Image: Ripped-up sand dunes destined to become Trump International Golf Links Scotland’s car park, with temporary clubhouse construction visible behind adune. This area is at the edge of Leyton Cottage, the formerly remote home of Susan and John Munro; February 2011.

"The residents of Menie aren’t celebrities, but they deserve to be known. What started as a personal battle to protect their homes and community came to symbolise a much bigger struggle against a bully who operated in a global playground. Their fight made headlines and they became harder to ignore.

Alicia Bruce’s photographs give that fight longevity. Newspaper headlines pass, but their story is preserved. Mike, Sheila, and Molly Forbes have become part of our national narrative. Their portraits were acquired by the National Galleries of Scotland in 2011 and have been displayed at the Scottish National Portrait Gallery alongside – and with equal importance to – notable Scots including Robert Burns, Annie Lennox, and Mary, Queen of Scots. Future residents of Menie will know how they fought for their corner of the Scottish coast.

And this is a form of protest. A quiet, dignified act of rebellion. Because Trump is proud of his Scottish heritage, that his mother came from the Isle of Lewis. Instead of a glorious entrance into the nation’s collective memory as president of the United States and successful business tycoon, his mark on Scotland is remembered by his poor treatment of its citizens and the destruction of its unique landscape. The motherland won’t forget.

And now there is this book. More than ten years have passed since Alicia Bruce first met the residents of Menie, and in that time Trump has risen to president of the United States and crashed back down again. Millions of people have been affected by his whims. Many more communities have suffered. The defiance of a small Scottish community has a greater resonance now than we could ever have imagined. A taste of what was to come – a warning sign to America. This book is a permanent record of Menie’s part in raising the alarm.”

“Mike and his wife Sheila’s confrontational portrait breaks the mould. In contrast to the others in this series, theirs ‘trips up Trump’ on his home ground through an appropriation of an oft-parodied American painting in an American collection. This choice offers a witty riposte to the personal remarks made about the Forbes family property. In American Gothic, Grant Wood imaginatively depicts an austere colonial couple posed outside their Gothic Revival house. The artist seems to challenge the idyllic scenes of rural agriculture of the period by introducing a more sombre social commentary. Bruce’s portrait of Mike and Sheila is also importantly set outside their home, Mill of Menie – the one they will not, and should not, ever be forced to leave.”

Dr Catriona McAra, University of Aberdeen

Inspiration for the books title comes from 'I Burn But Am Not Consumed', a song by Karine Polwart written in protest of Donald Trumps inauguration. 

“This is your apprenticeship:

The Gulf Stream doesn’t know your name,

nor does the splendid, blazing sun

that alters how the currents run.

The North Wind never heard you roar:

You’re fired! You’re fired!

My back might burn, and the blaze run wild,

but I am not consumed, my child.”

From song: ‘I Burn But I Am Not Consumed’ by Karine Polwart 

Alicia Bruce

Alicia Bruce is an award-winning working-class photographer, community  collaborator, educator, and activist based in Scotland. Her  photography sits between documentary and staged imagery focusing  on communities, environments, and human rights. Alicia’s photographs  are held in several public collections including the National  Galleries of Scotland, the University of St Andrews, the Royal Scottish  Academy, and the UK Parliament. She is a teaching fellow and tutor  at Edinburgh College of Art, The University of Edinburgh. In 2014  Alicia received the prestigious Royal Scottish Academy Morton Award.  In 2023 she appeared in the BBC documentary The Women Who  Changed Modern Scotland.  Alicia is also a member of Women Photograph.  

Louise Pearson

Louise Pearson is a curator of photography at the National  Galleries of Scotland. She was recently awarded an Art Fund  grant to increase diversity in the National Galleries of Scotland  photography collection. Louise has previously held positions at  the Smithsonian, the Royal Collection Trust, and the National  Library of Scotland.  https://www.nationalgalleries.org/ 

Karine Polwart

Karine Polwart is a multi-award winning Scottish songwriter and musician, as well as theater-maker, storyteller, spoken-word performer and author.