Get It Together: Troubling Tales from the Liberal Fringe
Jesse Watters
Broadside Books / HarperCollins
To some, he’s a confident communicator. To others, he’s a notorious tool. Love him or loathe him, you always know exactly what to expect from him. Whether as a commentator, interviewer, or author, Jesse Watters always delivers a product with P.F. Chang’s-like consistency. And for those who crave that zesty crunch, P.F.’s lettuce wraps are pretty freaking tasty.
In his bestselling 2021 memoir, How I Saved the World, Watters shared his personal story in typical razor-sharp, conversational style. However, with his latest, Get It Together, the multi-media golden boy and host of the top-rated nightly FOX News program Jesse Watters Primetime drives the narrative through the stories of others.
Each chapter is a transcribed interview between Watters and one of nearly two dozen members of what’s described as the “Liberal Fringe,” all owning perspectives that are in stark contrast to his personal conservative brand. As he points outs out early on, these are simply conversations, not debates. Despite serving up ample slices of signature snark, Watters, for the most part, just listens.
Get It Together provides significant payoff, in that it shows how it is possible to have open, honest conversations with people who possess opposing, sometimes even seemingly radical viewpoints, proving that sometimes we might have more in common with each other than we realize. In fact, Watters himself confesses to actually liking some of the out-of-the-mainstream Americans he interviews here. “Stereotypes have exceptions,” he admits.
According to Watters, “Too many Americans are blaming everyone else for their problems.” Along the way, he makes an interesting discovery: “maverick ideology” is less a result of current culture and based more on personal struggles, past trauma — physical and emotional abuse.
Occasionally, some of the attendees at Watters’ lil’ modern-day soiree can sound a smidge logical — from the university professor with broad ideas regarding open borders to the unhinged, privileged White-chick BLM activist, to the bouncy blond anti-work inactivist and even the committed vegan couple with commitment issues, the bearded drag queen, and the bi-sexual, transgender, crime-solving wolf identifier. However, one of the least welcomed guests might be “Steven,” the attorney who defends his defense of degenerates in the book’s longest and most troubling chapter, “The Pedophile Explainer.”
As a fella with a purple-painted soul, I realized long ago that if I was going to allow my personal compass to dictate what content I’d even consider consuming, I was likely going to miss out on a good bit of compelling art. And in the process, I might also miss out on some potential relationships with interesting people and hearing their fascinating stories. As a result, I could appreciate aspects of various perspectives presented in Get It Together. And thanks to Watters, I also was reminded that P.F.’s lettuce wraps are tasty A.F.
