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A review by srash
Being Nixon: A Man Divided by Evan Thomas
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.)