Emdad Rahman
In a nutshell Fake News: Strange historical facts re-imagined
in the world of Donald Trump, is lampooning of Olympic Gold standards by
witty Newham based Author David Hutter.
The short digest by the 38 year old begins with a disclaimer
warning that there is no suggestion that the fictional elements of this book –
that is, anything other than the “What really happened” sections are based on
the actual behaviour of the persons mentioned therein.
Hutter’s satire focusses on the Donald’s attitude
towards North Korea and assorted sycophants from both sides of the pond. The
work describes imaginary scenes of what it might be like if the 45th President
of the United States of America was involved in obscure historical events such
as the military standoff between France and Brazil over whether spiny lobsters
are fish or not.
Events are described at the end of each chapter, with online
and book sources provided in case the reader wishes to find out more about
them.
Hutter had the idea for the book when he and his wife and
went on holiday to China during the summer.
He said: “At the time, I'd just finished writing and
editing my first novel, a satire about hipsters, and I'd put it away for a
couple of months to go over it one last time with fresh eyes. But while we were
away, I read a book on British colonialism in China, and I imagined
Theresa May acting like British politicians did in the 19th century. It struck
me that re-imagining historical events with present-day politicians as the
protagonists is actually a great way to convey the magnitude of
terrible incidents that happened so long ago it can be difficult to
really emotionally connect with them.
“And since any politics-related train of thought
invariably leads to Donald Trump right now, I developed my initial
idea and decided that by focusing on offbeat and amusing historical events
instead of serious ones, I could turn this into a satire about the Donald.”
The parody commences at 4.15 am on the January
morning after his inauguration day as the new president plots to become the
most famous POTUS ever. Thereupon America’s chosen one embarks on replacing the
Lincoln Memorial with his own on D Day and declaring all out war on North Korea
via Twitter.
Based on those triumphs there’s the changing of the number
of days in a week from 7 to 12 to make America great again on the premise that
if there are 12 inches in a foot, so why not 12 weekdays.
As such a move as explained to Sean Spicer would “be great
for the economy because people will have to work twice as many days to have a weekend
off, so we’ll double our productivity.”
There’s mention of exchanges with old friend, and current
foe Alex Salmond over matters related to gold and of course Scottish
independence. Other facts the story is based on – which include a rabbit
attack, the accidental loss of nuclear bombs and the ceremonial burial of
Presidential body parts – are described at the end of each chapter.
With fictional Donald Trump anecdotes that
are based on the mess created by some of history’s greatest megalomaniacs and
worst decision makers, this satire offers the small consolation that while
things are bad right now, the world has been here before.
After reading this side splitting spoof I would certainly
recommend it to readers of all persuasions. The potent mix of hearty satire
blended with vigorous and seriously witty political reflection will provide
readers with an unconventional chuckle whilst at the same time highlighting our
very real current state of affairs.
After all the power of ridicule is a powerful tool to
highlight our collective human deficiencies.
Hutter agrees: “I guess that just reflects my outlook on
life, as pretty much all of my writing is satirical. And with Donald Trump,
satire is just a natural fit.”
Fake News: Strange historical facts re-imagined in the world
of Donald Trump can be purchased on Kindle for £3.80 or paperback at
£5.70 from Amazon.
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