Richard Nixon: the life
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- Author：John A. Farrell
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Summary
A Sunday Independent book of the year。
A deeply researched， superbly crafted biography of America’s most complex president。
In Richard Nixon， award-winning biographer John A。 Farrell examines the life and legacy of one of America’s most controversial political figures。 Beginning in 1946， when young Navy lieutenant ‘Nick’ Nixon returned from the Pacific and set his cap at Congress， Farrell traces how this idealistic dreamer became the ruthless man we remember Nixon as today。
Within four years of that first win， Nixon would be a senator; in six， the vice president; and then president。 His staff of bright young men devised forward-thinking reforms addressing health care， poverty， civil rights， and protection of the environment。 It was a fine legacy， but Nixon cared little for it。 He aspired to make his mark on the world stage instead， and his 1972 opening to China was the first great crack in the Cold War。
But Nixon had another legacy: an America divided and polarised。 It was Nixon who launched the McCarthy era， who set South against North， and who spurred the silent majority to despise and distrust the country's elite。 Finally， in August 1974， two years after the Watergate scandal， Nixon became the only president to resign in disgrace。
Richard Nixon is a magisterial portrait of the man who embodied post-war American political cynicism — and was destroyed by it。
A deeply researched， superbly crafted biography of America’s most complex president。
In Richard Nixon， award-winning biographer John A。 Farrell examines the life and legacy of one of America’s most controversial political figures。 Beginning in 1946， when young Navy lieutenant ‘Nick’ Nixon returned from the Pacific and set his cap at Congress， Farrell traces how this idealistic dreamer became the ruthless man we remember Nixon as today。
Within four years of that first win， Nixon would be a senator; in six， the vice president; and then president。 His staff of bright young men devised forward-thinking reforms addressing health care， poverty， civil rights， and protection of the environment。 It was a fine legacy， but Nixon cared little for it。 He aspired to make his mark on the world stage instead， and his 1972 opening to China was the first great crack in the Cold War。
But Nixon had another legacy: an America divided and polarised。 It was Nixon who launched the McCarthy era， who set South against North， and who spurred the silent majority to despise and distrust the country's elite。 Finally， in August 1974， two years after the Watergate scandal， Nixon became the only president to resign in disgrace。
Richard Nixon is a magisterial portrait of the man who embodied post-war American political cynicism — and was destroyed by it。
Reviews
Mike
，
Farrell’s biography of Nixon was masterful: a skillful blend of sourcing and a nuanced assessment of the 37th president。 In fact， one of the most interesting aspects of this book was the sympathy Farrell inserts for Nixon’s downfall。 His central claim focuses around the idea that Nixon’s actions weren’t historically out of line with his predecessors。 But unlike Ike or Kennedy， Nixon actually got caught， and the public mood had soured enough on the executive to allow for his removal from office。N Farrell’s biography of Nixon was masterful: a skillful blend of sourcing and a nuanced assessment of the 37th president。 In fact， one of the most interesting aspects of this book was the sympathy Farrell inserts for Nixon’s downfall。 His central claim focuses around the idea that Nixon’s actions weren’t historically out of line with his predecessors。 But unlike Ike or Kennedy， Nixon actually got caught， and the public mood had soured enough on the executive to allow for his removal from office。Nixon’s character seems to oscillate between several personas， with equal parts being shy， sphinx-like， schmaltzy， successful， and sneaky。 Farrell captures all of this in his opening chapter as he looks at Nixon’s first run for public office: essentially a nobody， Nixon challenges and wins against an established incumbent to become a US Representative from California。 As a war veteran with humble roots， Nixon is able to tap into some grassroots feelings in California to gain support。 But he also made successful backroom deals with bigger stakeholders， and was not above putting spies in his opponent’s camp to dig up dirt。 It’s therefore not surprising that the ‘Tricky Dick’ moniker emerged by the time of his Senate campaign just a few short years later。 And this is how Farrell’s book shines: rather than a cradle to grave progression， this opening snapshot gives us a comprehensive look at many facets of Nixon’s character。Of course， Farrell does circle back， and Nixon’s formative years are of equal fascination。 There is definitely some armchair psychologist at play when Farrell tries to suss out how the loss of Nixon’s brothers， or his Quaker upbringing， or the struggle to prosper impacted Nixon’s later actions in life。 But the scrappiness， perseverance， and win at any cost mindset are all qualities we see on display in the book， as are the doubts， self-loathing， and sardonic takes on his lot in life。 Nixon’s drive to continue in politics is also fascinating。 He was given ample opportunity to bow out， whether it was from Ike vacillating over keeping him on the ticket as VP， or the post-election malaise over losing to Kennedy in 1960。 And Farrell notes how deeply Nixon was stung by the press， by members of his party， and by the opposition， all of which did not play well to Nixon’s insecurities。 Given how rocky things were in his personal life， I’m amazed at his determination to keep pushing to win out。 But win he does。 And while Farrell shows sympathy in ways Nixon is slighted， he is unforgiving in showcasing Nixon’s flaws。 Nixon working behind Johnson’s back to sabotage peace talks in Vietnam。 Nixon surrounding himself with yes-men as President and creating an echo chamber。 Nixon throwing his predecessors under the bus for their missteps while hiding his own misdeeds。 And Watergate。 Watergate seemed to sneak up on Nixon， and he didn’t seem to realize the ramifications of his actions until it was too late。 Farrell showcases the offramps that were available to Nixon， that had he been proactive and less indulgent of trying to cover everything up， that he might have survived。 And while this scandal might not have aroused the same indignation in the 1950s or 60s， a jaded public was eager to show Nixon the door by the time it was all over。The chapter of Nixon in exile is fairly short， but there is little of substance to cover in comparison to his earlier life。 Farrell details some of the ways Nixon tried to rehabilitate his image， and bows out right at Nixon’s passing。 An epilogue or postscript might have been welcome， but I was still very pleased by the work as a whole。 A great single volume exploration of our 37th President。 。。。more
Mr。 V
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This was easier to read than most presidential biographies。 Even though the author has an obvious bias against President Nixon I felt like he gave him a fair assessment。 It gave you some insight into the difficulties Nixon went through as a child and how the death of two brothers in his youth and the relationships with his parents may have impacted him in the future。 He does fall into the trap many biographers fall into by trying to be psychoanalysis and explain why Nixon did what he did。 It is This was easier to read than most presidential biographies。 Even though the author has an obvious bias against President Nixon I felt like he gave him a fair assessment。 It gave you some insight into the difficulties Nixon went through as a child and how the death of two brothers in his youth and the relationships with his parents may have impacted him in the future。 He does fall into the trap many biographers fall into by trying to be psychoanalysis and explain why Nixon did what he did。 It is one of those things that can make you scratch your head when accomplished people do something so obviously stupid that leads to their ruin。 Unfortunately， it is only speculation as to why unless they share those thoughts。 I would rather have more in-depth detail as to what happened instead of speculation as to why。 To be honest it was not bad in this biography but I would have liked more on the actual happenings with the opening up of China and the Vietnam War and the decisions with Watergate and choosing Ford as Vice President。 It was covered and informative but I would have liked it more。 These are all historic events and there was little given to the economic decisions that were very monetenous as well。 。。。more
George
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Nixon is a Shakespearean character。 That is basically my take-away from reading this excellent biography by John A。 Farrell。 I guess I am technically contemporary with Nixon as I was born a few months before he died but I really did not know too much about the man。 I knew he was from Whittier because I would spend Summers visiting my grandfather who lived in Whittier and would see Nixon things all over the place。 I knew that people didn't like him， and I knew that the whole "I am not a crook，" t Nixon is a Shakespearean character。 That is basically my take-away from reading this excellent biography by John A。 Farrell。 I guess I am technically contemporary with Nixon as I was born a few months before he died but I really did not know too much about the man。 I knew he was from Whittier because I would spend Summers visiting my grandfather who lived in Whittier and would see Nixon things all over the place。 I knew that people didn't like him， and I knew that the whole "I am not a crook，" thing。 Obviously as I got older I became aware of Watergate and how that has been his primary legacy。 Basically Nixon was evil， in so few words。 As I have left college I have become less sanguine about that thesis though。 Just a brief look at his administration and policies should leave one with a more complex view of him and his legacy。 So I was primed to hear a different take on Nixon which is what Farrell delivers here in this book。Farrell does not sugarcoat Nixon at all。 He doesn't hide his pretty ugly antisemitism or his crookish or dirty behavior in elections that led up to his presidency。 But he also doesn't just talk about only these things。 He mentions the other things that Nixon has done that paint him in a more positive light like his Cold War policies， his founding of the EPA， his world changing decision to open-up China to the West， and his ending of the Vietnam War。 Now he was cruelly shrewd in many of these circumstances。 For example， in Vietnam he viewed the fall of Saigon as an inevitability and basically just supported the Southern Vietnamese because he wanted to win his next election and let the fall happen in his second term。 The point being here that Nixon wasn't a great man in the personal sense， but his legacy did set up America as we basically understand it today。 He even correctly predicted the major powers of the early 20th century more or less: America， Russia， Western Europe， China， and Japan。 And if you look at economics and military he was basically right。 So there is deep intelligence to the man which is often forgotten， but there was also deep hatred in him which ultimately foiled him。But what is best of all is that he give Nixon a humanity。 Which is why I call him a Shakespearean character。 Nixon is in many ways the opposite of LBJ to me。 Where LBJ was a glad-handing politician who said whatever he needed to say in order to win and had very little actually ideology。 Nixon was a man who was always an outsider and was actually rooted in some consistency。 Even when he was in power， he was an outsider。 He was never comfortable amongst the liberal and ivy educated elites of the East Coast。 In the beginning of the biography he is there as someone to root for。 He comes from a difficult background， is intelligent， almost went to Harvard but had to turn down the acceptance to help his family， becomes a political and social outsider， serves in the Second World War， and comes back home and becomes a major political force。 Throughout all of this Nixon acts quite honorably， but it is following the Eisenhower administration that he changes as he becomes more antagonistic towards those who hate him。 This is what sets him up as the man who is willing to do anything to win regardless if he is liked and to make sure that his vision of America is lived out。 This is when he turns into a Macbeth， which ultimately culminates in his downfall at Watergate。 Farrell does an amazing job at leading the reader through this drama of the man's life。 Farrell does a good job in pointing out Nixon’s flawed personal beliefs as well like his latent antisemitism， so he doesn’t let Nixon get away with some of his more horrendous personal statements。One of the interesting things that Farrell suggests in this biography is that sooner or later a Watergate had to happen。 His statement for this has less to do with Nixon and more to do with the massive amount of power the presidential position had accumulated since World War 2。 Essentially， what damned Nixon in this case wasn't that he was doing something wrong （other presidents before him had done things that were wrong as well， and I can attest to this having read about some of their tactics in previous biographies） but that he was disliked by and disliked the press so much that they wanted to take him down。 Previous presidents escaped this fate due to their cushy relationship with the press which Nixon lacked。 This doesn't absolve Nixon of any wrongdoing， but it did make me think more about the fickle nature of the press and its ability to influence the people。 It also made me think that we are probably due for a Watergate type scandal as the presidential position has gone on to reacquire much of the power it has lost， but it is possible that Americans trust the government so little that their is too much cynicism for their to be a scandal of epic proportions like Watergate。All in all， amazing biography， really made me rethink the man and get a more nuanced view of him and his legacy which should be the goal of all good history and biography。 。。。more
Tricia
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I read this bio to review his life prior to going to his Presidential library （Nov time frame）。 I was familiar with much the author wrote about。 Richard was a brilliant man but was tortured by his thoughts of not being of the same ilk as many of contemporaries。 As a result， he developed a chip on his shoulder and held grudges against all who he felt slighted him。 President Nixon had a grasp of the world but cared little for the domestic scene。 Richard became his worst enemy and this played an im I read this bio to review his life prior to going to his Presidential library （Nov time frame）。 I was familiar with much the author wrote about。 Richard was a brilliant man but was tortured by his thoughts of not being of the same ilk as many of contemporaries。 As a result， he developed a chip on his shoulder and held grudges against all who he felt slighted him。 President Nixon had a grasp of the world but cared little for the domestic scene。 Richard became his worst enemy and this played an important part of the reason for Watergate and his downfall。 。。。more
Amara James
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Very thorough and interesting biography。 I would have preferred a bit more details of the presidency and less of the campaign prior to it， but overall still worthwhile and enjoyable。
Kenneth Lund
，
Two months of Robert Caro’s incredible writing （on LBJ） is a tough act for any biography to follow。 This is an interesting， well detailed， and for the most part a very fair and objective work on Nixon， one of the most interesting and tragic presidential figures。 As said in the book， when he was good， he could be very good， but when he was bad， he could be horrid。
Mary
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“With a mix of morbid fascination and deep empathy， Farrell humanizes Nixon， but he doesn't let him off the hook。” Taken from an NPR book review， April 2017。 Interesting， clearly written。 “With a mix of morbid fascination and deep empathy， Farrell humanizes Nixon， but he doesn't let him off the hook。” Taken from an NPR book review， April 2017。 Interesting， clearly written。 。。。more
Geri
，
I’ve recently wanted to revisit President Nixon; basically to understand more about the man， his upbringing， his career in politics， and most importantly his drive and determination to make his life matter in context of the post WWII world…his immense sense of “America”as the world’s shining light， his incredible accomplishments in ending the draft， creating the environmental protection agency， the first President to visit Moscow and begin strategic arms talks with the soviets to make our world I’ve recently wanted to revisit President Nixon; basically to understand more about the man， his upbringing， his career in politics， and most importantly his drive and determination to make his life matter in context of the post WWII world…his immense sense of “America”as the world’s shining light， his incredible accomplishments in ending the draft， creating the environmental protection agency， the first President to visit Moscow and begin strategic arms talks with the soviets to make our world safer， opening China to the modern world， ending the Vietnam Nam war， dealing with Americas civil rights concerns of that time， just to name a few by the list is very long。 This book is an incredible beginning， however the story stops at the point where President Nixon left the White House。 I’m moving on to his next 20 years as one of the greatest statesman of our age…highly recommend this book for those interested in gaining a more authentic view of President Richard Nixon’s incredible life journey！ 。。。more
Gregor Schafroth
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One of the worst biographies I read。 What I didnt like:- To a large extent the author bases all his stories on old newspaper articles。 It does not appear that much additional research was done- The author continuously mixes facts with his own， unsubstantiated opinion and always tries to show Nixons story in a positive light rather than as a neutral observer- The book lacks any interesting details or side stories。 Maybe I am harsh here because I just read the magnificent LBJ biographies of Robert One of the worst biographies I read。 What I didnt like:- To a large extent the author bases all his stories on old newspaper articles。 It does not appear that much additional research was done- The author continuously mixes facts with his own， unsubstantiated opinion and always tries to show Nixons story in a positive light rather than as a neutral observer- The book lacks any interesting details or side stories。 Maybe I am harsh here because I just read the magnificent LBJ biographies of Robert A Caro before this one， but I can't help it。 This book is just bad。 Not sure if there are better ones for Nixon， but avoid this one。 。。。more
Alex
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 A very interesting biography of Richard Nixon， both in terms of his life during the presidency， as well as before and after。I found Nixon to be a hard man both to fathom and to like。 Sometimes I would like， even admire Nixon and at other times would dislike him intensely。 I found this very interesting and put it down to Farrell's fairly impartial tone。I learnt a great deal about Nixon I hadn't known before， and both the excellent writing of Farrell and narration of Woden helped me to stay engage A very interesting biography of Richard Nixon， both in terms of his life during the presidency， as well as before and after。I found Nixon to be a hard man both to fathom and to like。 Sometimes I would like， even admire Nixon and at other times would dislike him intensely。 I found this very interesting and put it down to Farrell's fairly impartial tone。I learnt a great deal about Nixon I hadn't known before， and both the excellent writing of Farrell and narration of Woden helped me to stay engaged with the account of Nixon's life。 。。。more
Katerina
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This is the first of the history genre I have ever read and I am highly impressed。
Lizbeth
，
Everything was so on target with this book。 Good job， John A。 Farrell。
Bryan Cebulski
，
One of the best biographies I've read in a while。 Few substantial stones left unturned， thoroughly illustrating his subject inside and out， Farrell accomplishes what I had assumed was an impossible task: Making me feel some sympathy for Nixon。Like obviously he's trash， but some of his actions as a politician were noticeably good in some spheres compared to his conservative successors。 Can't imagine a Republican putting together a bipartisan cabinet nowadays， or being decent with Native American One of the best biographies I've read in a while。 Few substantial stones left unturned， thoroughly illustrating his subject inside and out， Farrell accomplishes what I had assumed was an impossible task: Making me feel some sympathy for Nixon。Like obviously he's trash， but some of his actions as a politician were noticeably good in some spheres compared to his conservative successors。 Can't imagine a Republican putting together a bipartisan cabinet nowadays， or being decent with Native American affairs， or brokering peaceful relations abroad （relatively， anyway）。 And there is just something to be admired about someone who can lay out a path to power and actually follow it， as opposed to the modern leftist tactic of whining on twitter and becoming a do nothing scold who guests on podcasts。Works really well in tandem with Rick Perlstein's Nixonland。 Where Perlstein is concerned with the zeitgeist AROUND Nixon， Farrell speaks to Nixon himself。 Like， you come here for Rose Mary Woods' ludicrous testimony for how she possibly could have erased Nixon's tapes， then you go to Perlstein for the SNL parody of that testimony。 They're both enormous tomes but only with the two of them together do you really start to appreciate the uncanny phenomenon that was Richard M。 Nixon and how he irrevocably altered the political landscape。Also Eisenhower why were you so meaaaaan to this guy 。。。more
Reviews by Miss Martha
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I had a lot of fun reading Richard Nixon: The Life and I don't remember the last book I have read with such attention and impatience to see how it all ends。 I had a lot of fun reading Richard Nixon: The Life and I don't remember the last book I have read with such attention and impatience to see how it all ends。 。。。more
Steve Wilson
，
Thorough， fair portrait of a controversial， misunderstood figure。 Painstakingly researched and masterfully assembled and offers an intimate look at President Nixon。 Among the more interesting bits are the contrasts between person and politician。 Watergate is given adequate coverage and Mr。 Farrell's coy swipes at Gordon Liddy offer comic relief。 Overall， a sold comprehensive biography of the former president。 Recommended for history buffs or anyone interested in a deeper dive into the life and c Thorough， fair portrait of a controversial， misunderstood figure。 Painstakingly researched and masterfully assembled and offers an intimate look at President Nixon。 Among the more interesting bits are the contrasts between person and politician。 Watergate is given adequate coverage and Mr。 Farrell's coy swipes at Gordon Liddy offer comic relief。 Overall， a sold comprehensive biography of the former president。 Recommended for history buffs or anyone interested in a deeper dive into the life and character of Richard Nixon。 。。。more
Jazzy
，
A complete telling of Nixon from the childhoods of his parents， to his own childhood， through young adulthood， military service， the birth of his political career， and all the events therein。 Though it is a sympathetic biography， Nixon's flaws are glaring。One thing we learn early and are reminded of often is Nixon had no scruples as a politician， no moral compass， no sense of anything being considered "going too far。" Nixon had no political belief system or overarching worldview to explicitly gu A complete telling of Nixon from the childhoods of his parents， to his own childhood， through young adulthood， military service， the birth of his political career， and all the events therein。 Though it is a sympathetic biography， Nixon's flaws are glaring。One thing we learn early and are reminded of often is Nixon had no scruples as a politician， no moral compass， no sense of anything being considered "going too far。" Nixon had no political belief system or overarching worldview to explicitly guide his political career， beyond the simple pursuit of power and money。 In his very first campaign for office， he rabidly lied about his opponent， misled the voters on several fronts， accepted "dirty money"， and was proud of it all because the only purpose was to win the election and it mattered not to Nixon how he won。Once in Congress and later the Senate， Nixon joined the rabid Red Baiters and terrorized innocent people repeatedly， afterwards hanging his hat on one successful prosecution of a big name。 Then he threw his support behind McCarthyism， initially while a senator and later as Vice-President。 Even as Ike bristled at McCarthy's demagoguery， Nixon continued to support McCarthy。 Nixon's every move was based on one simple question: "Does this benefit me politically in my pursuit of power？"Despite qualities that might have been facets of a great president， Nixon's personality flaws overwhelmed his career the way a cup of pepper would overwhelm an other perfectly cooked meal。 Without even considering Watergate， Nixon's career was rife with unsavory/immoral/illegal behavior/decisions/politicking to delegitimize every term of every office he held。This is an engrossing tale of a person I find often despicable， but sometimes pitiful。 Despite that， it's also easy to be impressed with how Nixon created a successful power politician in himself。 He was a tireless worker in the one thing that mattered most to him - garnering respect for himself。 And he was by all accounts， incredibly intelligent。Well wroth reading。 。。。more
Jovica150
，
What can you say what book and what president he would have made had he not had that one major character flaw。 Keeping that in mind the book is an amazing look into a soul of a most shy and introverted man who through true grit and hard work got to pinocle of power in an most extroverted and public job。 Ironically those characteristics which helped him get to ultimate prize ended up bringing him down。 A true Shakespearean story of there ever was one 。
Scott Pomfret
，
This deft， well-paced biography of Richard Nixon is compelling， albeit in a watching-a-train-wreck sort of way。 It's no spoiler to say that its subject is exactly as insecure， amoral， narcissistic， socially awkward， maudlin， gauzily sentimental， unrepentant， and utterly despicable as the popular view of him。 Farrell works hard to be fair。 He gives Nixon credit for successful foreign policy initiatives such as rapprochement with China reflected in his surprise summit in the early 70s。 He credits This deft， well-paced biography of Richard Nixon is compelling， albeit in a watching-a-train-wreck sort of way。 It's no spoiler to say that its subject is exactly as insecure， amoral， narcissistic， socially awkward， maudlin， gauzily sentimental， unrepentant， and utterly despicable as the popular view of him。 Farrell works hard to be fair。 He gives Nixon credit for successful foreign policy initiatives such as rapprochement with China reflected in his surprise summit in the early 70s。 He credits Nixon with an early sympathy for the civil rights movement （later eroded by a sense that Black Americans didn't show sufficient gratitude）。 He shows Nixon as a deft and wily debate opponent， whether he's facing John F。 Kennedy， David Frost， Alger Hiss， or Watergate grand jury prosecutors （whom he largely embarrasses）。 But Farrell also doesn't shy away from calling the shots as he sees them。 In answer to the famous question， "What did the president know and when did he know it？"， Farrell concludes he knew everything and within days of the Watergate break-in。 He suggests Pat Nixon got very much the short end of the stick in their marriage。 He clearly shows that Nixon is one of those people who is so venal that he cannot imagine a less venal person on the other side。 （Of course， there were plenty of terrible people among his Democratic opponents and among his predecessor presidents， or at least people who did terrible things。） He highlights Nixon's brutal Semitism。 Even some of the redeeming elements of his presidency （e。g。， certain environmental initiatives） prove to be solely sops for votes; the man had no actual convictions or positions concerning these matters。Needless to say， the biography resonates more after the Trump presidency。 But that only makes it more difficult reading， because the pair share many traits in common （and at least Trump was more open about his own bad character）。 The biography does provide a useful lens on （especially） the late 60s and early 70s from the "square" "silent majority" perspective， which is helpful for an era typically viewed from the countercultural perspective。 。。。more
Lucas
，
“Nixon would have been recorded as being a very great president had it not been for that fatal character flaw，” said Farmer。 “He did not believe in anything。”A great quote except for how incorrect it is on numerous levels。 The claim that Nixon was ever close to being a great President requires such a transformational rewriting of reality that I don’t see much value in going deep into it。 Obviously people can see whatever they choose to in Presidential legacies， so if people want to congratulate “Nixon would have been recorded as being a very great president had it not been for that fatal character flaw，” said Farmer。 “He did not believe in anything。”A great quote except for how incorrect it is on numerous levels。 The claim that Nixon was ever close to being a great President requires such a transformational rewriting of reality that I don’t see much value in going deep into it。 Obviously people can see whatever they choose to in Presidential legacies， so if people want to congratulate him for “easing tensions” with China and Russia， I guess they will。 If they want to congratulate him for how brave he was for “ending the Vietnam war”， that’s pretty ridiculous but technically a thing that happened？The bigger issue I have with the quote above， and the author’s softness on Nixon in this book in general， is the suggestion that Nixon had no belief in anything and was just this sociopathic politician who was willing to do anything for his legacy。 No， he had beliefs。 They were morally reprehensible， but read the Nixon quotes in this book and you can see a person telling you who he is。 To say he only used racism as a means to getting elected， not because he actually was incredibly racist， is really letting him off the hook。 （By the way， even if that’s the case， the damage is still the same）。 There’s a lot of whataboutism in this book。 What about Kennedy and LBJ also spying on their political enemies？ What about George Wallace？ Isn’t it great that Nixon wasn’t George Wallace？ And great that he wasn’t Joseph McCarthy？ And Alger Hiss actually was a spy， so can we pat Nixon on the back for 700 pages about pursuing a political grudge that turned out correct？ With that said I still think it’s a well written book that moves fast and covers the key moments in sufficient detail。 I liked the choice to speed through his first thirty years。 。。。more
Duane Vorhees
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NIXON is by far the most nuanced， dispassionate life of the president I've ever read。 He emerges as a contradictory， nuanced human who， unfortunately， goes further and further into the dark side of his character as he gets older。 We'll never know， of course， but it may well be that if he had become president in 1960 until eight years later he may indeed have been one of our best （though even then his demons were already comfortably at home; they just hadn't taken over yet）。 I've always thaought NIXON is by far the most nuanced， dispassionate life of the president I've ever read。 He emerges as a contradictory， nuanced human who， unfortunately， goes further and further into the dark side of his character as he gets older。 We'll never know， of course， but it may well be that if he had become president in 1960 until eight years later he may indeed have been one of our best （though even then his demons were already comfortably at home; they just hadn't taken over yet）。 I've always thaought that the tragedy of Richard Nixon is that he usually knew the correct moral path but ultimately lacked the self-confidence to follow it， preferring instead to take the easier，more devious， route。 。。。more
Tanya Faberson
，
I thought this was a great biography of Nixon。 Definitely recommend for a well-balanced， fair， and highly detailed account of Nixon's life。 I thought this was a great biography of Nixon。 Definitely recommend for a well-balanced， fair， and highly detailed account of Nixon's life。 。。。more
Dominic Büschi
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Nixon was elected US president the month I was born。 So I have no firsthand recollection whatsoever of him。 But because of Watergate and the Tricky Dicky moniker， he's still notorious and somehow morbidly fascinating。This biography was marketed as a timely read in the Trump era （it sat on my shelf for a year， so Trump was gone before I started reading） and I can see why: It seems that RN wrote the playbook on how to whip up identity politics for personal gain and to hell with the consequences。It Nixon was elected US president the month I was born。 So I have no firsthand recollection whatsoever of him。 But because of Watergate and the Tricky Dicky moniker， he's still notorious and somehow morbidly fascinating。This biography was marketed as a timely read in the Trump era （it sat on my shelf for a year， so Trump was gone before I started reading） and I can see why: It seems that RN wrote the playbook on how to whip up identity politics for personal gain and to hell with the consequences。It's an absorbing and stimulating read， beautifully written and surprisingly easy reading。 Farrell is not unsympathetic to Nixon and depicts the intelligence and the inner conflicts of this complex， shy and insecure man well。 Nixon comes across as a fully fleshed character and at times I even rooted for him。 He did despicable things but also managed to do some good。 Highly recommended！ 。。。more
Marcelo Galeti
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Good book。 It starts when he was young and a member of the US Military but I was looking for something more related with his last mandate so I didn’t like so much and ended not reading until the end。
Mark
，
Outstanding。 A superb and readable insight into a president who， until recently， was the US's most notorious。 Outstanding。 A superb and readable insight into a president who， until recently， was the US's most notorious。 。。。more
Nonstoplink
，
A very insightful look into Nixon's life。 A very insightful look into Nixon's life。 。。。more
Patrick Kelley
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Writing a biography has to be one of the most difficult tasks a writer can attempt。 John Farrell has given the world a great gift in this book。 It spans Richard Nixon's entire life。 It explains so much。 His childhood was not unusual and definitely not "privileged"。 What I learned （unexpectedly） was the influence of his Quaker mother。 His humble origins。 The part that bothers me most， I understand those things。 Nixon used those as motivations。 What bothers me after reading the book， is how his ch Writing a biography has to be one of the most difficult tasks a writer can attempt。 John Farrell has given the world a great gift in this book。 It spans Richard Nixon's entire life。 It explains so much。 His childhood was not unusual and definitely not "privileged"。 What I learned （unexpectedly） was the influence of his Quaker mother。 His humble origins。 The part that bothers me most， I understand those things。 Nixon used those as motivations。 What bothers me after reading the book， is how his challenges turned to resentment。 In the end he was just like the others he resented so greatly。 It is a challenge conservatives face today。 Nixon flailed against the "establishment" without ever recognizing he was the establishment too。 He hated the east coast media and elite politicians。 I'm just not sure after reading this book I can see a difference between him and his enemies。 Not so different from political clashes today。 When it becomes just personal， it goes off the rails。 My only complaint about the book is that no one comes across blameless or maybe even redeemable。 In writing about Nixon， Farrell may have himself， come to see too much of the world through Nixon's eyes。 Everyone is a threat。 Everyone behaves badly。 All of that justifies everything to stay in power。 Not an uplifting message。 I believe in a better world than that。 Nixon's mother would have known about the Quakers' view of "that of God" in every man。 For Richard Nixon however， maybe the Peanuts' cartoon where Linus says "I love mankind， it's people I can't stand" fits best in explaining the Nixon in Farrell's book。 。。。more
The other John
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Richard Nixon is the first president I remember from my childhood。 Not well， mind you。 I knew his name and， later， that he was involved in the Watergate scandal and resigned before he could be impeached。 That was enough to establish him in my childish mind as a bad president。This book didn't change my mind， even though my concept of a "bad president" has grown to be slightly more nuanced。 Mr。 Farrell presents a man who was willing to play dirty and sacrifice others to accomplish his goals。 But a Richard Nixon is the first president I remember from my childhood。 Not well， mind you。 I knew his name and， later， that he was involved in the Watergate scandal and resigned before he could be impeached。 That was enough to establish him in my childish mind as a bad president。This book didn't change my mind， even though my concept of a "bad president" has grown to be slightly more nuanced。 Mr。 Farrell presents a man who was willing to play dirty and sacrifice others to accomplish his goals。 But also a man who wanted to do good for the American people and was willing to work hard for it。 The tragedy is that Nixon's personal ambitions and prejudices would win out over his ideals。 The story of Nixon's life， as presented here， is one that is very political。 Once past World War II， the tale gives a inside picture of the political world， first in California and then in Washington D。C。 Like many of the presidential biographies I've read recently， this book has been showing me how the world I grew up in--the world I assumed back then "just was"--came to be。 Check it out。 。。。more
Vincent Lombardo
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A good biography should meet the following criteria:1。tThe author shows that the subject made a significant contribution to history or to the subject’s field。2。tThe biography is well-written， not just a laundry list of facts about the subject， but novelistic in style， with a sense of drama。3。tThe author doesn’t just know the subject but understands the subject， and provides insights that have never before been provided about the subject。This is a terrific biography！ John A。 Farrell meets and sur A good biography should meet the following criteria:1。tThe author shows that the subject made a significant contribution to history or to the subject’s field。2。tThe biography is well-written， not just a laundry list of facts about the subject， but novelistic in style， with a sense of drama。3。tThe author doesn’t just know the subject but understands the subject， and provides insights that have never before been provided about the subject。This is a terrific biography！ John A。 Farrell meets and surpasses all of the above criteria。 I am well acquainted with Nixon， having lived through his Presidency and having read much about him and his Presidency。 But there is so much here that I did not know before: his hardscrabble， impoverished childhood; his relationship with his difficult father; his personal kindnesses; his long record on civil rights， both before and during his Presidency; his drinking; and the depth of his insecurity， restlessness， duplicity， and paranoia。 Farrell treats Nixon fairly， but the whole life is here， the good， the bad， and the ugly。 I never liked Nixon; in fact， I despised him。 But after reading this book， I saw qualities in Nixon which I admired， as well as qualities which I abhorred。 If you want to understand Nixon the President and Nixon the Man， then read this book！ 。。。more
James
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A fascinating time to be reading this book！
George
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Excellent， thorough， balanced account of a fascinating individual。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Richard Nixon: the life
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Richard Nixon: the life&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft