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ttodd86's review
3.0
Finishing this on Donald Trump's final full day as president of the United States and it feels like I would have been better served had I finished it on the first. This is a long book and at times it is frustrating -- however, its story is important for those who were either too young at the time to fully grasp Nixon or were not yet born. Published eight years before the 2016 presidential election, the book feels like the precursor to U.S.A. post 2016. More importantly, we must understand the divisions exploited by Nixon and Trump if we are going to move forward as a nation.
grapefrench's review
4.5
This is the first thing I read by Rick Pearlstein. Does an incredible job of painting a picture of a period in time. His obviously extensive research lets you experience history you thought you knew in a completely new light and with a new depth of understanding. I will never view a MIA/POW flag the same.
kawooreads's review against another edition
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
5.0
Wow. I wish I could write a whole book on this book. Almost everyone can think of a reason to dislike Richard Nixon. This book gives you around 700 pages of reasons, and we aren't even deep into Watergate yet!!
This book starts in 1965 and carries us to the presidential election of 1972. That was a time of rapid change in America, with Vietnam raging abroad and social justice demonstrations exploding at home. Richard Nixon, that "Tricky Dick" who reigned over the US during this time, was a Disney villain if ever there was one. It's grotesquely impressive how well he played the game of politics. He almost always stayed 3 steps ahead of all his opponents, and he did so with dignity despite being a little weasel. Perlstein paints Nixon as a nerd boy with a grudge and a thirst for power. His legacy re-wrote the game that Reagan, Bush I and II, and especially Trump would go on to play. What he did in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and here at home was atrocious, and he did it all while telling the American people to trust and believe that he would bring law and order to the free world. But anything is possible when you just lie. If Henry Kissinger and J. Edgar Hoover are your besties, you might need to be in therapy and not running the country. This book is dense, but the history is rich and concise, considering all that occurred! Folks who are still in government today are starting to enter the field, making it extra interesting to read in 2024.
Perlstein's next book is The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan and I can't wait to read about his downfall!
This book starts in 1965 and carries us to the presidential election of 1972. That was a time of rapid change in America, with Vietnam raging abroad and social justice demonstrations exploding at home. Richard Nixon, that "Tricky Dick" who reigned over the US during this time, was a Disney villain if ever there was one. It's grotesquely impressive how well he played the game of politics. He almost always stayed 3 steps ahead of all his opponents, and he did so with dignity despite being a little weasel. Perlstein paints Nixon as a nerd boy with a grudge and a thirst for power. His legacy re-wrote the game that Reagan, Bush I and II, and especially Trump would go on to play. What he did in Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, and here at home was atrocious, and he did it all while telling the American people to trust and believe that he would bring law and order to the free world. But anything is possible when you just lie. If Henry Kissinger and J. Edgar Hoover are your besties, you might need to be in therapy and not running the country. This book is dense, but the history is rich and concise, considering all that occurred! Folks who are still in government today are starting to enter the field, making it extra interesting to read in 2024.
Perlstein's next book is The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan and I can't wait to read about his downfall!
micareads123's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
5.0
Dense with detail and at times difficult to get through, this book was, for me, extremely educational.
In addition to offering a narrative of how Nixon weaseled his way into the Oval Office and effectively split America in two, this book opened my eyes to the extent to which history repeats itself. Because the subject matter of the book took place in the 1960s–70s (20 years before I was born), my perspective of the political events of that era was not well rounded, and I was surprised to learn about the extremity of the political divide, riots, etc. Also surprising was the number of specific hot-topic issues that are still at the forefront of politics today.
This book also exposed a lot of gaps in my knowledge, opening up a plethora of new topics for me to dive into to further my learning.
Perlstein simultaneously takes a deep dive into Nixon’s psyche and analyzes his lasting impact on the U.S., offering a valuable perspective on how politics in the country have become what they are today. It is easy to draw parallels between these events and politics in Canada, too.
It’s one I’m sure I could get more out of on a reread. Someday. Maybe. 😅
In addition to offering a narrative of how Nixon weaseled his way into the Oval Office and effectively split America in two, this book opened my eyes to the extent to which history repeats itself. Because the subject matter of the book took place in the 1960s–70s (20 years before I was born), my perspective of the political events of that era was not well rounded, and I was surprised to learn about the extremity of the political divide, riots, etc. Also surprising was the number of specific hot-topic issues that are still at the forefront of politics today.
This book also exposed a lot of gaps in my knowledge, opening up a plethora of new topics for me to dive into to further my learning.
Perlstein simultaneously takes a deep dive into Nixon’s psyche and analyzes his lasting impact on the U.S., offering a valuable perspective on how politics in the country have become what they are today. It is easy to draw parallels between these events and politics in Canada, too.
It’s one I’m sure I could get more out of on a reread. Someday. Maybe. 😅
alicia_ann_reads's review against another edition
informative
medium-paced
4.0
This one was way more interesting than Before the Storm, and scary how eerily similar this book parallels to today...
Read this for the reading North American history club, and it was significantly easier to digest. I did do this one via audiobook which helped, though I definitely tuned out somewhere in the middle lol!
Read this for the reading North American history club, and it was significantly easier to digest. I did do this one via audiobook which helped, though I definitely tuned out somewhere in the middle lol!