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Publisher's Summary

John Bolton reads the epilogue!

As President Trump’s national security advisor, John Bolton spent many of his 453 days in the room where it happened, and the facts speak for themselves. The result is a White House memoir that is the most comprehensive and substantial account of the Trump Administration and one of the few to date by a top-level official. With almost daily access to the president, John Bolton has produced a precise rendering of his days in and around the Oval Office. What Bolton saw astonished him: a president for whom getting reelected was the only thing that mattered, even if it meant endangering or weakening the nation. 

“I am hard-pressed to identify any significant Trump decision during my tenure that wasn’t driven by reelection calculations,” he writes. In fact, he argues that the House committed impeachment malpractice by keeping their prosecution focused narrowly on Ukraine when Trump’s Ukraine-like transgressions existed across the full range of his foreign policy - and Bolton documents exactly what those were and the attempts by him and others in the administration to raise alarms about them. He shows a president addicted to chaos, who embraced our enemies and spurned our friends, and was deeply suspicious of his own government. In Bolton’s telling, all this helped put Trump on the bizarre road to impeachment. 

“The differences between this presidency and previous ones I had served were stunning,” writes Bolton, who worked for Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43. He discovered a president who thought foreign policy is like closing a real estate deal - about personal relationships, made-for-TV showmanship, and advancing his own interests. As a result, the US lost an opportunity to confront its deepening threats, and in cases like China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea ended up in a more vulnerable place. 

Bolton’s account starts with his long march to the West Wing as Trump and others woo him for the national security job. The minute he lands, he has to deal with Syria’s chemical attack on the city of Douma and the crises after that never stop. As he writes early on, “If you don’t like turmoil, uncertainty, and risk - all the while being constantly overwhelmed with information, decisions to be made, and sheer amount of work - and enlivened by international and domestic personality and ego conflicts beyond description, try something else.” 

The turmoil, conflicts, and egos are all there - from the upheaval in Venezuela, to the erratic and manipulative moves of North Korea’s Kim Jong Un, to the showdowns at the G7 summits, the calculated warmongering by Iran, the crazy plan to bring the Taliban to Camp David, and the placating of an authoritarian China that ultimately exposed the world to its lethal lies. But this seasoned public servant also has a great eye for the Washington inside game, and his story is full of wit and wry humor about how he saw it played. 
©2020 John Bolton (P)2020 Simon & Schuster Audio

What listeners say about The Room Where It Happened

Average Customer Ratings
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    1 out of 5 stars

Cold and reflective of the worst of American politics

This is Bolton trying to leave with his head held high. Bolton’s ego is on full display in revelling over Twitter fights with world leaders, gratuitous mentions of his security detail and slagging off Democrats whenever possible. He finally quits his job when he finds out he might not be able to use military flights to get around anymore. The worst part is his explanation of his refusal to participate in the impeachment by the House. Basically, he says the House didn’t want to seriously investigate but leaves out any explanation or rationale for not trying to help. I’m left believing that Bolton’s moral compass is as reliable as Trump’s decision making. In fact, I don’t recall and statement of self learning or personal growth I would expect to hear from a mature, intelligent person. Imagine going through that much of the world and those issues and not once reflecting that perhaps you learned something? The level of self importance is astonishing. Felt I had to read to form the view first hand but it really left me the impression he is as vacuous as those he purports to take issue with. The Republicans are a snake eating their own tail on this presidency.

13 people found this helpful

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A gloriously tedious review of recent US Politics

The narrative is very specific - so precise - each conversation prefaced with who was involved - what was said - by whom - A decent sprinkle of background to give context. It isn't complementry to the subject, but it isn't ham fisted either. There are lots of scenarios that end up praising some decisions that were made. It is written from the Right point of view. There are opinions that object or agree to other President's actions also. I felt brought into the room on each occasion. The recency of the events is welcome as even COViD-19 is brought into the discussion. Insight into the Media's delivery of news and the reputations of various Networks is also opined routinely. If this was any other topic - the deivery & length would be a bit tedious for my taste. In this book's case - that is absolutely perfect in my opinion.

4 people found this helpful

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Don’t waste your time

This is horrible. Dry, boring and only use I could see is to put you to sleep. I’m returning it.

3 people found this helpful

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Long and tedious

John Bolton is too busy congratulating himself to give us the information we really want which is the truth about Trump and his corruption. Really long and I lost any respect I had for him along the way...

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It was OK

A little self serving. I wish I had his ability to take notes and recall details.

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Bolton washes his hands

If you like a book about blaming everyone and taking zero accountability for any inaction, The Room Where it Happened is the perfect book. John Bolton tells the story of a bunch of politicians passing blame and taking zero accountability, especially him.

I am impressed that Robert Petkoff kept a straight face narrating this book.

1 person found this helpful

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Very credible man.

I came away with great respect for the man although I disagree with his politics

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Not my thing. To dry. Maybe if I followed the presidents closer it would be interesting.

Not much for this kind of political stories rather dry. Not much more to say about it.

1 person found this helpful

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Another political operator making self look good

While it is interesting to hear John Bolton describe the craziness of the Trump White House, it is a bit disappointing that John Bolton takes no real responsibility for his own enabling of the president. It is simply interesting for the moment but hardly a book that will stand the test of time. I am glad I listened to it at the time, but now feel that it may have been a bit of a waste of money - a bit like buying a summer read's paperback that you leave in the toilet when you are constipated.

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Good writing of the facts.

Not really a story. John Bolton just shares what the NSA will allow but still good to see the inner workings of a presidential nightmare.

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  • CriticalEye
  • 2020-06-23

It's a necessary read regardless of your politics

As a life-long Republican, and U.S. Army veteran, I can only say that this book further confirms what I have been trying to deny for quite some time; that is, the situation with the current Executive branch of the U.S. government, and by extension all other branches, is far worse than even I could have imagined.

This is not a read that you want to skim over but instead carefully consider what is said, For those of us who voted for Trump hoping that he would energize true and meaningful change in what had appeared previously as a dysfunctional federal government, well, let's just admit that not all bets pay off as one would hope. This book once and for all puts the nail in that coffin. Believe me folks, it's not easy for a one-time defender to now acknowledge that he's been played for a sucker by a petulant manipulator. I'm angry that my trust has been betrayed.

Red or Blue, consider the implications across every facet of your life and your children's. Forget how you personally feel (rightly or wrongly, informed or not) about Bolton, We need to bite the bullet, roll up our sleeves, and repair the damage that's been done. Bolton's subtext is a story of how we've swung from gridlock to rudderless policy and open corruption. Given the choice between the two evils, I'd take gridlock any day.

There must be an alternative mechanism for U.S. citizens to vet and propose candidates for office. There has to be.

520 people found this helpful

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  • MickeyMarie
  • 2020-06-23

Not worth your time

It only took me 3 chapters to register that this is nothing more than an egotistical rant by a someone who is not honest enough to have testified when his knowledge could have helped the country; but who waited until his words have the potential of making him a lot of money. And he says very little that all of us have already discovered simply by being aware for the past 4 years.

And by the way, I am very suspicious of the first review written by "Anonymous User" who has never written any other reviews.

292 people found this helpful

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  • M. C.
  • 2020-06-23

A love letter from Bolton to Bolton

The bombshells are already all over the news. Don't waste your time. Bolton pats himself on the back at every turn while throwing practically all members of the Trunp and Obama administrations under the bus.

203 people found this helpful

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  • Anonymous User
  • 2020-06-24

Even with Trump - Boltons story is boring

Absolutely love American politics so obviously this book was highly anticipated.
The book is a self-indulgent, sluggish and an elongated read.

It reads much like it was originally written a day by day recantment of what Bolton did in the white house, in bullet point form with some lackluster attempt to flavour it with minimal details unless their personally motivated opinion told as fact.

If you want a boring book from an old warmonger past his time, describing an incompetent administration with false praise for himself - look no further.
2/10 would not bang

148 people found this helpful

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  • Mark H. Allenbaugh
  • 2020-06-23

Important but poorly written

Bolton provides important context to the political crisis of our time: the incompetent, megalomaniac occupying the Oval Office and his small band of sycophants. Nonetheless, Bolton writes like Trump thinks. Well, if Trump could think in complete sentences. Bolton's thoughts are, to borrow a particularly apt phrase of his, an archipelago of dots that the reader is left to connect. Although, not the entire book suffers from this. Apparently some chapters were professionally edited. But others, like the first chapter, read like he simply transcribed his notes. If you have the patience for poor political prose and already have a nuanced understanding of the events Bolton discusses, this may be worth your library. Otherwise, just watch his ABC interview. It covers the highlights coherently.

132 people found this helpful

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  • Nancy K
  • 2020-06-25

Yikes. I'm dying here... please kill me...

Starts out great in the first 2.5 hours. Good. I'm looking forward to new insights. Then it loses speed, digresses...and then it just never comes back. Or maybe it does. After slogging through 10 hours, waiting for something to happen, I just really don't care anymore. (Not that I don’t love long books. Because I listen many hours a day while I work, I thrive on stuff that lasts 40-60 hours, and I rarely use up a credit on anything under 12 hours.)

Truth is, I was conflicted about buying the book in the first place. I wanted to hear Bolton in the impeachment hearings. I did not want to financially reward his reticence. (Or should I say, total lack of honor?) Unfortunately, my curiosity won out. What a huge disappointment, and much ado about nothing. In the reading, Bolton offers only a boring personal diary of his daily activities, monotonously recalling everyone who ever made a phone call, took a plane ride, or was in a meeting. I identify with neither Republicans (who lack hearts) or Democrats (who lack brains) but I do think of myself as a voting member of the Adult party, and one who cares deeply about the trajectory and fate of our nation. Bolton starts out well enough, stirring the pot and adding ingredients, but never gets around to serving dinner. A man shows himself by what he does, and what he does not do. If he set out to indict Trump, he has also indicted himself as just another self-absorbed narcissist. He never blew the whistle when it counted, and now is eager to brag about his do-nothing place in history, along with the other political rogues and sellouts with whom our country is plagued. Boo-hiss.

That being said, the narrator deserves credit. He was ever-inventive with his inflections and flawless in the verbal rendering. He sallied forth, hour after hour, with unflagging determination, as though what he was saying still vaguely interested the reader after 8 chapters, which unfortunately, it did not. But I will not hold back on rating performance stars. Indeed, Robert Petkoff was the ONLY redeeming feature of this book. Good thing narrators are paid by contract, rather than by royalties.

125 people found this helpful

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  • Robert Jason
  • 2020-06-24

Bolton is in love with himself

Lest we forget, or forgive, Bolton's cowardice at refusing to testify because it helped the opposition, his latest book proves Bolton loves only one person-himself. His ego is inflated to mythic proportions. Much like his former boss believes that only he can fix America's problems, Bolton incorrectly believes time and again that he's the smartest person in the room.

There are moments that make you cringe, knowing these people are in charge of the country, but nothing that really hasn't been reported on previously. The fact that slumlord Jared Kushner handles sensitive materials and speaks with foreign leaders even though he doesn't have security clearance is infuriatingly baffling.

This poorly written ego trip proves two things: the White House is a disaster, rivaling Trump University and Trump Casino for the title of the best of the most poorly managed companies by Trump; and that Bolton is an egotistical, self-serving, pompous ass.

The country deserves better than these clowns. That's the takeaway. Save your money and your credit.

The narration is excellent. The material should have been written on toilet paper then appropriately flushed.

79 people found this helpful

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  • D. Martin
  • 2020-06-24

A telling book!

John Bolton’s book is an insiders guide to the chaos that happens almost daily in Trump’s White House. Plus it shows Trump’s inadequacies of asking questions that at the time indicates how fragile Trump’s cognitive abilities really are.
Only negative is that the first couple of hours of the book are fairly dry until the book starts speaking of Bolton’s appointment to NSA. This book is perfect for anyone who has come to the belief that Trump is a habitual liar & incompetent as President of OUR country!

76 people found this helpful

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  • Jb
  • 2020-06-25

Nothing salacious here, just a diary

At 21 hours, it’s about 4 times too long. It’s a memoir of Bolton’s career, and might be sort of a recitation of his diary. I am amazed he did not hurt his elbow patting himself on the back for all his experience. Tedious descriptions of meetings and not very salacious. I really wanted salacious nasty stuff! And there was not much of it. I started skipping around, slept through an hour, listened to maybe 3 hours, and checked the epilogue a little, where he told about the review of the manuscript and whether it was classified. But I'm trading it in because I just couldn't listen to him recite old news. So if you want to hear about John Bolton’s description of some meetings in the oval office, it's a good book for you.

74 people found this helpful

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  • Iassen Donov
  • 2020-06-23

The truth comes out from the biggest war hawk

I always thought Bolton was nuts. As a Republican I thought he was even too war hawk even for my own tastes. But at the end of the day, he is a Republican through and through. Unlike the false prophet posing inside the Oval Office. Bolton's narrative is concise and damning.

74 people found this helpful

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  • Jacqui
  • 2020-07-28

Very interesting

I enjoyed being on the inside and understanding what happened on stories I followed on the news. More dove than hawk nevertheless I was very interested by John Bolton ‘s views. I find him to be an honest broker and I think his tough position on dealing with rogue states is probably right. I am an Obama fan and I would love to hear Obama ‘s thoughts on Mr Bolton’s critics

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  • Ronald
  • 2020-07-11

what I wanted and couldn't get thru

A view of how hard it is to explain to a unqualified President that only knows how to tweet