Being Nixon: A Man Divided

Being Nixon: A Man Divided

The landmark New York Times bestselling biography of Richard M. Nixon, a political savant whose gaping character flaws would drive him from the presidency and forever taint his legacy.Â

â€œA biography of eloquence and breadth . . . No single volume about Nixonâ€™s long and interesting life could be so comprehensive.â€â€”Chicago Tribune

One of Timeâ€™s Top 10 Nonfiction Books of the Year

In this revelatory biography, Evan Thomas delivers a radical, unique portrait of Americaâ€™s thirty-seventh president, Richard Nixon, a contradictory figure who was both determinedly optimistic and tragically flawed. One of the principal architects of the modern Republican Party and its â€œsilent majorityâ€ of disaffected whites and conservative ex-Dixiecrats, Nixon was also deemed a liberal in some quarters for his efforts to desegregate Southern schools, create the Environmental Protection Agency, and end the draft.

The son of devout Quakers, Richard Nixon (not unlike his rival John F. Kennedy) grew up in the shadow of an older, favored brother and thrived on conflict and opposition. Through high school and college, in the navy and in politics, Nixon was constantly leading crusades and fighting off enemies real and imagined. He possessed the plainspoken eloquence to reduce American television audiences to tears with his career-saving â€œCheckersâ€ speech; meanwhile, Nixonâ€™s darker half hatched schemes designed to take down his political foes, earning him the notorious nickname â€œTricky Dick.â€ Drawing on a wide range of historical accounts, Thomasâ€™s biography reveals the contradictions of a leader whose vision and foresight led him to achieve dÃ©tente with the Soviet Union and reestablish relations with communist China, but whose underhanded political tactics tainted his reputation long before the Watergate scandal.

A deeply insightful character study as well as a brilliant political biography, Being Nixon offers a surprising look at a man capable of great bravery and extraordinary deviousnessâ€”a balanced portrait of a president too often reduced to caricature.

Praise for Being Nixon

â€œA biography of eloquence and breadth . . . No single volume about Nixonâ€™s long and interesting life could be so comprehensive.â€â€”Chicago Tribune

â€œTerrifically engaging . . . a fair, insightful and highly entertaining portrait.â€â€”The Wall Street Journal

â€œThomas has a fine eye for the telling quote and the funny vignette, and his style is eminently readable.â€â€”The New York Times Book Review

â€œThomas proves an amiable and fair-minded tour guide.â€â€”The Boston Globe

â€œA measured, concise, and important American biography.â€â€”Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage
Country USA
Manufacturer Random House
Binding Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate 2015-06-16
Format Kindle eBook

Country	USA
Manufacturer	Random House
Binding	Kindle Edition
ReleaseDate	2015-06-16
Format	Kindle eBook

Being Nixon: A Man Divided

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