First published 2021
Alexander Vindman tells his story as the whistleblower who exposed President Trump's July 25, 2019 phone call with Ukraine's President Zelensky. The retired Army Lieutenant Colonel reveals how his immigrant upbringing shaped his sense of duty when he heard Trump pressure a foreign leader to investigate a political rival. Vindman traces his journey from childhood in New York City as a Soviet refugee to his military career and White House service. He describes the impossible choice he faced after witnessing what he considered presidential abuse of power. His decision to report the call through proper channels triggered Trump's impeachment but destroyed his Army career. The Trump administration retaliated against him while partisan attacks questioned his loyalty. Vindman shows how his father's lessons about American values and his military oath compelled him to act despite knowing the personal cost. This memoir captures one man's struggle between self-preservation and conscience in a moment that tested American institutions.
Genres: politics, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: conscience-vs-self-preservation, institutional-corruption
Setting: New York City, Ukraine
Period: 2019
256 pages · Hardcover · Harper
Content warnings: abuse