Who Is Jeb!!!—Patrick M. Andendall
A short note about this review: I read Patrick M. Andendall’s Stupidparty Land series in the wrong order. I started with the third, Deliverance. Then I went around to the first, Math v. Myth, and I have now completed the set with Who Is Jeb!!!
The three volumes paint a panoramic picture of the fall of the Republican party and its consequences over the last thirty-ish years. Each book focuses on a different reason for the fall or subsequent outcomes.
Who Is Jeb!!!: John Ellis ‘Jeb’ Bush and his Horrendously Horrible Histories zooms in on the birth of the Stupidparty. Andendall speaks not only about Jeb Bush himself, but also the dynasty from which he comes. The focus is on Jeb rather than George Sr. or George Jr. to make the point that Jeb does not have his own thoughts, views, or values outside of the family dogma. He is nothing more than a pawn. As such, he is the perfect showcase for the values the family espouses.
Throughout, Andendall points out Jeb Bush’s “personal” stance on various issues. He colors Jeb as a mindless follower, a puppet for the Bush family. But the author makes it clear how dangerous this puppet is to the American people. The book goes into Jeb’s underhanded business dealings and his dangerous incompetence as governor of Florida during his brother’s presidency. It talks about Jeb’s pseudo-Christian views and pompous opinions. It speaks to what his silver spoon-fed existence would mean for foreign policy and the rights of women, immigrants, and so many more.
But (somehow) more frightening than that, the book goes into the history of the Bush dynasty. It exposes well-documented but little-known connections to the Nazi party. We delve into the family’s allegiance to the infamous Skull and Bones Society of Yale University, that secret league of the elite. It exposes Bush Sr.’s involvement in the CIA, John F. Kennedy’s assassination, and Nixon and the Watergate scandal. Using Jeb as a lens, Andendall paints a portrait of a family legacy that has almost singlehandedly steered America for over one hundred years. And they’ve herded us right into their duplicitous web of deception to our own destruction.
Who Is Jeb!!! is well-edited and proofed in comparison to the other two books. It has nowhere near the amount of missing punctuation or incorrect formatting. For me, that pushes Who Is Jeb!!! into the top spot of the three. It is the most cohesive. Unlike the other two, it is not crammed with clickable links. There are highlighted citations, but they don’t go anywhere in my Kindle edition. That was too bad. I was accustomed to being able to fact-check, however briefly. Maybe that’s just an error with the eBook? Based on the two other works, I trust Andendall to source his material diligently. Jeb!!! contains less repeated material than the others. There was, however, an appendix or two that are also in the other books, which is a more reasonable way to repeat critical information. As a bonus, there were appendices on several subjects that give fascinating and valuable background information in Who Is Jeb!!! without cramping the narrative. I appreciated the Skull and Bones history, personally.
As a middle book, Who Is Jeb!!! does an excellent job bridging the first and third. Andendall’s lyrical style shows that he is well-read and intellectual. His writing is smooth and generally easy to follow, particularly in “Who Is Jeb!!!”
I look forward to more work from Patrick M. Andendall, hopefully covering the inevitable fall of the Stupidparty.
You can read Patrick M. Andendall Who Is Jeb!!! and the other books in the Stupidparty series on both Kindle and paperback.
Until next time,
Jenna
Jenna Justice is a fiction editor and proofreader for independent authors. She specializes in middle-grade and young adult fiction, with an emphasis on fantasy, sci-fi, and magical realism.
Visit Jenna’s website at Justice Serves Proofreading, and say hi on Twitter at @justice_proofs.