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Being Nixon
Being Nixon: A Man Divided | Evan Thomas
4 posts | 4 read | 3 to read
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST NONFICTION BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY TIME AND ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH What was it really like to be Richard Nixon? Evan Thomas tackles this fascinating question by peeling back the layers of a man driven by a poignant mix of optimism and fear.Walter Isaacson, author of Steve Jobs Evan Thomas delivers the best single-volume biography of Richard Nixon to date, a radical, unique portrait of a complicated figure who was both determinedly optimistic and tragically flawed. The New York Times bestselling author of Ikes Bluff and Sea of Thunder, Thomas brings new life to one of American historys most infamous, paradoxical, and enigmatic politicians, dispensing with myths to achieve an intimate and nuanced look at the actual man. What drove a painfully shy outcast in elite Washington societya man so self-conscious he refused to make eye contact during meetingsto pursue power and public office? How did a president so attuned to the American political id that he won reelection in a historic landslide lack the self-awareness to recognize the gaping character flaws that would drive him from office and forever taint his legacy? In Being Nixon, Evan Thomas peels away the layers of the complex, confounding figure who became Americas thirty-seventh president. 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, he was constantly leading crusades and fighting off enemies real and imagined. As maudlin as he was Machiavellian, Nixon possessed the plainspoken eloquence to reduce American television audiences to tears with his career-saving Checkers speech; meanwhile, his darker half hatched schemes designed to take down his political foes, earning him the notorious nickname Tricky Dick. Drawing on a wide range of historical accounts, Thomas reveals the contradictions of a leader whose vision and foresight led him to achieve dtente with the Soviet Union and reestablish relations with communist China, but whose underhanded political tactics tainted his reputation long before the Watergate scandal. One of the principal architects of the modern Republican Party and its silent majority 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. 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 deviousnessa balanced portrait of a president too often reduced to caricature. Praise for Being Nixon A biography of eloquence and breadth . . . No single volume about Nixons long and interesting life could be so comprehensive.Chicago Tribune Terrifically engaging . . . a fair, insightful and highly entertaining portrait.The Wall Street Journal Thomas has a fine eye for the telling quote and the funny vignette, and his style is eminently readable.The New York Times Book Review Thomas proves an amiable and fair-minded tour guide.The Boston Globe A measured, concise, and important American biography.Michael Beschloss, author of Presidential Courage From the Hardcover edition.
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Kristy_K
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Thomas does a great job of laying out the life &presidency of Richard Nixon in a way that is informative &engaging. I wasn't born during the Nixon era, but I was too old for it to have been taught in school when I went, so my knowledge of Nixon was admittedly narrow. After reading this, I find myself fascinated by his character &time as president. I believe there is no apter a description than what Thomas uses: Nixon was indeed a man divided. 4⭐️s

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IamIamIam
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See? I wasn't making it up... Checkers Nixon's tombstone in our local pet cemetary. 💜 My husband's family pets, whom I knew, rest here as well.

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laurieluna
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1. Yes! #ookbookclub #cobabbuddyread and #catcherinthereadalong
2. I want to change my surname to my partners. It's such an unusual one so we gave it to the boys and now I'm the odd one out. He'd be Richard Nixon if he took mine 😂 My maiden name was given to me by a man, my dad so I'm not fussed about keeping it.
3. Loving Black Stone Cherry's new one but only heard it on the radio so can't remember the name!
#trivialthursday @GarthRanzz

GarthRanzz Going to have to look up the song because I don‘t think I knew there was a new single out! 6y
laurieluna @GarthRanzz https://youtu.be/x0RV0kgdqJU and ow I've just been reminded of this that I also keep listening to. A metal cover of Sultans of Swing. 👌 6y
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GarthRanzz Love both of those! Thank you for the links! 6y
laurieluna @GarthRanzz no bother! Leo's covers are amazing! 6y
GarthRanzz Totally just subscribed to his channel. 😊 6y
67 likes6 comments
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Julsmarshall
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Anyone listening to this podcast about Watergate? Fascinating!

Itchyfeetreader Yes!polished off the season in a day and a half! I found it fascinating and have been recommending all over! 6y
ReadingSusan It‘s so good! The next season is going to be about Bill Clinton. 6y
42 likes2 comments