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  • Unthinkable

  • Trauma, Truth, and the Trials of American Democracy
  • By: Jamie Raskin
  • Narrated by: Jamie Raskin
  • Length: 15 hrs and 8 mins
  • 4.9 out of 5 stars (25 ratings)

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Unthinkable

By: Jamie Raskin
Narrated by: Jamie Raskin
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Publisher's Summary

A #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER.

In this searing memoir, Congressman Jamie Raskin tells the story of the forty-five days at the start of 2021 that permanently changed his life—and his family’s—as he confronted the painful loss of his son to suicide, lived through the violent insurrection in our nation’s Capitol, and led the impeachment effort to hold President Trump accountable for inciting the political violence.

On December 31, 2020, Tommy Raskin, the only son of Maryland Congressman Jamie Raskin, tragically took his own life after a long struggle with depression. Seven days later on January 6, Congressman Raskin returned to Congress to help certify the 2020 Presidential election results, when violent insurrectionists led by right wing extremist groups stormed the U.S. Capitol hoping to hand four more years of power to President Donald Trump. As our reeling nation mourned the deaths of numerous people and lamented the injuries of more than 140 police officers hurt in the attack, Congressman Raskin, a Constitutional law professor, was called upon to put aside his overwhelming grief—both personal and professional—and lead the impeachment effort against President Trump for inciting the violence. Together this nine-member team of House impeachment managers riveted a nation still in anguish, putting on an unprecedented Senate trial that produced the most bipartisan Presidential impeachment vote in American history.

Now for the first time, Congressman Raskin discusses this unimaginable convergence of personal and public trauma, detailing how the painful loss of his son and the power of Tommy’s convictions fueled the Congressman’s work in the aftermath of modern democracy’s darkest day. Going inside Congress on January 6, he recounts the horror of that day, a day that he and other Democrats had spent months preparing for under the correct assumption that they would encounter an attempted electoral coup—not against a President but for one. And yet, on January 6, he faced the one thing he had failed to anticipate: mass political violence designed to block Biden’s election. With an inside account of leading the team prosecuting President Trump in the Senate, Congressman Raskin shares never before told stories of just how close we came to losing our democracy that fateful day and lays out the methodical prosecution that convinced Democrats and Republicans alike of Trump’s responsibility for inciting insurrectionary violence against our government.

Through it all, he reckons with the loss of his brilliant, remarkable son, a Harvard Law student whose values and memory continually inspired the Congressman to confront the dark impulses unleashed by Donald Trump. At turns, a moving story of a father coping with his pain and a revealing examination of holding President Trump accountable for the violence he fomented, this book is a vital reminder of the ongoing struggle for the soul of American democracy and the perseverance that our Constitution demands from us all.

©2022 Jamie Raskin (P)2022 HarperCollins Publishers

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  • 10-01-2022

insightful

at once a deeply moving story of a man's love for his son and dealing with profound grief + how he deals with a profoundly dysfunctional political leadership.... a deeply humane book

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Moving & masterful, a tribute to justice & love.

There's something reassuring in hearing about the insurrection & subsequent impeachment trial from someone who was not only there but who was a chief architect of bringing democratic justice to the most shocking episode of modern American history. Jamie Raskin, himself bruised & battered by the loss of his only son only days before the riot, weaves a suspenseful, meticulous & deeply personal narrative that draws the listener into the nightmare. I was riveted & moved by the telling as well as impressed with his structure & eloquence. It was like being invited to a series of dinners with the author. I feel privileged to have heard his story.

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Stunningly moving blend of politics and love

Jamie Raskin has written a book from deep within his heart and mind. The horrors of the 2020 insurrection are beautifully blended with the tragic loss of his remarkable son Tommy. I was moved, enthralled and deeply affected by this extraordinary book. Raskin’s courageous generosity in sharing the intimacy of his life experience is something for which I am truly thankful.

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Unthinkable

Thank you Jamie 💕
A wonderful account of Jan 6 th but also a moving tribute to your brilliant son
Gut wrenching to hear the battle he fought, but essential reading for those who have lost a loved one to mental illness.
My understanding is so much clearer now and resolved so many questions
BTW hope you’re getting over Covid quickly
Nobody deserves this awful disease 🦠 🤗

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A love letter to his country and to his son

This beautiful book is a love letter to his and to his son. I loved it.

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