You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
informative
tense
informative
medium-paced
This book offered more to me than the standard fare of Nixon biographies. Which mostly means it discusses the corruption of the Nixon administration, and Nixon in general, outside of Watergate.
Nixon is fascinating.
Didn't get quite as much out of this as Ike and Dick but it was still well worth reading.
Didn't get quite as much out of this as Ike and Dick but it was still well worth reading.
Especially for those of us who did not live through Watergate, but live through the aftershocks, it becomes easy to forget just how bad Watergate was and how deeply it ran into the American body politic. Our reflexive adding of -gate to any remote political scandal of the last 40 years is a failing, in part, because it diminishes that the Nixon White House did a lot of stuff that wasn't just unsavory, it was criminal. Weiner pulls no punches as he lays out what happened, no kid gloves, no ex post facto rehabilitation, but short bursts of "here's what happened, and here's how we know we know now." It's often times ugly, but it's good to remember that even at our ugliest, American politics can come back out the other side and remain a government of laws, not men.
This is a good book if you want to learn more about Richard Nixon's presidency. It is very approachable chronicle.
If you know a fair amount, then I would not reach for this one. I didn't learn a whole lot new here.
If you know a fair amount, then I would not reach for this one. I didn't learn a whole lot new here.
One Man Against the World should perhaps be subtitled The Tragedy of America. The effects of Nixon's actions throughout his political career, left an indelible mark on the nation. Tim Weiner pulls information from newly released audio tapes and written documents to present the true character of Nixon during his administration from Vietnam to Watergate to his impeachment. Most people have an idea of who Nixon was, but Weiner shows the reader that there is much more than the public ever knew. All of the deceit and concealment is clearly laid out in shocking detail. The reader will also learn just how many people surrounded Nixon and helped to cover up his shenanigans and participate willing in his plans.
I think this is a must read for anyone remotely interested in politics and current events. It is chilling to know how easily a person in charge of a nation can abuse their authority the way Nixon did. Vietnam could have likely ended at the end of Johnson's term if not for Nixon. Nixon betrayed the nation and the effects are still felt today.
I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Goodreads
I think this is a must read for anyone remotely interested in politics and current events. It is chilling to know how easily a person in charge of a nation can abuse their authority the way Nixon did. Vietnam could have likely ended at the end of Johnson's term if not for Nixon. Nixon betrayed the nation and the effects are still felt today.
I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Goodreads
This book appears to start out as a hit piece on Nixon. It presents everything from a negative viewpoint. However, it is an interesting examination of the downfall of Nixon and filled with quotes. Sometimes the writing is ambiguous, and it takes a minute to figure out what the writer is actually saying. Overall, this is a very interesting look at a very interesting time, even if it is a bit one sided.
I received a complimentary copy and read this book with the Goodreads History Book Club.
Many books have been written about every aspect of Nixon's life and presidency. I would imagine it is challenging for an author to come at him with a fresh approach, but aided by a ton of recently unclassified documents, Tim Weiner is able to do just that. The entire book is framed as, well, Nixon against the world (read: everyone from college students to his own Secretary of Defense). Nixon's descent into paranoia and despair, as well as his delusions of playing the hero, are well documented in his own words in Weiner's book, giving me almost a sense of second-hand embarrassment for Tricky Dick as I read through them. It's an engaging book, a pretty quick read (although I read it a little bit at a time over the course of two months to stay on track with the History Book Club syllabus), and I would definitely recommend it to fans of presidential history or of 20th century history.
Many books have been written about every aspect of Nixon's life and presidency. I would imagine it is challenging for an author to come at him with a fresh approach, but aided by a ton of recently unclassified documents, Tim Weiner is able to do just that. The entire book is framed as, well, Nixon against the world (read: everyone from college students to his own Secretary of Defense). Nixon's descent into paranoia and despair, as well as his delusions of playing the hero, are well documented in his own words in Weiner's book, giving me almost a sense of second-hand embarrassment for Tricky Dick as I read through them. It's an engaging book, a pretty quick read (although I read it a little bit at a time over the course of two months to stay on track with the History Book Club syllabus), and I would definitely recommend it to fans of presidential history or of 20th century history.
dude, Nixon kicks ass, interesting in depth look into his role in pulling america out of Vietnam and his politics in China and Russia. the dialog is so very interesting