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spoko's review against another edition
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
4.0
It’s amazing the extent to which we are still living in the political world created by the paranoid, disaffected, self-righteous Nixon and his enthusiastic supporters. Perlstein does quite a job illuminating the levels of hypocrisy and moral licensing that fed the Nixon campaigns’ corruption and underhanded maneuvering. Not to mention the credulous simplicity that led the media to repeatedly ignore such blatant wrongdoing, and the superior indifference with which the Left fanned the flames.
More impressive still is how clearly this book shows the roots of Trumpism and modern Republican politics. The parallels can’t have been purposeful, as it was published in 2008. But even down to the fine details (e.g., the Nixon campaign drastically—and obviously—inflating their crowd sizes), it’s impressive to see how far back these things really go.
You have to know what you’re signing up for when you start a book like this, obviously. It‘s quite a long read, and certainly dry in parts, but I think it’s one of the best things I’ve read for an understanding of the longer historical trends in modern American conservatism.
More impressive still is how clearly this book shows the roots of Trumpism and modern Republican politics. The parallels can’t have been purposeful, as it was published in 2008. But even down to the fine details (e.g., the Nixon campaign drastically—and obviously—inflating their crowd sizes), it’s impressive to see how far back these things really go.
You have to know what you’re signing up for when you start a book like this, obviously. It‘s quite a long read, and certainly dry in parts, but I think it’s one of the best things I’ve read for an understanding of the longer historical trends in modern American conservatism.
charlesmrose's review against another edition
slow-paced
4.0
More than just a biography of Nixon, this is an examination of the political landscape that shaped him, and the landscape he shaped in turn. A good read if you'd like to be angrier at a dead man than you had previously thought possible.
wendyclinch's review against another edition
4.0
This book took me a while to get through, but it was totally worth it. I was a young kid when the events it covers were going on, but I really had no understanding of what lay behind them. Nixonland did a lot to put them in perspective for me. It's amazing that the country survived such turmoil. Highly recommend.
spencyrrh's review against another edition
4.0
Given this book's reputation, I expected polemic and revelation. Instead, I found an entertaining narrative history. The central premise that Nixon polarised the US by imposing upon it his personal psychosis strikes me as self-evident, but I enjoyed the read.
owensf's review against another edition
5.0
Filled with endless facts and trivia, which my nerd brain appreciated greatly. Perlstein excels especially at speaking to the general cultural moment, analyzing articles from Reader’s Digest, and commenting on the movies of the time. I think it adds a lot to the story (also literally adds length to the story). I’m a huge nerd and even I was a bit tired of the endless chronicling of campaign tactics and party convention only by the end, so buyer beware if that doesn’t seem interesting.
He also excels at chronicling large events; he weaves compelling narratives surrounding the watts riots, MLK’s biggest campaigns, and other events.
He also excels at chronicling large events; he weaves compelling narratives surrounding the watts riots, MLK’s biggest campaigns, and other events.
mrpants's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced