump. Her book is a first hand account of the things that went on during the campaign, and her first hand view of the election, as the campaign unfolded. This now gives the story an interesting purpose, to show the world how it happened. These recent releases that focus on campaign can only look back with hindsight, and say “We should have seen this coming.” Tur’s book and point of view clearly state; “I saw this coming.”
Looking at the story from the narrative point of view, one might assume that Tur has a negative view of President Trump. You could not fault her for this, given the things she experienced during some interviews, and Trump Rallies. And, for a moment, this deters the book. It gives a sense that what she is reporting, or retelling, may be one sided. However, there is very little in this book that public did not already know, and there is nothing worse than what we already know. So, whether you are a Trump supporter or not, this book will not change your mind on the President. It does nothing more than serve it’s purpose.
There are some things that should be brought into question when reading this book. My biggest question is: how reliable is the information? Though it was written almost immediately following the election, one must wonder if Tur can precisely remember everything that she felt or experienced at the time. Or is she re-experiencing it with the benefit of hindsight? Once again, these questions didn’t deter me for too long, especially after I learned that Katy Tur would win the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in journalism in 2017; due in no small part for her work on the Trump campaign. In fact, I found it unbelievable how frequently I wanted to continue reading this book, considering I know how it ends. It is a compelling read, and fascinating for political aficionados. And journalists may learn a few new things as well. Overall Unbelievableis a compelling story that explains how the unbelievable actually came true.