About the Book New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns show how both our political parties confronted a series of national traumas, including the coronavirus pandemic, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and the political brinksmanship of President Bidens first year in the White House. From Donald Trumps assault on the 2020 election and his ongoing campaign of vengeance against his fellow Republicans, to the behind-the-scenes story of Bidens selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate and his bitter struggles to unite the Democratic Party, this book exposes the degree to which the two-party system has been strained to the point of disintegration--Publisher marketing. Book Synopsis The shocking, definitive account of the 2020 election and the first year of the Biden presidency by two New York Times reporters, exposing the deep fissures within both parties as the country approaches a political breaking point. This is the authoritative account of an eighteen-month crisis in American democracy that will be seared into the countrys political memory for decades to come. With stunning, in-the-room detail, New York Times reporters Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns show how both our political parties confronted a series of national traumas, including the coronavirus pandemic, the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and the political brinksmanship of President Bidens first year in the White House. From Donald Trumps assault on the 2020 election and his ongoing campaign of vengeance against his fellow Republicans, to the behind-the-scenes story of Bidens selection of Kamala Harris as his running mate and his bitter struggles to unite the Democratic Party, this book exposes the degree to which the two-party system has been strained to the point of disintegration. More than at any time in recent history, the long-established traditions and institutions of American politics are under siege as a set of aging political leaders struggle to hold together a changing country. Martin and Burns break news on most every page, drawing on hundreds of interviews and never-before-seen documents and recordings from the highest levels of government. The book asks the vitally important (and disturbing) question: can American democracy, as we know it, ever work again? Review Quotes A blockbuster. Jonathan Martin and Alexander Burns deliver 473 pages of essential reading. -- The Guardian Martin and Burns have chronicled a tumultuous time with precision and scope and their tireless reporting unearths revealing new details. Their wide-angle lens reminds us how much was-- and remains-- at stake. Masterful ! -- George Stephanopoulos, ABC News anchor What an account of these extraordinary times. Martin and Burns deliver reporting from deep inside both parties with fresh facts and new details on nearly every page about a political system pushed to the brink. When future historians chronicle this time of crisis they will turn to this book as a deeply valuable account of our all too human leaders. -- Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal This is an enthralling and at times frightening account that weaves together the Trump implosion and the roller coaster ride of Bidens first year. Deeply reported, it combines amazing inside scoops with a fine feel for the historic forces that have roiled our times. By helping us understand what happened, it provides insight about where we are heading. -- Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Code Breaker Alex Burns and Jonathan Martin are two of our best sourced, most insightful and honest chroniclers of American politics . Their book takes us not only through those harrowing final days of the Trump-era but is the first to deeply explore the central tension of President Bidens presidency thus far: that of a man who is trying to balance national reconciliation with his aspiration to craft a presidency of grand and lasting impact. The writing, full of luscious details and newsy nuggets, allows the reader an in the room where it happened experience. -- Amy Walter, Publisher & Editor-in-Chief, The Cook Political Report with Amy Walter Red meat for politics watchers, unsparing in its depiction of a time of torment. -- KIRKUS REVIEWS (starred review) About the Author Jonathan Martin is a national political correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for CNN. He joined the Times in 2013 after working as a senior political writer for POLITICO . His work has been featured in The New Republic , The Washington Post , and The Wall Street Journal , among others. A native of Arlington, Virginia, Martin is a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College. Alexander Burns is a national political correspondent for The New York Times and a political analyst for CNN. He joined the Times in 2015 after working as a reporter and editor at POLITICO. Born and raised in New York City, Burns is a graduate of Harvard College, where he edited the Harvard Political Review .