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A review by wescovington
The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by Rick Perlstein
5.0
Rick Perlstein's massive 800+ page history of the American conservative movement from the end of Watergate through the 1976 election (actually just through the Republican Convention, tune in later to find out who won!) is another in an epic, yet controversial series by an avowedly liberal historian writing about the people he doesn't agree with. Despite the distinct liberal bent to the writing, the book holds up as an excellent work of history.
The book begins with the return of POWs from Vietnam and how they were co-opted by the scandal-plagued Nixon Administration to distract people from both Watergate and the failure of the Vietnam War. But, the book ultimately is not about Richard Nixon (covered in Perlstein's earlier work, Nixonland) but rather the man who would later become the most important figure in the American Conservative movement: Ronald Reagan.
Perlstein is clearly not a fan of Reagan and devotes a large chunk of the book examining how Reagan's childhood, education, and early years in Hollywood were quite the opposite of the image he presented as a politician. But, Reagan succeeded despite these apparent contradictions. And history has mostly not cared. Which is not to say that you can't find contradictions about just every other political figure in history.
The book appealed to me because the time period it covered (1973-76) was of a time when I was a kid (ages 7-10) and began to show an interest in politics and history. The Bicentennial celebration was a great source of interest to me, but so were the Watergate hearings. The 1976 Republican Convention was a fascinating show to me (and perhaps the last one where the outcome coming into the convention was truly in doubt).
Reagan did not win the Republican nomination in 1976. But, he still had a little bit more to give. Perlstein's last volume in this series is supposed to cover Reagan's presidency. That volume will be both eagerly awaited and vehemently hated depending upon your political leaning.
The book begins with the return of POWs from Vietnam and how they were co-opted by the scandal-plagued Nixon Administration to distract people from both Watergate and the failure of the Vietnam War. But, the book ultimately is not about Richard Nixon (covered in Perlstein's earlier work, Nixonland) but rather the man who would later become the most important figure in the American Conservative movement: Ronald Reagan.
Perlstein is clearly not a fan of Reagan and devotes a large chunk of the book examining how Reagan's childhood, education, and early years in Hollywood were quite the opposite of the image he presented as a politician. But, Reagan succeeded despite these apparent contradictions. And history has mostly not cared. Which is not to say that you can't find contradictions about just every other political figure in history.
The book appealed to me because the time period it covered (1973-76) was of a time when I was a kid (ages 7-10) and began to show an interest in politics and history. The Bicentennial celebration was a great source of interest to me, but so were the Watergate hearings. The 1976 Republican Convention was a fascinating show to me (and perhaps the last one where the outcome coming into the convention was truly in doubt).
Reagan did not win the Republican nomination in 1976. But, he still had a little bit more to give. Perlstein's last volume in this series is supposed to cover Reagan's presidency. That volume will be both eagerly awaited and vehemently hated depending upon your political leaning.