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galaxybanjo's review against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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 against another edition
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.
srash's review against another edition
4.0
When I was in 3rd grade, my class had to do a report on a president. We were put in small groups and told to pick from a list of names. Of course, my group had to pick last, so by then, all the Presidents we recognized were gone. We picked Richard Nixon on a whim.
We also quickly realized that we were really in over our heads trying to explain Watergate and impeachment. In fact, we never quite figured out what it was. Questioning adults about it didn't yield any better information.
My solution to this problem was that we just cram as many trivia facts into our project as possible and then conclude abruptly with "And then he quit" without much explanation. Nobody else had any better ideas, and even as an 8-year-old I had, ahem, a forceful personality when I thought the occasion called for it, so my classmates didn't argue with me. I have no idea what grade we made on that project, but I shudder to think of how incoherent it was.
The experience left me with an abiding horror of group projects and picking research topics last and a residual retention of inane trivia about Nixon. I can't tell you on most days what I had for dinner the day before, but I can still reel off Nixon's birthdate, birthplace, alma maters, religious affiliation, and all other manner of other facts about him instantly.
As I got old enough to understand the more complex aspects of Nixon's personality, I also started to find him personally fascinating. But I haven't read anything about him in a long time. Since Nixon has been getting mentioned a lot in the press lately in comparison to the current resident of the White House, I figured I'd rekindle my interest in "Tricky Dick." (For the record, I don't think comparing Nixon to Trump is a particularly apt parallel. Some of Trump's actions reflect Nixon's and may lead down the same road, but I think Trump and LBJ are a lot more similar in personality.)
Evan Thomas is more interested in delving into Nixon's personality and getting to know his human side than providing a comprehensive sketch of his life, and he manages to do so without devolving into psychobabble.
Thomas was more sympathetic to Nixon that I had assumed he'd be, but he's also remarkably even-handed in his depiction, shying away from neither Nixon's massive flaws nor his substantial strengths. I didn't necessarily agree with all of Thomas's conclusions, but they were rooted in research and well-reasoned.
Perhaps by necessity, a large part of the book focuses on Nixon's presidency, as well as his time as Vice President under Eisenhower, but I sometimes wanted more information on Nixon's early years, which were marred by family tragedy, and early political career as a California congressman. Other than his involvement in the Hiss case, that's dealt with fairly perfunctorily.
I might be biased as the daughter of two naval supply petty officers, but I also wanted more information on his service as a supply officer during WWII. (I told my dad that Nixon had spent over a year working as Navy supply officer, and he instantly asked, "Did he order his men to steal as much stuff as our officers did?" Well, the book is sadly uninformative on that point.)
Nonetheless, it's an interesting and thought-provoking read that I had a hard time putting down. I'd definitely read another Evan Thomas bio. (After I finish my Nixon research binge.)
We also quickly realized that we were really in over our heads trying to explain Watergate and impeachment. In fact, we never quite figured out what it was. Questioning adults about it didn't yield any better information.
My solution to this problem was that we just cram as many trivia facts into our project as possible and then conclude abruptly with "And then he quit" without much explanation. Nobody else had any better ideas, and even as an 8-year-old I had, ahem, a forceful personality when I thought the occasion called for it, so my classmates didn't argue with me. I have no idea what grade we made on that project, but I shudder to think of how incoherent it was.
The experience left me with an abiding horror of group projects and picking research topics last and a residual retention of inane trivia about Nixon. I can't tell you on most days what I had for dinner the day before, but I can still reel off Nixon's birthdate, birthplace, alma maters, religious affiliation, and all other manner of other facts about him instantly.
As I got old enough to understand the more complex aspects of Nixon's personality, I also started to find him personally fascinating. But I haven't read anything about him in a long time. Since Nixon has been getting mentioned a lot in the press lately in comparison to the current resident of the White House, I figured I'd rekindle my interest in "Tricky Dick." (For the record, I don't think comparing Nixon to Trump is a particularly apt parallel. Some of Trump's actions reflect Nixon's and may lead down the same road, but I think Trump and LBJ are a lot more similar in personality.)
Evan Thomas is more interested in delving into Nixon's personality and getting to know his human side than providing a comprehensive sketch of his life, and he manages to do so without devolving into psychobabble.
Thomas was more sympathetic to Nixon that I had assumed he'd be, but he's also remarkably even-handed in his depiction, shying away from neither Nixon's massive flaws nor his substantial strengths. I didn't necessarily agree with all of Thomas's conclusions, but they were rooted in research and well-reasoned.
Perhaps by necessity, a large part of the book focuses on Nixon's presidency, as well as his time as Vice President under Eisenhower, but I sometimes wanted more information on Nixon's early years, which were marred by family tragedy, and early political career as a California congressman. Other than his involvement in the Hiss case, that's dealt with fairly perfunctorily.
I might be biased as the daughter of two naval supply petty officers, but I also wanted more information on his service as a supply officer during WWII. (I told my dad that Nixon had spent over a year working as Navy supply officer, and he instantly asked, "Did he order his men to steal as much stuff as our officers did?" Well, the book is sadly uninformative on that point.)
Nonetheless, it's an interesting and thought-provoking read that I had a hard time putting down. I'd definitely read another Evan Thomas bio. (After I finish my Nixon research binge.)