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
