Peril

By Bob Woodward and Robert Costa

THE SUNDAY TIMES TOP TEN BESTSELLER
THE NEW YORK TIMES NO 1 BESTSELLER
The storming of the Capitol on 6 January 2021 revealed the transition from President Trump to President Biden to be one of the most dangerous periods in American history, with the result of the election called into question by the sitting president.
 
But, as internationally bestselling author Bob Woodward and acclaimed reporter Robert Costa reveal for the first time, it was far more than just a domestic political crisis. At the highest level of the US military, secret action was taken to prevent Trump from possibly starting a war.
 
Woodward and Costa interviewed more than 200 people at the centre of the turmoil, resulting in a spellbinding and definitive portrait of a nation on the brink. They take readers deep inside the Trump White House, the Biden White House, the 2020 campaign, and the Pentagon and Congress, with vivid, eyewitness accounts of what really happened. Peril is supplemented throughout with never-before-seen material from secret orders, transcripts of confidential calls, diaries, emails, meeting notes and other personal and government records, making for an unparalleled history.

It is also the first inside look at Biden’s presidency, revealing the background to his controversial decision to leave Afghanistan. He took office faced with the challenges of a lifetime: dealing with the continuing deadly pandemic and its crushing economic impact, all the while navigating a bitter and disabling partisan divide, and the hovering, dark shadow of the former president. ‘We have much to do in this winter of peril,’ Biden declared at his inauguration.

Peril is the extraordinary story of the end of one presidency and the beginning of another. The culmination of Bob Woodward’s bestselling trilogy on the Trump presidency, along with Fear and Rage, it is an essential read for anyone wanting to understand this tumultuous period.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK
• Release date: Sep 21, 2021
• ISBN: 9781398512153

Bob Woodward

Bob Woodward is an associate editor at The Washington Post, where he has worked for more than 50 years. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, one for his Watergate coverage and the other for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has authored 21 bestselling books, 15 of which have been #1 New York Times bestsellers.

Reviews for Peril

[sean191 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating in a train wreck kind of way. Still, I don't think I really read anything I hadn't already read elsewhere.

[thecrow2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Woodward`s new book follows the last days of the Trump presidency, the elections and the first days of the new president, Biden. Highly recommended for anyone interested in politics.

[schmerguls · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

5782. Peril, by Bob Woodward & Robert Costa (read 23 Feb 2022) This is the 10th book I have read of which Woodward is an author. It covers the time from November 2020 till August 2021and in the usual Woodward manner tells what was said by Trump and Biden to various people. Neither Trump nor Biden was interviewed or the book, so it relates what the authors could learn from others. Trump is shown to be obsessed by his claim that he won the election in 2020 even though no judge agreed with him. He has been told by advisors that he should look forward, not backward but he is too stubborn to listen to smart advisors. As he said long ago he could shoot somebody on Fifth Avenue but his followers would still support him. Though all know he incited the Jan 6 riot most Republican congressmen and women are scared to not support him. This book points out both Trump and Biden errors, but the Trump failings are far more blatant. We will see what the future brings, though the events of the past set out in his book are well-known. I did not learn too much from this book which I did not already know or suspect. The book is not fun to read, but I probably won't have to see what might happen in 2024, inasmuch as I am pretty old..

[cherybear · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can't imagine the hours and hours and days and months that went into gathering all the info for this book. In the end, I don't think I learned anything new about the horrible man who called himself "President." We are still in peril from him and his wild, criminal behavior that seems to know no bounds, and the crazed people who follow (worship?) him.

[paulagalvan-323293 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bob Woodward and Robert Acosta, both well known for their outstanding reporting of the facts, have done an excellent job in writing this book in a straightforward, easy-to-understand language that even non-political readers can understand. Told through hundreds of interviews and thousands of pages of transcripts, this book gives an unbiased, real-life account of the tumultuous last days of Trump's reign of madness. The fact that Lindsay Graham, McCarthy, and others in the Republican party admit they think DJT is a narcissistic psychopath yet still want him to lead their party in 2024, is chilling. Even more disturbing is General Mark Milley's reveal he feared Trump, who had access to our nuclear weapons, would create a "way-the-dog" scenario on his way out of office. Even the level-headed McConnell admits the riot on January 6th was incited by an unstable Trump, and yet he admits he'll back him for the GOP nominee in the next presidential election. This speaks volumes to those who are listening. Politicians in the Republican party care far more for their careers and the personal power it brings them than they do for the people of the country they serve. What I don't understand is why aren't more people listening? DJT should never be allowed to serve in any public office ever again.

[rayski_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The book was getting a lot of press about its revealing details leading up to and during the sacking of the Capitol on 6-January. I found only the Prologue and Epilogue the only real new news here. Maybe this is because everything had already been told by the media after reading the book? Whatever the reason, the book told me very little from what I already had read and heard through the media. After reading the Prologue and General Milley's account of the days immediately after 6-JAN I was set for a gripping tell-all account. The lasting point of the book is that 6-Jan could just be a dress rehearsal of what's to come. Scary.

[waldhaus1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

From my perspective it spend less time on the January 6 invasion of three capital then o interested in hearing. The final conclusion is that may be a prelude to what is coming. Our social divisions seem to be mirrored by contrasting news sources. Is like to see analysis of that and it's origins.What sustains it. We used to believe that modern media would homogenize public opinion. A great look into history as it is happening and three involved individuals.

[flourgirl49 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The usual, comprehensive reporting by Bob Woodward and Robert Costa. The behind-the-scenes look at the legislative process and the maneuvering that goes on by both sides to either pass or defeat bills is interesting. And, of course, we learn once again that Donald Trump is one very sick-in-the-head person.

[nyiper · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It's easy to see why the January 6 Committee is using this book---there is so much detail in terms of who said what to whom. It "almost" reads like a novel...except that sadly, one could wish that we had all just watched a fictional but dramatic movie take place....for the past four years instead of living through the horror of it all.

[jbd1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I hope with all my heart this will be the last book Bob Woodward has to write about Donald Trump. Like the previous, it is chock full of terrifying and worrisome detail about the previous administration, particularly in the period following the election.  

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

The peril of the title is the danger posed to the very structure of the American democracy posed by its volatile, egomaniacal 45th president. This is Woodward’s third book about Trump, and It is written in the same style of the first two, Fear, and Rage. The authors quote dialogue extensively, based on interviews and shared recollections of more than 200 firsthand participants and witnesses.Peril describes in great detail the events surrounding the not-so-peaceful transfer of power from the Trump Administration to the Biden Administration. Woodward and Costa assert that Trump would do almost anything to remain in power, the Constitution be damned. The one hero of their narrative is General Mark Milley, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who steadfastly remained calm and in control of the military while Trump explored every possible method to overturn the clear results of the 2020 presidential election. Secretary of Defense Mark Esper also performed well, but he was fired immediately after the election and was unable to exert his influence for as long a time as Milley. This book provided several startling revelations about how close Trump came to succeeding. Since it has been reviewed by numerous others in great detail, any summary recapitulation of its contents by me would add little to a relatively vast literature. I would, however, emphasize the importance of the authors’ warnings and admonitions. They conclude their analysis with a personal interview with Trump, which he allowed in an effort to tell his side of the story. Their reaction:“…we…saw darkness. He could be petty. Cruel. Bored by American history and dismissive of governing traditions that has long guided elected leaders. Could Trump work his will again? Were there any limits to what he and his supporters might do to put him back in power? Peril remains.” (JAB)

[maneekuhi · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I have now read Woodward’s three most recent books – Rage, Fear and Peril. They have each followed the same very annoying pattern:1.) To hype a new release, publishers send copies of the book to the news media one week prior to the official publication date.2.) The news media quickly skim the content and blast out BREAKING NEWS stories about the juiciest bits. Cable News channels follow up with interviews of retired military and other “experts” for instant but not always well thought-out analysis.3.) Then, in Woodward’s case with Peril, the reader has to plow through about 140 pages of background material to get to some of these now-over-hyped scenes. Yes, yes, some of the pages in a Prologue cover a phone call with the Chinese, and others question Trump’s stability, and the nuclear codes process, but the content is not exactly the “meat” that we readers had been seeking.4.) We finally get to the key scenes of January 6, and – not surprisingly but still disappointedly -there is nothing new about The Speech, the violence at the Capitol, the TV watching at the White House. Granted, there are some details about Trump-Pence conversations I don’t think I had heard before, and some other small potatoes but nothing shattering or the details would have been all over CNN, FOX etc.5.) And it’s over. There are still 160 pages to go, and that last third or so is filled with the Rescue Plan (but not much on Covid), Afghanistan, and anecdotes like the Trump-Obama exchange on their way to the ’16 inauguration, and mention of Manchin’s houseboat …..(yawn)I’ve always found Woodward books to be very readable, well-paced, with interesting (but dated) material and lots of dialog and near-dialog.; he is a very good story-teller. “Peril” will be a good book for a college kid in the 2040’s trying to get a pulse on this moment in time.But I’m out. Finished. “Peril” was too much like reading yesterdays’ newspapers…..No more Woodward books for me.