Book Review: Unthinkable: Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy by Jamie Raskin
This book is an inside look at combating the dangerous scheming of those who would rather have a United States that is autocratic and oligarchic. The author, Jamie Raskin, a member of the US House of Representatives from a DC suburb in Maryland, chronicles his first hand experience countering a Republican Party that has become dominated by forces interested primarily in raw power—theirs.
In this book Raskin provides a first person account of what it was like to be a member of Congress being hunted down by a violent mob during the insurrection at the Capitol on January 6, 2021—his descriptions demonstrate how close to death they all were during that time. Raskin’s real life account has the reader with him during those events—and it’s riveting. Is this America?!
Don’t be put off by the deeply personal experiences Raskin reveals about the tragic death of his son. This may be rough reading for some (it was for me), but Raskin’s sharing of his anguish is a feature not a bug. Working through the loss of his son, Raskin nevertheless found the strength to survive and later pursue the roots of the January 6 insurrection. Raskin’s example leaves the rest of us without excuse for not applying our own skills in righting the wrongs in our individual spheres of influence.
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