Being Nixon A Man Divided
Being Nixon A Man Divided by Evan Thomas is a comprehensive biography published by Random House Publishing Group on March 8, 2016. This 640-page reprint offers a detailed exploration of Richard M. Nixon, the thirty-seventh president of the United States, highlighting his complex character and political career. The book presents a nuanced portrait of Nixon, examining his role as a key figure in the modern Republican Party and his efforts in various social and environmental initiatives, alongside the contradictions that marked his presidency.
Readers will find a thorough analysis of Nixon’s life, from his upbringing in a Quaker family to his political maneuvers that earned him both praise and infamy. The biography delves into his achievements, such as establishing relations with China and détente with the Soviet Union, while also addressing the darker aspects of his political strategies that led to his controversial legacy. With a focus on biography and political science, this work provides insights into the complexities of American governance and the historical context of the 20th century.
Official synopsis Publisher
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.
“A biography of eloquence and breadth . . . No single volume about Nixon’s long and interesting life could be so comprehensive.”—Chicago Tribune
One of Time’s Top 10 Nonfiction Books of the Year
In this revelatory biography, Evan Thomas delivers a radical, unique portrait of America’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 “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.
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 “Checkers” speech; meanwhile, Nixon’s 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’s biography reveals the contradictions of a leader whose vision and foresight led him to achieve détente 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 deviousness—a balanced portrait of a president too often reduced to caricature.
Praise for Being Nixon
“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
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