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galaxybanjo's review
5.0
A deeply thought-provoking analysis on one of the most complicated and esoteric presidents in modern history. Being Nixon: A Man Divided is arguably not so much a full-fledged biography as it is a hybrid biography/character study on the 37th President of the United States. Evan Thomas takes on the titanic task of attempting a deep dive on Nixon the human being, and contextualizing his greatly flawed presidency. The story is largely one of tragedy, and anyone who picks up this book will likely already know that things don't end well for Nixon, but for perhaps the first time, I feel that I at least partially understand him. To say that I sympathize with him may be going a tad too far, but I can now confidently say that my take on Nixon's presidency and the Watergate scandal goes much deeper than a simple "well, he was just kind of a weirdo." As the book focuses mostly on Nixon's presidency, and the chapters covering his vice presidency, time in congress, etc. feel somewhat rushed and bereft of detail, I would hesitate to recommend this as someone's first Nixon biography, but it is an excellent read for someone who already knows a thing or two about Nixon, and wants to take their knowledge to the next level.
alexrobinsonsupergenius's review
4.0
The author blames liberals/free press and absolves conservatives throughout but this is a well-written, sympathetic bio of The Tricky One.
davidsteinsaltz's review
4.0
Powerfully makes the case for a tragic Nixon -- a man of enormous intellectual gifts that could have served his country well, well-intentioned but undone by his flawed character. Not entirely convincing -- at times I felt like I was watching a magic show, where my attention was being distracted from the real malfeasance -- but a useful corrective to the one-dimensional reduction of the man to Watergate.
yreg's review
4.0
A great book that really gives you a feel of how Richard Nixon the person was. Unfortunately I feel there are some details missing from his presidential years, for example no mention of Nixon's and Kissinger's relationship and dealings with the Iranian Shah was made.
talsai's review
4.0
My only problem with this book its inconsistency. While Nixon's presidency is told in very detailed form, we only get a glance at his early life and career.
jmatthiass's review
3.0
About as close as you can get to a beach read in the form of a political biography. Breezy and light, the strength of this book lies in its anecdotes and analysis of Nixon’s character and spirit—which is interesting, surprising, and worthwhile. However, the tone is more often than not sycophantic, and I was left with the impression that I was never getting the full story when Nixon’s real failures and mistakes were concerned. Even Watergate is handled with kid’s gloves.
Not hard hitting at all, but fun and interesting.
Not hard hitting at all, but fun and interesting.
pamiverson's review
4.0
Interesting biography of the President, looking at how his feeling like an outsider in his early life persisted and led to many of his problems as a politician. While he was a brilliant foreign policy analyst, he avoided conflicts among/with his staff and lacked self-awareness. Perhaps too positive a look -- did not look at long-term inplications of Watergate and other scandals.
judyward's review
4.0
A biography of Richard Nixon that portrays him as an individual wrestling with personal demons that ultimately interfered with his better instincts. A very interesting view of a very complex individual.