A wild, wacky ride with the current political climbers and wannabe's of DC. A behind the scenes look into the people shaping (or trying to) the narratives of politicians and how they are perceived by the masses. I'm left with a sinking feeling that these people are the "best and brightest" that our country has to offer? More like a bunch of irresponsible, egotistical, self-serving boneheads. It makes on wonder what is going to become of our country.
This is a book for anyone who really gets into the smoky backrooms of politics. I found it to be, while shocking, an enjoyable read.

The Big Break: The Gamblers, Party Animals, and True Believers Trying to Win in Washington While America Loses Its Mind follows a ragtag group of Republican and Democratic operatives who rose to power in Trump's America and are now trying to navigate their way through Washington after his 2020 loss. Most of these names will only be familiar to the extremely online, but their stories are as wacky and wild as the title promises: the wunderkind pollster whose gambling and crypto ties ruined his career, the failed mayoral candidate-turned-foreign diplomat, the beleaguered Diane Feinstein staffer who finally lost it, the billionaire progressive trust fund baby, and all those guys at CPAC clawing at each other's faces. For the first half of the story, author Ben Terris adopts a detached, almost whimsical tone that transforms him into a sort of modern day Forrest Gump: keeping his commentary mostly to himself, he is there to witness the zaniness of this bizarre era in American politics, and lets the antics of his subjects speak for themselves, making for an incredibly entertaining read.

Then something changes during the second half of the book. Terris--or more likely, his publisher--suddenly develops a fear that the audience may interpret this detachment as unspoken approval, and adjusts accordingly. Like, did you know that the MAGA capitol riot was really bad? And all of these former Trump acolytes, why aren't they self-flagellating more? I nearly spat out my drink when Terris assured us that the summer 2020 protests were "overwhelmingly peaceful" (newsflash: it doesn't matter if 90% of the protests were peaceful if the other 10% led to thousands of people being robbed/attacked/killed/or having their property set on fire). Because this book is focused purely on political power rather than cultural power, I can understand why some of the crazier figures on the left weren't mentioned, but even still, the narrative feels lopsided. (Terris might have pushed back just a tiny bit more, for instance, when the billionaire progressive activist lamented the struggles of being an heiress.)

But the biggest issue with The Big Break is its general lack of purpose. If this really was just a Forrest Gump-style "shit happens" travelogue, then perhaps this could be overlooked, but it isn't. The book lacks any sort of thesis statement beyond "hey, look at these assholes." There's no real analysis or reflection on what any of this means for the country. Maybe Trump will rise again--or maybe, seeing as he's pushing 80, he'll kick the bucket and the movement will stop in its tracks with no clear successor. Who knows? But Terris gives us no real reason for why we should care about any of the people profiled here beyond as a way to pass a slow afternoon. That's more fitting for an op-ed than a bestseller.

A very compelling, embedded account with the behind-the-scenes players trying to find their way in a post-Trump Washington. If I were teaching in the political science department, I would immediately adopt this into my curriculum, but alas, the majority of my students sadly do not have the foundational knowledge of the "inner workings" of Washington, D.C. to derive the value and enjoyment of this book that I did. Still, this is a fun read that flies by and manages to cover huge swaths of ground across sectors and ideologies.

A really great book about what really goes on in Washington. Great companion to Act of Congress by Robert Kaiser.

Terris delivers a deeply-reported, vividly-sketched rogues' gallery of Washington, DC players (established, wannabe, and otherwise) in the wake of the titular "big break" of the Trump years. The book is sharp and funny throughout, but reads more like a collection of Sunday magazine profiles than an overall portrait of how America's capitol works. The tight focus on 2022 gives the narrative a shape but keeps its window frustratingly small. And Terris's decision to stretch the material out frequently works against the material, as when he finally reveals what precipitated the split between a conservative power broker and his top assistant and it proves to be the kind of internecine workplace intrigue that obsesses everyone in the office but doesn't make sense to outsiders. A 3.5 star review.

This book reminds me of "This Town" by Mark Leibovich; a funny look at some of the climbers in D.C.. Terris highlights some truly despicable characters. He gets remarkable access and captures these people at their cringiest. Very funny, but honestly, some of the figurers were so awful, I skipped some of their sections.

If you want to know what DC is like post-Trump, this is a really entertaining book.

I received an e-galley of this book in return for an honest review.