Overcoming Trumpery is out now! Order here:
praise for norman eisen’s Overcoming trumpery
“Mandatory reading for anyone thinking about how to defend against the attacks on our democracy.”
—Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY)
“Few people have done as much to preserve and protect our democracy as Norm Eisen. It has been my privilege to have a front row seat to his great work, which this book now makes possible for anyone interested in learning the truth about our vulnerabilities and solutions to address them. This book is a must-read for anyone who cares that our republic endures.”
—Christine Todd Whitman, former governor of New Jersey (R) and EPA administrator
“We need to rebuild the guardrails of our constitutional liberal democracy, or build them anew. This book helps us get going on this urgent task.”
—William Kristol, editor-at-large, The Bulwark
“Overcoming Trumpery is a timely and important list of proposals for strengthening America’s defenses against the Trumpist erosion of ethics, the rule of law, and democratic norms. This book is more than a compilation of complaints; it’s a call for action.”
—Former Rep. Mickey Edwards (R-OK)
“Norm Eisen has provided another invaluable public service with this excellent selection of essays on how to protect American democracy. Not content to merely diagnose the shattering of our democratic norms and safeguards over the last several years, this book provides important solutions that should be essential reading for Congress, as well as the public at large. Democracy’s best protection is a well-informed electorate, and this book delivers.”
—Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA)
“Comprehensively sets forth the harm that Trump intentionally did to stable American institutions…the nation’s top ethics and governance experts offer a systematic, in-depth catalog of “seven deadly sins” of this new American autocracy”
— Dennis Aftergut, The National Law Journal
“Norm Eisen has meticulously documented Trump’s many transgressions, most egregiously his violations of established norms that are the underpinnings of American democracy and the rule of law. In Overcoming Trumpery, he has assembled an impressive team of experts who show us not only how Trump’s abuses endangered the republic, but what must be done to make sure they never happen again.”
—Michael Isikoff, chief investigative correspondent, Yahoo! News
“An essential must read.”
— Fred Wertheimer, Democracy 21
“Even someone as inured as I am to Trump’s crimes can still be astonished when all the known abuses are catalogued in one volume.”
—Charles Kaiser, The Guardian
“Overcoming Trumpery is a must-read—especially for every current and aspiring legislator, conscientious reporter, corporate leader, professors and students of government, and every citizen who cares about the survival of our democracy.”
—Former Rep. Claudine Schneider (R-RI)
"Invaluable....comprehensive analysis."
—Jen Rubin, The Washington Post
“This book presents a clear-eyed, detailed, and compelling indictment of Trump’s Constitution- defying crime spree, chronicling and explaining the many instances in which Trump and his minions violated laws, rules, and good-government guidelines. More important, Eisen and his co-authors provide a roadmap for creating and restoring protections to safeguard our democracy against future corruption and authoritarian power grabs. This book is a gift to the republic.”
—David Corn, Washington bureau chief, Mother Jones
PRAISE FOR NORMAN EISEN’S A CASE FOR THE AMERICAN PEOPLE
“Tantalizing.”
— New York Times
“Fascinating.”
— Salon
"Eisen presents…the inside story of the third impeachment
in US history, detailing the internal debates and conflicts among House Democrats and sharing juicy, behind-the-scenes anecdotes of the trial.”— Mother JoneS
“Eisen’s telling will not only become part of the canon of this presidency’s history, but will also likely contribute to scholarly debate about impeachment and affect future proceedings. Even including Watergate (which never went beyond the House Judiciary Committee’s vote on articles against President Richard M. Nixon), we have never had such a meticulous behind-the-scenes account of impeachment.”
— The Washington Post
"Riveting....a love letter to the American people.”
— The American Interest
"A front-row view to the closed door investigations....Eisen’s book is “This Town” for the impeachment era, an X-ray vision view of Washington’s seamy interconnectedness, transplanted to the most consequential stage of all: the floor of the U.S. Senate during a doomed attempt to remove Trump from office.”
— Politico
Praise for Norman Eisen’s Democracy’s Defenders
“In Democracy’s Defenders, Ambassador Eisen has brought to public light an important story of how America’s diplomats played a critical role in ending Communism in the former Czechoslovakia and how those efforts gave great momentum to the rise of a democratic Central and Eastern Europe. Vital reading at a time when democracy is being threatened in Central Europe and when the traditional role of America in the world is being challenged here at home.”
— Denis McDonough
“Democracy’s Defenders is fascinating and instructive. It offers essential lessons about not only the past but the present and future of American foreign policy. They include how to promote human rights in authoritarian regimes and how to support new democracies.”— Joseph Lieberman
“These cables bring to life the heady, bewildering, and sometimes frustrating days of summer and fall 1989, as depicted by the U.S. embassy staff who dealt with the Communist regime in Prague and the growing dissident movement that would topple it. Norman Eisen and his researchers have done a fine job in selecting and editing these important diplomatic records and framing them in the context of the Cold War and its aftermath. As an eyewitness to these events myself, I commend the clarity of the reporting and the analytical framework with which these able, patriotic, and highly professional men and women served their country—and the wider cause of freedom in Czechoslovakia.”
— Edward Lucas
“The sudden collapse of Communist regimes throughout Central and Eastern Europe unleashed popular uprisings and liberal leaders. Thirty years later, this remarkable collection of U.S. State Department cables, organized by Ambassador Norman Eisen and his co-contributors, highlights the role played by U.S. diplomats at a crucial time in the Velvet Revolution. When considering the lessons of 1989, it is worthwhile to remember the role played over decades by U.S. diplomats in helping Europeans realize the dream of free and just societies.”
— Strobe Talbott
“Engaging and illuminating, Democracy’s Defenders offers striking new insights into how American diplomats played a quiet but facilitating and supportive role in helping to midwife the rebirth of democracy in Czechoslovakia thirty years ago. Ambassador Eisen has assembled a remarkable historical record of how to do democracy promotion the right way. A must-read for students of the Cold War, those interested in the future of European democracy, and practitioners committed to renewing American diplomatic engagement to advance human rights and democracy around the world.”
—Michael McFaul
“This fascinating collection of documents reveals American foreign policymaking at its most effective and compelling. What stands out is not only the professionalism of American diplomats but also their passionate devotion to liberal democratic ideals. This is a success story, much needed at a time when many have forgotten what that looks like.”
— Robert Kagan
“Democracy’s Defenders is a welcome and valuable addition to our ever-expanding volume of knowledge of the role of American diplomacy behind the Iron Curtain and particularly in Czechoslovakia at the end of the Cold War and in the first stages of the country’s transition to democracy. The newly available cables establish a number of interesting new connections and fill in a number of gaps. The meticulous work of the editors and their insights make this a book worth reading by every serious student of recent Czech-American history.”
— Michael Žantovský
“In Democracy’s Defenders, history comes alive through the vivid, lived experience of U.S. diplomats who were both helping to shape and respond to transformative events. At a time when authoritarianism has reemerged, this book offers powerful and timely lessons about how and why we should learn from a democratic triumph that was not at all inevitable.”
— Ben Rhodes
Praise for Norman Eisen’s The Last Palace
“Meticulous…fascinating…Reading this book, you are reminded of the many missed opportunities that the United States and other Western allies had to encourage and assist democracy in Central Europe. It is not clear that we have learned from history as we are once again confronting nationalist, nativist and anti-democratic politicians and movements backed or amplified by Russia in Europe and beyond.”
— WASHINGTON POST
“Engrossing… This action-packed yet lyrically written page-turner confers a fascinating human understanding of Europe’s past and present.”
— Publishers weekly (starred & boxed)
“Moving, engaging, and elegantly written, The Last Palace wears its erudition lightly, casts its radiant intelligence fearlessly into the darkest corners of the twentieth century and, effortlessly, reliably, breaks your heart again and again.”
— Michael Chabon
“Norman Eisen has written an enthralling history of a palace and its very real ghosts. By telling the story of the Prague mansion where he resided as America’s ambassador, Eisen provides a poignant reflection on the haunting twists of the past century, including his own very American family tale.”
— Walter Isaacson
“As America’s Ambassador in Prague, Norman Eisen had an extraordinary relationship with the Czech Republic and its history: his mother said the Nazis took her family out in boxcars and her son came back on Air Force One. The Last Palace combines human drama with geopolitical and historical sweep and does it with evident love and painstaking investigation.”
— John Kerry
“Enchanting and fascinating, The Last Palace is a splendid journey through a century of modern European history, and a love letter to liberal democracy. From the adventures of an obsessive baron to the anti-Communist resistance of ambassador-actress Shirley Temple Black to his own tenure as Barack Obama’s envoy to Prague, Norman Eisen brings the inhabitants of a storied residence, and their tumultuous times, to life.”
— chris whipple
“A deft and fascinating narrative…The Last Palace is steeped in politics, military history, architectural lore and anecdotes…Mr. Eisen’s easy, fluid style and the richness of his material make for very pleasurable historical reading."
— Wall Street Journal
"[T]imely and engaging....a marvelous and original work of history...Eisen’s terrific book reminds us that unknown people do remarkable things all the time."
— Tom Melia, The American Interest
“[T]he history of a remarkable mansion and its times…this fascinating work will appeal to those interested in 20th century history.”
—Library Journal
“Combining both the personal and the historical, Norman Eisen’s remarkable book transports us into the battle for democracy through the lives of people who fought to save it and those would seek to destroy it. The Last Palace is not only a first-rate work of history, but a call to action written at a time of urgent need.”
— Madeleine Albright
“What a revelation! With this moving memoir and history, Norman Eisen enters the front rank of writers. A truly riveting read.”
— David Axelrod
"Eisen has written a book rich with detail, in spellbinding prose. The Last Palace reads like a novel—a page-turner— beautifully intertwining the compelling stories of families and individuals to tell a stirring story of the Twentieth Century... I came to the book expecting a memoir, but The Last Palace is far more than that."
— Norman Ornstein
“Yields illuminating insights on some of the twentieth century’s major dramas: the things that might have happened but didn’t, the importance of particular personalities, and the possibilities and limits of diplomacy in the face of power…Through his interweaving of the personal and the political, [Eisen] enlarges and enlivens our understanding of one small country’s confrontation with history, and of a past that matters to us all.”
— The times literary supplement
“Eisen casts each successive caretaker of the palace as uniquely heroic and in so doing writes a wonderfully human history.
— Booklist (starred)
Named one of Publishers Weekly’s best non-fiction books of 2018
“Norman Eisen pulls back the curtains to reveal history’s secrets in this rich, personal, and wise book.”
— Jane Mayer
“At a time when we find ourselves newly nostalgic for courageous public officials and American leadership on behalf of human rights, Eisen has written a pearl of a book. Using an ornate palace in Prague as the backdrop for his fast-paced narrative, Eisen tells the tale of the last stormy century through the eyes of several vibrant characters who helped shape it. The Last Palace is a great read and a stirring reminder of the importance of decency in public life."
— Samantha Power
[A] genuinely exciting history of the era...the book offers a detailed, novelistic view of stirring times and impressive characters.
— BookPage
“The Last Palace is a great piece of narrative history: a compelling story and so elegantly written. A wonderful read.
— David Corn
"A well-told story for readers interested in Czechoslovakia, its creation, its fall to fascism and then communism, and rescue from both."
— Kirkus Reviews