Zengerle provides an account of Carlson’s metamorphosis that is mordant, insightful, vigorously reported and, yes, deliciously entertaining ... As much a work of media criticism as it is a professional biography of Carlson, and Zengerle chronicles how first television, then the internet started to reward extremes, privileging provocation and punditry over somber fact-finding.
Breezy, entertaining and ultimately disquieting ... Along the way, his darkest impulses are nurtured and fanned by a rapidly evolving media landscape. Character meets technology, one might summarize.
The book focuses on Carlson’s adult career in TV news, though it does contain some fascinating biography about his early life ... Zengerle uncovers new detail and depth ... While Zengerle dissects Carlson’s media career with a shrewd scalpel, we learn less about him as a person ... Zengerle’s smart, well-written, and well-reported book also leaves unanswered three big questions. Unfortunately, these are also the most burning ones: why exactly was Carlson fired from Fox, in 2023, at the peak of his power? Will he run for president? And how earnestly does he hold his increasingly out-there views?
Timely, informative and highly readable ... The account Zengerle provides is essential to understanding the radicalisation of the American right from the first Trump administration to the second.
A compelling story ... Labored forays into psychological portent are a sign not only that Zengerle wasn’t able to land Carlson’s cooperation for his biography, but also that Carlson’s life story isn’t long on inner turmoil. Its psychodynamics are all on the surface.
