Gore Vidal was an isolationist as well as a liberal so it would be interesting what he would make of President Trump. As far as I know he never wrote about Donald Trump the Manhattan real estate developer. His writing about White Water, Ken Starr and Monica Lewinsky is predictable and can probably be skipped. Vidal was a name dropper and obsessed with celebrity, in my opinion, and I like him best when he in that mode especially when the subject is other writers, not necessarily his contemporaries and he reticulates through obscure primary material, not easily accessible to the general public, and arrives at novel conclusions about those celebrities and writers. ( )

I underlined so much in this book I wish I could memorize the entire thing. ( )

Certainly Gore Vidal lives up to his reputation as being a talented, energetic and knowledgeable writer. But I found that his perception of the United States -- and in politics and history generally -- insinuates that the greatness of America, its Presidents and politicians and its purpose as a global leader aren't to be given much acclaim. Gore Vidal writes from a very critical viewpoint of the American experience and its place in the world. He seems to despise the presidency of Harry Truman and easily passes-over the contributions of such men as George Marshall, Henry Kissinger, and Franklin Roosevelt. No history is perfect and when it comes to politics and leaders, all of them can be blamed for some "bad" choice. Vidal's writings were interesting and entertaining. It's just that he seems to focus on the errors and hindsight perspective to downplay the event or person. ( )

Worth reading for the essay on John Updike. No love between the 2 Titans. And as you can imagine Mr. Vidal pulls no punches. Just too bad that J.U. isn't around anymore to add fuel to the fire. I've learned much from both sides. They are the real thing, of this you can be certain. ( )