Breaking History: A White House Memoir

Jared, well done, such a good book and great read, thank you !

Really great book, helps shed light on the Trump administration from a never before seen angle.

its nice to hear jareds point of view from him and not the media

This book provides meaningful insights into how some key issues in the Trump Administration were formulated and implemented. Trump supporters will likely enjoy this book – as well as those who may agree with Mitt Romney regarding the type of role model President Trump is and was -- but nevertheless thought many of President Trump’s policies were beneficial for the country. Those antagonistic to the Trump Administration – or Trump haters more generally -- will likely focus on (i) the elements of braggadocio in this book, without acknowledging that most memoirs promote the author’s own achievements, and (ii) Kushner’s failure to acknowledge and comment upon how President Trump’s personal style may have at times prevented or delayed the Administration from achieving its objectives and how it ultimately cost President Trump re-election. This book is particularly rewarding for the account it provides of the Administration’s – and Kushner’s – role in the Middle East and the Abraham Accords. Agree or disagree with Kushner’s account, it is thought-provoking and worthwhile. For an interesting different perspective, google (Foreign Policy correspondent) Steven A. Cook’s 11 September 2022 review “Breaking History For No Good Reason” on the web. I’ve read numerous books on President Trump’s (astonishing, in my opinion) 2016 election victory and how he subsequently implemented his policies as President. Those books include: 1. Chris Christi, Let Me Finish: Trump, the Kushners, Bannon, New Jersey, and the Power of In-Your-Face Politics (January 2019). 2. John Bolton, The Room Where It Happened: A White House Memoir (June 2020). 3. William Barr, One Damn Thing After Another: Memoirs Of An Attorney General (March 2022). 4. Kellyanne Conway, Here’s The Deal: A Memoir (May 2022). While I found each of these books worthwhile [with William Barr’s book being exceptional – also providing perspective on his time serving as Attorney General under President George H.W. Bush and meaningful insights into what makes a society tick with his discussions on the role of education and religion], both Christie and Conway portrayed Kushner as a problematic snake whose role in the White House was solely the result of his happening to be President Trump’s son-in-law. Having thus formed a very negative impression of Kushner’s role in the Administration, when I came across this book by chance when browsing the Amazon book section, I decided I wanted to hear Kushner’s side of the story. One additional note that was particularly significant to me – Christie explained in his book the extensive work he did to prepare for a smooth and orderly transition to power in January 2017 by identifying and vetting suitable candidates to fill key positions, only to have Kushner and his team ignore that work. Given the Administration’s failure to promptly fill many key positions, I formed the opinion that Kushner’s actions inflicted major damage on the Administration. Kushner seems to address this concern on page 56 by noting (i) Steve Bannon, wanting to derail any possibility of Christie being Trump’s Chief of Staff, commented Christie “was angling to slot his closest political cronies – including anti-Trump establishment types – into the most important appointments regardless of their qualifications” and (ii) both Bannon and Steve Munchin reviewed Christie’s transition materials and believed they failed to meet proper vetting, research, and professional standards for hiring key personnel.” Readers will determine for themselves the extent to which they find this persuasive or an attempt by Kushner to avoid responsibility for actions which damaged the Administration’s ability to get off to a maximally effective start. Indeed, this is one of multiple instances in this memoir where readers will have to determine for themselves whether they are persuaded. In terms of rating – I give this 4 instead of 5 stars because (i) while I don’t expect a Memoir to meet scholarly standards for footnotes, there were multiple occasions where I wanted to know Mr. Kushner’s source for a point and there was no footnote, and (ii) Kushner, even as a son-in-law, could do a better job pointing out where President Trump could have conducted himself in a more controlled and goal-oriented approach to facilitate better achieving his objectives.

Complete whitewash and very badly written

Good quality and all the information is in details

Transparency of the author with the issues he was facing and the way he dealt with them.

His family background and who he dealt with in the White House. Well written and candid revelation on his health condition.

I followed the Trump administrations actions closely and found the MSM generally were awful at providing details about the many accomplishments, including those covered in Kushner’s book. The content of a book is of primary importance and the level of granular detail for so many delicate negotiations, historical influences on the author, and action packed situations did not disappoint. What elevates this book to one of the best overall in addition to the aforementioned, is the quality of the writing, the pacing of the action, and the very objective point of view by the author. It reads more like an action adventure novel, although lacking in physical derring do, rather than the dry, dusty, tomes which are sometimes blatantly self-serving efforts by those who plan on running for office or getting in on the think tank action. Another point which becomes clear is Kushner is a natural diplomat. Those excellent in business often are, and to this reader, Kushner is at the top of the class in natural talent. Part of his diplomatic skills show in his generosity in giving credit where it is due. Be sure to read the acknowledgments: Kushner is very appreciative of the efforts of others, and includes some he didn’t mention by name in the body of the book. Additionally, he is extremely sensitive to the issues of potential partners to deals- an invaluable skill for those in sales and diplomacy, and his former private sector work surely aided his WH work. One of the reasons this administration was reviled by the political class and MSM is the fact they did NOT stick to the same “consensus” of the “experts”, which, of course, has largely been ineffective and wasteful of personnel, material, and money, especially and with increasing frequency since at least the 1970’s. This aspect as comprehensively illustrated in the book, showed what COULD be accomplished in relatively quick order and generally very economically. There are a LOT of vested interests who prefer the old way, for obvious reasons. It is truly remarkable what a rather small team of committed professionals were able to accomplish in four years, and that makes for an unforgivable sin to the administrative State. However, if the creativity, tenacity, and individual commitment were replicated, the American citizenry, would benefit greatly and save a whole lot of money, as a bonus. I highly recommend this book to everyone and especially to any considering running for office, working in government, or even seeking to become an effective manager or C-suite executive. It is so superb, plan on purchasing additional copies for gifts,

Jared is Trump's son-in-law. Yes, he is a rich man and has a certain wealthy life and an elite social circle. From that perspective, he tells about the Trump Years in the White House. His narrative is of course based on his ideas and understanding; which is certainly different and unique, and distinct from the accepted positive and negative versions of the Trump presidency.

Jared Kushner's book is a must-read for those who want to solve problems ---problems in any field, be it in business, politics, health care --- and produce tangible products. Trump and Kushner were a problem-solving duo in the Whitehouse, the like of which the US had never seen before and may not do so in the future. No wonder then that in four short years, this duo outdid prior US administrations, despite the former being side-tracked by and occupied with unnecessary investigations and impeachments that led to no convictions, because there were no crimes to begin with. Kushner was the go-to-guy in the T admin. And justifiably so! He is a proven result oroducer. Through his unbiased account of his father's incarceration, he has develooed a trust with the readers that permeates onto other events he described in the book. It has been a while, since I read such an engrossing book that kept me awake at night longer than I should have.

After reading this book I have a new respect for Jared Kushner. The grandson of Holocaust survivors, he is compassionate with a brilliant out-of-the-box strategic mind and a charming deprecating sense of humor. His orthodox Jewish faith guides his focus, integrity, and view of the world. His extraordinary work ethic is nothing short of inspirational. I highly recommend this book for anyone planning to vote in national elections in the coming years. If you read it, you will be surprised by many things, especially if you are not a Trump supporter. For one thing, it tells much of what actually happened in the White House during the Trump presidency with a clearer lense than the media ever provided. It's backed up by research and fact checking which is cited in the back of the book. I bought this book because of my lingering belief that the true story of what went on in the White House during the Trump years was sorely misrepresented by the media and I wanted the truth. Reading details about the many diplomatic meetings with leaders of key nations was fascinating. Did you know the Kushner's young daughter speaks Mandarin? When she was five she greeted Xi Jinping, the leader of China, in his native language when he visited the White House. Xi was so impressed he invited her to accompany her grandfather to China on his official visit. The descriptions of meetings with leaders in the Middle East and the elaborate banquets of exotic food gave a glimpse into experiences most of us will never have. Kushner and his team went to extraordinary lengths to broker peace in the Middle East and make Americans safer in the long game. All writing and reporting carries a bias, and Kushner's writing is no doubt swayed to some extent by the love for his family and his own grueling experience working in Washington, but while reading this book it was clear he was giving us an honest view of what actually went on in the Trump administration, our country, and the world, during his tenure at the White House.