WAR | Kirkus Reviews

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Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run\u002Dup to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.” " } } </script> </head> <body class="book-review-page" id="book-review-page" data-slot-scope="" hx-headers='{"X-CSRFToken": "BXXlPJfAUUzDWxWsnYGETIjUjX24mF8CccQBEpyd1jNpiShBsggXKa4w78jwwjZk"}'> <header role="group" class="header-section"><div class="container-fluid advertise-top-banner"><div class="text-center" id="kr-ad-1-site_header_970x90"><script type='text/javascript'> googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('kr-ad-1-site_header_970x90'); }); </script></div></div><div class="container desktop-top-header"><div class="row"><div class="col-lg-4"></div><div class="col-lg-4 text-center top-logo"><a class="kirkus-brand" href="/"><img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/logo/kirkus-nav-logo.svg" class="img-fluid kirkus-logo" alt="Kirkus logo"></a></div><div 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</div> </div> <div class="row d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="col-lg-12 col-sm-12 my-1 hide-on-mobile d-xl-block d-md-none"> <div class="row d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="purchase-btn-row dropdown show shop-now-dropdown"> <a class="kirkus-purchase-btn dropdown-toggle" href="#" id="dropdown-shop-link" data-toggle="dropdown" aria-haspopup="true" aria-expanded="false" data-id="2000268757"> shop now <img class="button-img" src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/drop-down-white-icon.png" width="24px"/> </a> <div class="dropdown-menu kirkus-dropdown-menu" aria-labelledby="dropdown-shop-link"> <a class="dropdown-item add-icon" href="https://www.amazon.com/dp/166805227X?tag=kirkus-20&linkCode=osi&th=1&psc=1" target="_blank">amazon</a> </div> </div> </div> <div hx-get="/book-reviews/bookshelf-button/2000268757/" hx-trigger="revealed" hx-target="this" > <div class="row d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="button-row"> <a 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Woodward’s clear, gripping storytelling benefits from his legendary access to prominent figures and a structure of propulsive chapters. The run-up to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is tense (if occasionally repetitive), as a cast of geopolitical insiders try to divine Vladimir Putin’s intent: “Doubt among allies, the public and among Ukrainians meant valuable time and space for Putin to maneuver.” Against this backdrop, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham implores Donald Trump to run again, notwithstanding the former president’s denial of his 2020 defeat. This provides unwelcome distraction for President Biden, portrayed as a thoughtful, compassionate lifetime politico who could not outrace time, as demonstrated in the June 2024 debate. Throughout, Trump’s prevarications and his supporters’ cynicism provide an unsettling counterpoint to warnings provided by everyone from former Joint Chief of Staff Mark Milley to Vice President Kamala Harris, who calls a second Trump term a likely “death knell for American democracy.” The author’s ambitious scope shows him at the top of his capabilities. He concludes with these unsettling words: “Based on my reporting, Trump’s language and conduct has at times presented risks to national security—both during his presidency and afterward.” </p> An engrossing and ominous chronicle, told by a master of the form. </div> <ul class="list-inline article-social-share-mobile show-on-mobile divider-top d-xl-none d-md-block"> <li class="list-inline-item"> <a title="Counts" href="#"> <img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/add-to-shelf.png" width="18" height="18" class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" alt="Like Counts"> <span class="counts p-0 text-dark">5</span> </a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"> <a class="share-via-fb" title="Share via Facebook" href="#" data-url="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bob-woodward/war-7/"> <img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/facebook-mobile.png" width="24" height="24" class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" alt="Share via Facebook"> </a> </li> <li 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class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Pub Date:</b> Oct. 15, 2024</p> <p><b>ISBN:</b> 9781668052273</p> </div> <div class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Page Count:</b> 448</p> <p><b>Publisher:</b> Simon & Schuster</p> </div> <div class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Review Posted Online:</b> Oct. 15, 2024</p> <p><b>Kirkus Reviews Issue:</b> Dec. 15, 2024</p> </div> </div> <div class="row content-row"> <div class="col-lg-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 mb-3"> <div class="category-flex-container"> <div class="category-label flex-child" style="max-width: 68px"> <span class="cat-genre"><b>Categories:</b></span> </div> <div class="category-links flex-child"> <p class="article-category"> <a href="/discover-books/nonfiction/biography-memoir"> BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR</a> | <a href="/discover-books/nonfiction/current-events-social-issues"> CURRENT EVENTS & SOCIAL ISSUES</a> | <a href="/discover-books/biography-memoir/political-royalty"> POLITICAL & ROYALTY</a> 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class="book-review-bubble d-none" alt="Next book"> <div id="review-body" class="container book-description book-description-pagination mx-xl-0 mx-lg-auto"> <h1 class="article-title">TANQUERAY</h1> <p class="article-author"> by <a href="/author/stephanie-johnson/"> Stephanie Johnson </a> & <a href="/author/brandon-stanton/"> Brandon Stanton </a> illustrated by <a href="/author/henry-sene-yee/"> Henry Sene Yee </a> <span class="hide-on-mobile"> ‧</span> <span class="pub-date-mobile">RELEASE DATE: July 12, 2022</span> </p> <p class="description-title kirkus-title"> A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer. </p> <div class="divider-bottom"></div> <div class="show-on-mobile hide-on-desktop mobile-two-buttons d-xl-none d-md-block"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-6 d-flex justify-content-center"> <div hx-get="/book-reviews/bookshelf-button/2000232414/" hx-trigger="revealed" hx-target="this" > <div class="row d-flex justify-content-center"> 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justify-content-center"> <div class="ratingcolumn"> <ul class="list-inline text-center"> <li class="list-inline-item align-middle"> <p class="title w-75 mx-auto metacritic-centered">New York Times Bestseller</p> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="first-alphabet book-content text-left"> <p>A former New York City dancer reflects on her zesty heyday in the 1970s.</p> <p>Discovered on a Manhattan street in 2020 and introduced on Stanton’s Humans of New York Instagram page, Johnson, then 76, shares her dynamic history as a “fiercely independent” Black burlesque dancer who used the stage name Tanqueray and became a celebrated fixture in midtown adult theaters. “I was the only black girl making white girl money,” she boasts, telling a vibrant story about sex and struggle in a bygone era. Frank and unapologetic, Johnson vividly captures aspects of her former life as a stage seductress shimmying to blues tracks during 18-minute sets or sewing lingerie for plus-sized dancers. Though her work was far from the Broadway shows she dreamed about, it eventually became all about the nightly hustle to simply survive. Her anecdotes are humorous, heartfelt, and supremely captivating, recounted with the passion of a true survivor and the acerbic wit of a weathered, street-wise New Yorker. She shares stories of growing up in an abusive household in Albany in the 1940s, a teenage pregnancy, and prison time for robbery as nonchalantly as she recalls selling rhinestone G-strings to prostitutes to make them sparkle in the headlights of passing cars. Complemented by an array of revealing personal photographs, the narrative alternates between heartfelt nostalgia about the seedier side of Manhattan’s go-go scene and funny quips about her unconventional stage performances. Encounters with a variety of hardworking dancers, drag queens, and pimps, plus an account of the complexities of a first love with a drug-addled hustler, fill out the memoir with personality and candor. With a narrative assist from Stanton, the result is a consistently titillating and often moving story of human struggle as well as an insider glimpse into the days when Times Square was considered the Big Apple’s gloriously unpolished underbelly. The book also includes Yee’s lush watercolor illustrations.</p> A blissfully vicarious, heartfelt glimpse into the life of a Manhattan burlesque dancer. </div> <ul class="list-inline article-social-share-mobile show-on-mobile divider-top d-xl-none d-md-block"> <li class="list-inline-item"> <a title="Counts" href="#"> <img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/add-to-shelf.png" width="18" height="18" class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" alt="Like Counts"> <span class="counts p-0 text-dark">75</span> </a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"> <a class="share-via-fb" title="Share via Facebook" href="#" data-url="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/stephanie-johnson/tanqueray-stanton/"> <img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/facebook-mobile.png" width="24" height="24" class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" alt="Share via Facebook"> </a> </li> <li class="list-inline-item"> <a title="Share via Twitter" 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col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Pub Date:</b> July 12, 2022</p> <p><b>ISBN:</b> 978-1-250-27827-2</p> </div> <div class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Page Count:</b> 192</p> <p><b>Publisher:</b> St. Martin's</p> </div> <div class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Review Posted Online:</b> July 27, 2022</p> </div> </div> <div class="row content-row"> <div class="col-lg-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 mb-3"> <div class="category-flex-container"> <div class="category-label flex-child" style="max-width: 68px"> <span class="cat-genre"><b>Categories:</b></span> </div> <div class="category-links flex-child"> <p class="article-category"> <a href="/discover-books/nonfiction/biography-memoir"> BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR</a> | <a href="/discover-books/biography-memoir/entertainment-sports-celebrity"> ENTERTAINMENT, SPORTS & CELEBRITY</a> | <a href="/discover-books/biography-memoir/general-biography-memoir"> GENERAL BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR</a> </p> </div> </div> </div> </div> <p 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class="pub-date-mobile">RELEASE DATE: Oct. 8, 2024</span> </p> <p class="description-title kirkus-title"> A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years. </p> <div class="divider-bottom"></div> <div class="show-on-mobile hide-on-desktop mobile-two-buttons d-xl-none d-md-block"> <div class="row"> <div class="col-xs-6 d-flex justify-content-center"> <div hx-get="/book-reviews/bookshelf-button/2000270744/" hx-trigger="revealed" hx-target="this" > <div class="row d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="button-row"> <a class="kirkus-bookshelf-btn" href="#"> <img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/remove-from-shelf.png" width="24px"/> <span class="hide-on-mobile show-on-tablet">bookshelf</span> </a> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="col-xs-6 d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="row d-flex justify-content-center"> <div class="purchase-btn-row dropdown show shop-now-dropdown"> <a class="kirkus-purchase-btn dropdown-toggle" 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Their memoirs typically reflect a spectrum of ambition and interests, offering insights into their values and personal lives. Melania Trump, however, stands out as exceptionally private and elusive. Her ultra-lean account attempts to shed light on her public duties, initiatives, and causes as first lady, and it defends certain actions like her controversial “I REALLY DON’T CARE, DO U?” jacket. The statement was directed at the media, not the border situation, she claims. Yet the book provides scant detail about her personal orbit or day-to-day interactions. The memoir opens with her well-known Slovenian origin story, successful modeling career, and whirlwind romance with Donald Trump, culminating in their 2005 marriage, followed by a snapshot of Election Day 2016: “Each time we were together that day, I was impressed by his calm.…This man is remarkably confident under pressure.” Once in the White House, Melania Trump describes her functions and numerous public events at home and abroad, which she asserts were more accomplished than media representations suggested. However, she rarely shares any personal interactions beyond close family ties, notably her affection for her son, Barron, and her sister, Ines. And of course she lavishes praise on her husband. Minimal anecdotes about White House or cabinet staff are included, and she carefully defuses her rumored tensions with Trump’s adult children, blandly stating, “While we may share the same last name, each of us is distinct with our own aspirations and paths to follow.” Although Melania’s desire to support causes related to children’s and women’s welfare feels authentic, the overall tenor of her memoir seems aimed at painting a glimmering portrait of her husband and her role, likely with an eye toward the forthcoming election.</p> A slick, vacuous glimpse into the former first lady’s White House years. </div> <ul class="list-inline article-social-share-mobile show-on-mobile divider-top d-xl-none d-md-block"> <li class="list-inline-item"> <a title="Counts" href="#"> <img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/add-to-shelf.png" width="18" height="18" class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" alt="Like Counts"> <span class="counts p-0 text-dark">1</span> </a> </li> <li 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<a title="Print" href="/book-reviews/melania-trump/melania/print/"> <img src="https://d1fd687oe6a92y.cloudfront.net/img/kir_images/icons/print-icon.png" class="img-fluid mx-auto d-block" alt="Print"> </a> </li> </ul> <div class="divider-bottom divider-gap hide-on-desktop show-on-mobile d-xl-none d-md-block"></div> <div class="row content-row mt-5"> <div class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Pub Date:</b> Oct. 8, 2024</p> <p><b>ISBN:</b> 9781510782693</p> </div> <div class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Page Count:</b> 256</p> <p><b>Publisher:</b> Skyhorse Publishing</p> </div> <div class="col-lg-4 col-md-4 col-sm-12 col-xs-12"> <p><b>Review Posted Online:</b> Oct. 14, 2024</p> <p><b>Kirkus Reviews Issue:</b> Dec. 1, 2024</p> </div> </div> <div class="row content-row"> <div class="col-lg-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 mb-3"> <div class="category-flex-container"> <div class="category-label flex-child" style="max-width: 68px"> <span 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