The President is Missing – James Patterson & Bill Clinton

by Bill Clinton & James Patterson, pub. 2018, pp. 513

 

What I learned from this book

I learned that there are still some horrifying events that can and may occur in our country at any moment in time.  We tend to consume ourselves with ourselves (selfies, smartphones, reality television, etc.).  What we may not do enough of is pay attention to some of the things that threaten to take all of the fun away from us – permanently. One example of this type of catastrophe (spoiler alert #1) is the one examined in the book – the purposeful contamination of a virus meant to cause a complete and total shutdown of all of the things we take for granted but need each day: clean running water supply, electricity from the grid, internet access – as well as too many other conveniences to mention.

In other words, we may find value in gluing ourselves to every personal experience, but none of it will mean anything without continued access to the things we actually need in order to exist each day. This novel could be looked at as a wake-up call for many of us in America.

Most of us think we’re wide awake, but, in fact, we are mostly “asleep at the wheel” when it comes to the prospects of a true, wide-scale crisis.  I suppose it remains to be seen how serious we can ever get about this or any other type of wake-up call.

What I liked about this book

I thought the mention of this book being “fiction” was the most interesting.  I suppose this is so because so much of what the book is about either has, can, is, or may occur in our actual “non-fiction” America.  I imagine this is the beauty of collaboration between arguably one of our best fiction writers and arguably one of our actual former sitting U.S. presidents.

It would be easy to believe that this is all just fun and games – until we examine our current state of global affairs and recognize the looming possibilities all around us.  No, we haven’t yet had (spoiler alert #2 of 2) a sitting president disappear – nor a vice president arrested for espionage – but we have had some interesting events that, if they ever occurred, could end up threatening and/ or ending American democracy as we know it. Only time will tell…

What I disliked about this book

There was very little to dislike about this novel – except for the fact that it appeared to be a much more substantial read (in time and length) than it actually was.  For me, a 500+ pager is usually a pretty “big bite to chew on,” but it read more like a 275-er.  Again, there is nothing to dislike.  I budgeted extra time to read it, but as it turns out, I’m going to need to rush to locate the next one much faster than expected.

Whom would I recommend to read this book

I would recommend this book to anyone (of any age) who wants both a political thrill and a chill simultaneously. Whoever avoids political books due to boredom issues won’t be able to say so after reading this one.  There is a good reason why it has shot up to the top of the best seller list.

Any thoughts?

-A.N.