Dealing with the Devil: My Mother, Trump, and Me

Summary

Why are we the way we are? Who can we become? What stands in our way?

In Dealing with the Devil, Tony Schwartz investigates these sweeping questions by fiercely reckoning with his own life choices, regrets, and aspirations. He confronts the shame that arose after he helped craft a persona for Donald Trump in The Art of the Deal that 30 years later aided in his election as president. He provides a window into understanding our complicated relationship with Trump, and the Trump in each of us. Finally, Schwartz explores how the experience of writing The Art of the Deal prompted him to take an entirely different path in his life.

This path led Schwartz to a lifelong exploration of the factors that shape our beliefs and identity, the influence of our early caregivers, and the ways that we can heal and grow by accepting and acknowledging both the best and the worst in ourselves. Schwartz's story is defined not by his time with Trump, but rather by his lifelong quest to become a better human being - as a husband, a father, a grandfather and as the CEO of a company devoted to helping others more skillfully and wisely manage their lives.