Today I have a mini review about THE PROJECT by David A. Graham. It’s a 160-page summary about Project 2025. I definitely recommend this to everyone so you can better understand how this project is trying to permanently reshape the U.S.
Author: David A. Graham
Series: None
Age Category: Adult
Publisher: Random House Trade Paperbacks
Publish Date: April 22, 2025
Print Length: 160
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The Project Synopsis
Synopsis
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • An urgent, topic-by-topic guide to Project 2025, with everything you need to know about how the second Trump administration is remaking America—from a go-to authority at The Atlantic
When President Donald Trump returned to the White House in January 2025, news spread about his implementation of Project 2025, a nearly 1,000-page document published by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation. The debates—and anxiety—surrounding this initiative have only increased as authors of the Project assume positions of power in the second Trump administration.
So, what is Project 2025, exactly? Who wrote it, and what does it mean for everyday Americans, across the political spectrum, now and in the years to come?
In The Project, award-winning journalist David A. Graham offers much-needed context and distills the essential elements of this sprawling document. Breaking down the Project’s strategy for transforming—and radically empowering—the executive branch, Graham then explains what the architects behind Project 2025 are doing with that power: enforcing traditional gender norms, decimating the civil service, performing mass deportations, reducing corporate regulation and worker protections, and more.
Project 2025 is the intellectual blueprint for the new administration, Graham argues, and its tenets should not be legible only to policy wonks. Authoritative yet highly accessible, The Project demystifies it for those whose lives it will affect most.
The Project Review
I didn’t plan on writing a review of THE PROJECT by David A. Graham. However, I decided I wanted to bring some awareness to this “pocket-sized” Project 2025. Since those of us in the U.S. are currently living and breathing this hell, I’ll keep this review short.
Suffice it to say, if you’re like me and don’t want or have the time to read the original 1,000-page Project 2025, Graham breaks it down into 160 pages of highlights. (For those not in the know, Project 2025 is the Christian nationalist playbook for this current presidential administration.) Those topics cover gender, family, and rights; immigration and border security; economy and trade; environment and energy; and foreign policy and defense. Graham summarizes everything in a way that’s pretty accessible. I’ve read other books by journalists whose sentences feel paragraphs long and really ramp up the advanced vocabulary. Thankfully, Graham doesn’t do this. However, at the end of each chapter a succinct bullet list summarizing things even further would’ve been nice for the lay person.
All this to say, if you want a better understanding of what Project 2025 is, pick up this book. After the introduction, each chapter is about 20 pages long, so spend a day on each one. It’s not “fun” to read, so reading it in short chunks is a good approach. I think this is important reading, even though some things have come to pass already.
Rating: 4
Reading format: Paperback
This sounds so depressing to me, although I know awareness is important, I’m not sure I could stomach it. But it’s nice to have a shorter version that lays everything out and is easy to read. I’m sure the original is horribly written!
You’re right that it’s depressing! I’m not often in the “mood” to read political books such as this, so when that mood strikes I have to take advantage of it.
Adding to tbr
Just borrowed the audio book on Libby.
Excellent!