King Richard: an American tragedy
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- Author：Michael Dobbs
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Summary
From the author of the acclaimed One Minute to Midnight: a sharply focused， riveting account — told from inside the White House — of the crucial days， hours， and moments when the Watergate conspiracy consumed， and ultimately toppled， a president。
In January 1973， Richard Nixon had just been inaugurated after winning re-election in a historic landslide。 But by April 1973 his presidency had fallen apart as the Watergate scandal metastasised into what White House counsel John Dean called a full-blown cancer。 King Richard is the intimate， utterly absorbing narrative of the tension-packed hundred days when the Watergate burglars and their handlers in the administration turned on one another， revealing their direct connection ties to the White House。
Drawing on thousands of hours of newly released taped recordings， Michael Dobbs takes us into the very heart of the conspiracy， recreating these dramatic events in unprecedentedly vivid detail。 He captures the growing paranoia of the principle players and their desperate attempts to deflect blame as the noose tightened around them and the daily pressures became increasingly unbearable。 At the centre of this spellbinding drama is Nixon himself， a man whose strengths — particularly his determination to win at all costs — were also his fatal flaws。 Structured like a classical tragedy with a uniquely American twist， this is an epic and deeply human story of ambition， power， and betrayal。
In January 1973， Richard Nixon had just been inaugurated after winning re-election in a historic landslide。 But by April 1973 his presidency had fallen apart as the Watergate scandal metastasised into what White House counsel John Dean called a full-blown cancer。 King Richard is the intimate， utterly absorbing narrative of the tension-packed hundred days when the Watergate burglars and their handlers in the administration turned on one another， revealing their direct connection ties to the White House。
Drawing on thousands of hours of newly released taped recordings， Michael Dobbs takes us into the very heart of the conspiracy， recreating these dramatic events in unprecedentedly vivid detail。 He captures the growing paranoia of the principle players and their desperate attempts to deflect blame as the noose tightened around them and the daily pressures became increasingly unbearable。 At the centre of this spellbinding drama is Nixon himself， a man whose strengths — particularly his determination to win at all costs — were also his fatal flaws。 Structured like a classical tragedy with a uniquely American twist， this is an epic and deeply human story of ambition， power， and betrayal。
Reviews
Ann Clay
，
I read a ton of Watergate books， and this was one of the most readable。 I loved how personal it was， concentrating on the central figure， and not on all the peripheral players。 We meet Dean， Haldeman， and Erlichman， and a few others， but the concentration is on the king himself。 Also it was great that it concentration on a small period of time， from his second inaugural to when he dumped the Berlin Wall， as they were known。
Diana
，
A good book。 It covers the period between Nixon’s second inauguration and his decision not to destroy the Watergate tapes。 The story is told from Nixon’s point of view using the tapes and the notes and diaries of his closest aides。 It ends somewhat abruptly but then everyone knows how things turned out。 The audiobook narrator did voice impersonations but he did them so well that I didn’t mind。 At the ends of some of the chapters in the audiobook they played segments from the Nixon tapes。 A lot o A good book。 It covers the period between Nixon’s second inauguration and his decision not to destroy the Watergate tapes。 The story is told from Nixon’s point of view using the tapes and the notes and diaries of his closest aides。 It ends somewhat abruptly but then everyone knows how things turned out。 The audiobook narrator did voice impersonations but he did them so well that I didn’t mind。 At the ends of some of the chapters in the audiobook they played segments from the Nixon tapes。 A lot of these were hard to discern but still it was interesting to listen to the story and then hear the words as they were spoken。 。。。more
Lauren Benson
，
For someone that knew very little of the watergate scandal this book revealed the plotting， compounding lies， and betrayals that lead to Nixon’s demise。 You hear some of the most intimate （and cringe worthy） conversations but also see a softer and weaker side as he deals with crisis and chaos。 It’s a well laid out story and backed with real evidence。 The resemblance of his presidency and tactics to recent leaders is a underlying theme that I personally enjoyed。History certainly repeats itself。
Nick Sanders
，
As expected from Michael Dobbs: a very good book， well written and exciting from start to finish。
Ilya
，
ok， so this is literally the last 90 or so days of the Watergate crisis， by no means is it the story of it。 That being said， very engaging read - one of my issues with historical non-fiction is the quotations （he said this， she said that - how can one know， especially if the story is from far back。 People forget， biases， recollections， revisionist ideas， hindsight， etc）。 This one， however is pretty much 100% correct， due to the Nixon tapes， so you can be sure that it was actually said as it is w ok， so this is literally the last 90 or so days of the Watergate crisis， by no means is it the story of it。 That being said， very engaging read - one of my issues with historical non-fiction is the quotations （he said this， she said that - how can one know， especially if the story is from far back。 People forget， biases， recollections， revisionist ideas， hindsight， etc）。 This one， however is pretty much 100% correct， due to the Nixon tapes， so you can be sure that it was actually said as it is written。 Awesome book。 。。。more
Allison
，
While not a major issue， I was annoyed by the author's improper use of the word "rostrum" several times in the book。 He mistakenly thinks it refers to a lectern when， in actuality， it is the podium/dias/platform。 Annoying！As for the book as a whole， it is quite dense。。。alllll the minutiae。 I was 8 when Watergate happened， so knew the gist of what happened （my father was very interested in politics， as am I）。 Nixon had the makings to be one of the great Presidents but， like a Shakespearean traged While not a major issue， I was annoyed by the author's improper use of the word "rostrum" several times in the book。 He mistakenly thinks it refers to a lectern when， in actuality， it is the podium/dias/platform。 Annoying！As for the book as a whole， it is quite dense。。。alllll the minutiae。 I was 8 when Watergate happened， so knew the gist of what happened （my father was very interested in politics， as am I）。 Nixon had the makings to be one of the great Presidents but， like a Shakespearean tragedy， hubris was his fatal flaw。 Interesting read， but I was quite glad it clocks in under 350 pages。 。。。more
C。 F。 Mcinnis
，
I have not yet received my copy， which I preordered
Debra
，
Really interesting to see this situation from another perspective， without the emphasis on The Washington Post。 I like the focus on Nixon
Roberto Chavez
，
Very novelistic。 The real time aspects of the drama heightened the tension。 Oddly， some parts that I thought were important were never covered （Saturday Night Massacre？）。 Still interesting， though。
Mexscrabbler
，
Fast-paced account of the 100 days after Nixon's reelection and the events which led to his resignation after the Watergate break-in。Written in a day-by-day format， it shows the viewpoints of all the key protagonists in the saga， while also recounting the momentous end of the Vietnam war。The story is told in the form of a Greek tragedy。Worthwhile read。 Fast-paced account of the 100 days after Nixon's reelection and the events which led to his resignation after the Watergate break-in。Written in a day-by-day format， it shows the viewpoints of all the key protagonists in the saga， while also recounting the momentous end of the Vietnam war。The story is told in the form of a Greek tragedy。Worthwhile read。 。。。more
Ownbymom Ownby
，
I imagine that writing a book about Richard Nixon and Watergate would be a challenging endeavor， because everything has been covered。 Unfortunately， that seems to be the case with this book。 I didn't recognize any new contribution to the vast literature。 One advantage to the audiobook version is that several of NIxon's secret （at the time） audio tapes are included。 I imagine that writing a book about Richard Nixon and Watergate would be a challenging endeavor， because everything has been covered。 Unfortunately， that seems to be the case with this book。 I didn't recognize any new contribution to the vast literature。 One advantage to the audiobook version is that several of NIxon's secret （at the time） audio tapes are included。 。。。more
Dave Mills
，
A thoroughly-researched book into all the machinations of a flawed man and his flawed staff。 I'd forgotten a lot about those awful days long ago。 Michael Dobbs brought those days back to life。 A thoroughly-researched book into all the machinations of a flawed man and his flawed staff。 I'd forgotten a lot about those awful days long ago。 Michael Dobbs brought those days back to life。 。。。more
Kate Schwarz
，
Obviously， I know how this story ended。 However， I found the details leading up to Nixon's resignation--the unraveling of his own plan--really fascinating。 I think it was also a relief to read about a crisis in American history that involved a President that was NOT Trump。 I was disappointed with the end of the book; it did not include Nixon's resignation itself， and also included Agnew's resignation 9 months prior just as an aftermath （Dobbs mentions Agnew's own political crisis only once prior Obviously， I know how this story ended。 However， I found the details leading up to Nixon's resignation--the unraveling of his own plan--really fascinating。 I think it was also a relief to read about a crisis in American history that involved a President that was NOT Trump。 I was disappointed with the end of the book; it did not include Nixon's resignation itself， and also included Agnew's resignation 9 months prior just as an aftermath （Dobbs mentions Agnew's own political crisis only once prior to the afterward）。Dobbs writes: "Under any president， the White House functions as a machine for fulfilling the wishes of its occupant。 Foremost among Nixon's needs was more intelligence about his political opponents。 The demands for intelligence became imperatives for action。 Some of these actions were legal， some illegal。 Some were in response to specific presidential directives; some were dreamed up by underlings determined to please him。 Nixon's desires were often shrouded in ambiguity， making it difficult to distinguish between a specific instruction and a vaguely expressed wish" （p 148）。"After losing to Jack Kennedy in 1960， he had prepared for his second presidential campaign by writing a book called Six Crises。 'The easiest period is a crisis situation is actually the battle itself，' he wrote。 'The most difficult is the period of indecision--whether to fight or run away。 And the most dangerous period is the aftermath。 It is then， with all his resources spent and his guard down， that an individual must watch out for dulled reactions and faulty judgment'" （p 260）。Nixon said to his staff on the even of his resignation: "Always remember， others may hate you， but those who hate you don't win until you hate them。 And then you destroy yourself" （p 339）。 。。。more
Tony Mistretta
，
I think I especially liked this book because Nixon was president when I was a teenager and while I was aware of what was happening at the time， I wasn't paying close attention to the details。 Now I am fascinated to learn about how it all transpired。 The author does a great job in pulling it all together and telling the story like a classic Shakespeare tragedy。 The reader gets to know Richard Nixon as a man who rose up from a difficult childhood to become President of the US， winning his 1972 re- I think I especially liked this book because Nixon was president when I was a teenager and while I was aware of what was happening at the time， I wasn't paying close attention to the details。 Now I am fascinated to learn about how it all transpired。 The author does a great job in pulling it all together and telling the story like a classic Shakespeare tragedy。 The reader gets to know Richard Nixon as a man who rose up from a difficult childhood to become President of the US， winning his 1972 re-election by a landslide， and witness his world implode in the next 100 days as Watergate and other crimes came under public scrutiny。 Definitely a good read， no matter what side of the political spectrum you may sit on。 。。。more
Justine
，
I appreciated the material experience of reading this book - it is beautifully designed and bound in a way that enhances the author's intent of framing the Watergate scandal as a classical tragedy， complete with the division of the book into four acts and the addition of a dramatis personae。 It felt like an easy， casual read for a political biography， especially one on such a controversial figure。However， after living through the Trump Era， the Watergate story felt tame。 Additionally， I found th I appreciated the material experience of reading this book - it is beautifully designed and bound in a way that enhances the author's intent of framing the Watergate scandal as a classical tragedy， complete with the division of the book into four acts and the addition of a dramatis personae。 It felt like an easy， casual read for a political biography， especially one on such a controversial figure。However， after living through the Trump Era， the Watergate story felt tame。 Additionally， I found there to be too little character development to fully pull off the tragedy concept。 。。。more
Laurel
，
Would highly encourage everyone to listen to this book on audiobook since it includes original recordings of Nixon talking on tape in phone conversations。。。v。 interesting。。。
Linda Rae
，
4。5 starsJust fascinating！ An incredibly readable book focused on the 100 days in 1973 when the Watergate scandal broke open and the White House imploded。 Highly recommend。
Judy G
，
Riveting I lived at that time （early to mid 70's） and was part of the group that Nixon detested altho to be honest he detested most everyone。 Michael Dobbs acknowledges the prime historian of the period of Watergate and President Nixon and the Plumbers and the key WH staff is a Mr Kutler and he died in 2018。 This author has done an incredible thing here laying out the 100d up to just before RN （what he called himself） resigned as the evidence streamed in of the coverup of the breakins designed b Riveting I lived at that time （early to mid 70's） and was part of the group that Nixon detested altho to be honest he detested most everyone。 Michael Dobbs acknowledges the prime historian of the period of Watergate and President Nixon and the Plumbers and the key WH staff is a Mr Kutler and he died in 2018。 This author has done an incredible thing here laying out the 100d up to just before RN （what he called himself） resigned as the evidence streamed in of the coverup of the breakins designed by supported by the key WH staff reporting to the President。 Watergate is was an upscale building in DC and one of its offices was the Democratic party place。 The other breakin earlier organized by Gordon Liddy and H H Hunt was the office of Daniel Ellsberg psychiatrist and Ellsberg was known anti VNam war and took and released material by the govt as he worked for RAND Corp and was one of the peaceniks that Nixon detested。 （to b continued） 。。。more
Dec
，
Written like a drama， the whole book plays out like one。 Brilliant
Stuart Miller
，
For anyone who lived through the Watergate scandal and needs a refresher or anyone without any real prior knowledge and would like to know more， this day-to-day account of what went on in the White House from January 20， 1973 until July 17， 1973 （when Nixon decided he could not destroy the clandestine tapes of his conversations with co-conspirators） would be an excellent choice among the many Watergate studies。 Dobbs concludes that Nixon's strengths paradoxically ended up being flaws that led to For anyone who lived through the Watergate scandal and needs a refresher or anyone without any real prior knowledge and would like to know more， this day-to-day account of what went on in the White House from January 20， 1973 until July 17， 1973 （when Nixon decided he could not destroy the clandestine tapes of his conversations with co-conspirators） would be an excellent choice among the many Watergate studies。 Dobbs concludes that Nixon's strengths paradoxically ended up being flaws that led to his destruction。 Highly recommended for anyone interested in American history。 。。。more
David Glickman
，
As a teenager in the mid-70’s， I was an avid reader of books on famous Americans， particularly our Presidents。 Friends of my parents gave me a subscription to Time magazine for my Bar Mitzvah and I followed Watergate developments in its pages。 I remember watching the Watergate hearings in the summer。 I also read and did a book report on All The President’s Men in the 8th grade。 I thought this book did a great job of synthesizing the events and people from this period。 I highly recommend it to th As a teenager in the mid-70’s， I was an avid reader of books on famous Americans， particularly our Presidents。 Friends of my parents gave me a subscription to Time magazine for my Bar Mitzvah and I followed Watergate developments in its pages。 I remember watching the Watergate hearings in the summer。 I also read and did a book report on All The President’s Men in the 8th grade。 I thought this book did a great job of synthesizing the events and people from this period。 I highly recommend it to those who did not live through this time and to those who have forgotten them。 。。。more
Elizabeth Dodge
，
I remember Watergate so well that I enjoyed hearing it again from the White House tapes perspective。 I read several books in the years just after the hearings and remember where I was when Nixon left the White House。 It was decades ago that I watched the hearings and was shocked that people in the American government could do such things。 My innocence on that matter was lost and rightly so。 History is full of such stories and worse。
Jeff Francis
，
Given the age we live in now—with the near-unfathomable corruption， boobery and bad faith of the last six years—why does the half-century-old tale of Richard Nixon and Watergate continue to fascinate？Former Washington Post reporter and historical author Michael Dobbs knows why: the characters。 With “King Richard: Nixon and Watergate—An American Tragedy，” he takes us over familiar ground but livens it up with illustrative details。 For instance， I never thought before about the cavity searches man Given the age we live in now—with the near-unfathomable corruption， boobery and bad faith of the last six years—why does the half-century-old tale of Richard Nixon and Watergate continue to fascinate？Former Washington Post reporter and historical author Michael Dobbs knows why: the characters。 With “King Richard: Nixon and Watergate—An American Tragedy，” he takes us over familiar ground but livens it up with illustrative details。 For instance， I never thought before about the cavity searches many of the Watergate arrestees （educated public servants with no criminal history） went through in jail… Nor did I know about Deepthroat cracking up Bob Woodward with impressions during their first nighttime， parking-garage rendezvous… and I didn’t know about the physical abuse and forced sedatives endured by John Mitchell’s wife… as I didn’t know that the White House dog jumped on Nixon during a Watergate freakout/blame-rant， prompting the president to yell “Goddamnit get off me！” So yes， “King Richard” doesn’t really break new ground， but—especially with the now-public Nixon tapes—it sheds more light on the epoch-defining scandal。 P。S。 The book does end rather oddly and abruptly， though。 I listened to the audiobook （which is great for “King Richard” because they include actual phone calls and audio diaries）， and kept thinking it must have downloaded wrong， given that I had mere minutes of the book left and it didn’t seem logical that it would end where it did。 。。。more
Jake
，
The Trump era made me a Watergate junkie。 It’s as simple as that。 If there’s a new book on Watergate， I’m reading it。I’ve become fascinated with the twisted story of Nixon and his cronies， especially how power can imbue one with a sense of dignity and grace， at least in the public eye。 Most of us need to go to bed at night assuming our leaders are competent adults who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it was absolutely necessary and who have it all under control。As we get older， wiser， we know this to The Trump era made me a Watergate junkie。 It’s as simple as that。 If there’s a new book on Watergate， I’m reading it。I’ve become fascinated with the twisted story of Nixon and his cronies， especially how power can imbue one with a sense of dignity and grace， at least in the public eye。 Most of us need to go to bed at night assuming our leaders are competent adults who wouldn’t hurt a fly unless it was absolutely necessary and who have it all under control。As we get older， wiser， we know this to be a farce。 Our leaders are all too human as we are human。 Part of the reason why we build personality cults around them is that we need to believe in the best of their humanity to get us through。The Trump era， should have disabused us all of that notion。 Our nation handed over to a gang of petty ante criminals， Stephen King villains， and shameless grifters who sucked the marrow out of all they could exploit before being mercifully booted in January。Just don’t overlook the Nixon crew。These guys were morons， completely in over their head。 Michael Dobbs documents the six month decline from relative security to total chaos， showing that these guys had no idea what they were doing， protected only by the imprimatur of state legitimacy。 The focus is not on the journalists， congress folk or public， but the powerbrokers and friends of Richard Nixon。Using the three act play， Dobbs intends to cast the story as a drama。 And it is。 Perhaps it’s a cheap trick he uses。 It’ll be familiar to the Watergate buff。 But it’s still a fun way to tell it。This book has been billed as a great starter to understanding Watergate。 I actually disagree。 It helps to know more about the break in， more about Liddy and Hunt and McCord。 Start with All the President’s Men and/or Blind Ambition。 But make your way here quickly。 Don’t let this be the first or the last stop。 。。。more
John Cooper
，
Armed with every recorded tape （and at this point， anything that went on in any of Richard Nixon's offices was taped）， every published photo， and every West Wing memoir dealing with the hundred days after Nixon's second inauguration， Dobbs takes us inside the White House as the Watergate incident explodes from a sketchy burglary into an unprecedented scandal and a possible constitutional crisis。 And by "takes us inside，" I don't mean "describes。" Instead， Dobbs uses the taped or reported convers Armed with every recorded tape （and at this point， anything that went on in any of Richard Nixon's offices was taped）， every published photo， and every West Wing memoir dealing with the hundred days after Nixon's second inauguration， Dobbs takes us inside the White House as the Watergate incident explodes from a sketchy burglary into an unprecedented scandal and a possible constitutional crisis。 And by "takes us inside，" I don't mean "describes。" Instead， Dobbs uses the taped or reported conversations as dialog and the photos and descriptions as setting to give us an immersive， novelistic view into the inner workings of this White House at this historic time。 Many "characters" whose names I knew from the nightly news as a child （"Now， Dasher！ Now， Dancer！ Now， Prancer and Vixen！On， Haldeman！ Ehrlichman！ John Dean and Nixon！"） become fleshed out here， and at times sympathetic; it doesn't excuse his crimes to know that even Nixon had his kind and vulnerable sides， and wept honest tears when he was forced by events to fire his two closest aides。 Dobbs is not a great prose stylist， but his approach is ingenious and effective。 Recommended to any student of the period， or to people like me for whom Watergate was an early political awakening。 。。。more
Teddy
，
2。5 starsGood information， but def less critical of Nixon & his staff than I expected。 Also， the resolution is extremely weak in my opinion。 Still fine to get a better idea of what happened during Watergate。
A
，
Great， entertaining narrative of Nixon from 2nd Inauguration on。。。。 the slow drip drip drip of the scandal。 Seemingly based closely on John Dean's recollections， as it is almost a birds-eye view from him of this remarkable year。 Concludes with the public revelation of the WH tapes makes this a very accessible， almost narrow story enabling the viewer to follow the core closely。 One can envision a sequel - as the story has much left to tell。 （ala President's men/ final days）。 Great， entertaining narrative of Nixon from 2nd Inauguration on。。。。 the slow drip drip drip of the scandal。 Seemingly based closely on John Dean's recollections， as it is almost a birds-eye view from him of this remarkable year。 Concludes with the public revelation of the WH tapes makes this a very accessible， almost narrow story enabling the viewer to follow the core closely。 One can envision a sequel - as the story has much left to tell。 （ala President's men/ final days）。 。。。more
Eric
，
I saw little reason to really like this story of Watergate。 Dobbs tells the story well enough， and if you never pick up another treatment this one might suffice。 It includes some chunks of the famous tapes where we hear Nixon， Haldeman， Kissinger， Dean， etc。 The author has invariably already explained what's to be heard， so am unclear of their purpose other than as a modern production diversion。 （I have to suppose that the print version includes rather dry transcritpts， maybe not， but I saw litt I saw little reason to really like this story of Watergate。 Dobbs tells the story well enough， and if you never pick up another treatment this one might suffice。 It includes some chunks of the famous tapes where we hear Nixon， Haldeman， Kissinger， Dean， etc。 The author has invariably already explained what's to be heard， so am unclear of their purpose other than as a modern production diversion。 （I have to suppose that the print version includes rather dry transcritpts， maybe not， but I saw little reason for including them。 A sad tragedy， indeed。 。。。more
John
，
A riveting account of the one hundred days following Richard Nixon’s second inauguration。 Rather than focusing on what happened， which has already been extensively documented， Mr Dobbs attempts to explain WHY Watergate happened。 This is achieved by weaving psychological profiles of Nixon and the other main protagonists in with the main events as the presidency and the president crumbled。While not at all underplaying Nixon’s many character flaws and self-inflicted wounds he delivers a nuanced pic A riveting account of the one hundred days following Richard Nixon’s second inauguration。 Rather than focusing on what happened， which has already been extensively documented， Mr Dobbs attempts to explain WHY Watergate happened。 This is achieved by weaving psychological profiles of Nixon and the other main protagonists in with the main events as the presidency and the president crumbled。While not at all underplaying Nixon’s many character flaws and self-inflicted wounds he delivers a nuanced picture that invites a degree of empathy from the reader， and reminds us that Nixon’s vision of his own destiny resulted in some remarkable achievements including the ending of the Vietnam War， the opening up of China to the West， and strategic arms limitation treaties with the Soviet Union。I read it from cover to cover in two days。 。。。more
Kathy Buford
，