Being Nixon

The New York Times bestselling author of Ike's Bluff and Sea of Thunder brings new life to one of American history's most infamous, paradoxical, and enigmatic politicians- Richard Nixon. Dispensing with the myths to achieve an intimate and evenhanded look at the man himself, Evan Thomas delivers the best single-volume biography of Nixon to date, a radically different portrait of a complicated figure who was both determinedly optimistic and tragically flawed.

About the Author :
Evan Thomas is the author of nine books: "The Wise Men" (with Walter Isaacson), "The Man to See, The Very Best Men, Robert Kennedy, John Paul Jones, Sea of Thunder, The War Lovers, " "Ike s Bluff, "and" Being Nixon." "John Paul Jones "and" Sea of Thunder" were "New York Times" bestsellers. Thomas was a writer, correspondent, and editor for thirty-three years at "Time "and" Newsweek, "including ten years (1986 96) as Washington bureau chief at "Newsweek, " where, at the time of his retirement in 2010, he was editor at large. He wrote more than one hundred cover stories and in 1999 won a National Magazine Award. He wrote "Newsweek" s fifty-thousand-word election specials in 1996, 2000, 2004 (winner of a National Magazine Award), and 2008. He has appeared on many TV and radio talk shows, including "Meet the Press "and" The Colbert Report, " and has been a guest on PBS s "Charlie Rose" more than forty times. The author of dozens of book reviews for "The New York Times "and" The Washington Post, " Thomas has taught writing and journalism at Harvard and Princeton, where, from 2007 to 2014, he was Ferris Professor of Journalism."

Review :
A biography of eloquence and breadth . . . No single volume about Nixon s long and interesting life could be so comprehensive. " Chicago Tribune" Terrifically engaging . . . a fair, insightful and highly entertaining portrait of the thirty-seventh president . . ."Being Nixon"should be read by anyone with a more open mind about the oddest man ever to occupy the Oval Office. Max Boot, "The Wall Street Journal" "" [A] fully rounded portrait, carefully pairing each indictment of Nixon with a mitigating perspective . . . Thomas has a fine eye for the telling quote and the funny vignette, and his style is eminently readable. "The New York Times Book Review" "" From Nixon s hardscrabble California childhood to his post-presidential exile, Thomas proves an amiable and fair-minded tour guide. . . . The result, in Thomas s rendering, is a man of intertwined threads, in some ways the personification of the contending passions of American life of the period. "The Boston Globe" How self-aware are the great men of history? That s the fascinating question at the heart of Evan Thomas s new book on Richard Nixon. . . . Here in one sharp and briskly written volume is what you really want to know about the great and horrible thirty-seventh President: How could someone so wise about the world be so utterly clueless about himself? . . . [Nixon] is revealed in Thomas s hands as awkward, striving, victimized and alone strange habits for a man who opted for such a public life, and traits that carried the seeds of his destruction. "Time" Ambitious . . . Thomas s book is filled with anecdotes that humanize Nixon. There are pages suggesting real insight and, especially, how the president was seen by those around him. . . . There are well-crafted word-pictures of Nixon throughout the narrative, from his legendary awkwardness to his catastrophic frustration and vindictive rage. Carl Bernstein, "The Washington Post" A well-written and balanced account . . . gracefully written and highly readable . . . [Thomas s] interest goes to the man himself, like most of us a man of contradictions, a man with a dark and light side, with the dark side often leading to disastrous decisions, encouraged by his increasingly tight circle of self-serving advisers. "The Washington Times" [Nixon s] oddity, more than any policy choices or impeachable crimes, is the subject of this book, which is marked by unexpected and startling empathy. . . . One feels for Nixon. "The New Yorker" [A] glossy, armchair-ready biography . . . [a] book in tune with our time. It s a trick of fate that Nixon, a sitting president who experienced a version of supersize public shaming, might have appreciated for its futuristic appeal. Instead of being passively read, "Being Nixon" invites argument. "The New York Times" What was it really like to be Richard Nixon? Evan Thomas tackles this fascinating question by peeling back the layers of a man driven by a poignant mix of optimism and fear. The result is both insightful history and an astonishingly compelling psychological portrait of an anxious introvert who struggled to be a transformative statesman. Walter Isaacson, author of"Steve Jobs" "" An infamous, polarizing, and enigmatic political figure President Richard Nixon comes to life in a surprising and engaging look at a man capable of great bravery and extraordinary deviousness. "Publishers Weekly" As Thomas s biographical and sometimes psychobiographical study builds, it becomes ever more unlikely that Nixon, a loner in the constituency-pleasing game of politics, could ever have succeeded. . . . This is one of the better books on Nixon in the recent crop. "Kirkus Reviews" The great Evan Thomas has brought us a measured, concise, and important American biography. Now that the shouting and tumult have faded and Richard Nixon moves from our contemporary politics toward history, Thomas offers wise insights, based on many new sources, achieving what might have seemed impossible: He has rendered a new Nixon who, in vital and unexpected ways, is very different from the character about whom, for the past seventy years, so much has been said and written. Michael Beschloss, author of "Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789 1989" Richard Nixon is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in American history. In this poignant, revealing, and compellingly readable book, Evan Thomas makes him human. Jay Winik, author of "April 1865 and The Great Upheaval" In the sprawling literature surrounding the only American president to resign from office, " Being Nixon" stands apart. For while many have praised or damned Richard Nixon from afar, poked and prodded at his psyche and tapes, struggled to understand the mysterious sources of his enduring communion with the American spirit, Evan Thomas is the first writer daring enough to aspire to "be" Nixon. The result is a supremely rewarding portrait, refined yet readable, unsparing and generous, rich in history with fresh research and evidence: a new Nixon for the twenty-first century, innovative and invaluable. James Rosen, Fox News chief Washington correspondent and author of "The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate"" How self-aware are the great men of history? That s the fascinating question at the heart of Evan Thomas s new book on Richard Nixon. . . . Here in one sharp and briskly written volume is what you really want to know about the great and horrible thirty-seventh President: How could someone so wise about the world be so utterly clueless about himself? . . . [Nixon] is revealed in Thomas s hands as awkward, striving, victimized and alone strange habits for a man who opted for such a public life, and traits that carried the seeds of his destruction. "Time" [A] fully rounded portrait, carefully pairing each indictment of Nixon with a mitigating perspective . . . Thomas has a fine eye for the telling quote and the funny vignette, and his style is eminently readable. "The New York Times Book Review" "" Terrifically engaging . . . a fair, insightful and highly entertaining portrait of the thirty-seventh president . . . "Being Nixon" should be read by anyone with a more open mind about the oddest man ever to occupy the Oval Office. Max Boot, "The Wall Street Journal" "" Ambitious . . . Thomas s book is filled with anecdotes that humanize Nixon. There are pages suggesting real insight and, especially, how the president was seen by those around him. . . . There are well-crafted word-pictures of Nixon throughout the narrative, from his legendary awkwardness to his catastrophic frustration and vindictive rage. Carl Bernstein, "The Washington Post" From Nixon s hardscrabble California childhood to his post-presidential exile, Thomas proves an amiable and fair-minded tour guide. . . . The result, in Thomas s rendering, is a man of intertwined threads, in some ways the personification of the contending passions of American life of the period. "The Boston Globe" A well-written and balanced account . . . gracefully written and highly readable . . . [Thomas s] interest goes to the man himself, like most of us a man of contradictions, a man with a dark and light side, with the dark side often leading to disastrous decisions, encouraged by his increasingly tight circle of self-serving advisers. "The Washington Times" [Nixon s] oddity, more than any policy choices or impeachable crimes, is the subject of this book, which is marked by unexpected and startling empathy. . . . One feels for Nixon. "The New Yorker" [A] glossy, armchair-ready biography . . . [a] book in tune with our time. It s a trick of fate that Nixon, a sitting president who experienced a version of supersize public shaming, might have appreciated for its futuristic appeal. Instead of being passively read, "Being Nixon" invites argument. "The New York Times" What was it really like to be Richard Nixon? Evan Thomas tackles this fascinating question by peeling back the layers of a man driven by a poignant mix of optimism and fear. The result is both insightful history and an astonishingly compelling psychological portrait of an anxious introvert who struggled to be a transformative statesman. Walter Isaacson, author of"Steve Jobs" "" An infamous, polarizing, and enigmatic political figure President Richard Nixon comes to life in a surprising and engaging look at a man capable of great bravery and extraordinary deviousness. "Publishers Weekly" As Thomas s biographical and sometimes psychobiographical study builds, it becomes ever more unlikely that Nixon, a loner in the constituency-pleasing game of politics, could ever have succeeded. . . . This is one of the better books on Nixon in the recent crop. "Kirkus Reviews" The great Evan Thomas has brought us a measured, concise, and important American biography. Now that the shouting and tumult have faded and Richard Nixon moves from our contemporary politics toward history, Thomas offers wise insights, based on many new sources, achieving what might have seemed impossible: He has rendered a new Nixon who, in vital and unexpected ways, is very different from the character about whom, for the past seventy years, so much has been said and written. Michael Beschloss, author of "Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789 1989" Richard Nixon is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in American history. In this poignant, revealing, and compellingly readable book, Evan Thomas makes him human. Jay Winik, author of "April 1865 and The Great Upheaval" In the sprawling literature surrounding the only American president to resign from office, " Being Nixon" stands apart. For while many have praised or damned Richard Nixon from afar, poked and prodded at his psyche and tapes, struggled to understand the mysterious sources of his enduring communion with the American spirit, Evan Thomas is the first writer daring enough to aspire to "be" Nixon. The result is a supremely rewarding portrait, refined yet readable, unsparing and generous, rich in history with fresh research and evidence: a new Nixon for the twenty-first century, innovative and invaluable. James Rosen, Fox News chief Washington correspondent and author of "The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate"" [A] fully rounded portrait, carefully pairing each indictment of Nixon with a mitigating perspective . . . [Evan] Thomas has a fine eye for the telling quote and the funny vignette, and his style is eminently readable. "The New York Times Book Review" "" Terrifically engaging . . . a fair, insightful and highly entertaining portrait of the thirty-seventh president . . . "Being Nixon" should be read by anyone with a more open mind about the oddest man ever to occupy the Oval Office. Max Boot, "The Wall Street Journal" "" An infamous, polarizing, and enigmatic political figure President Richard Nixon comes to life in a surprising and engaging look at a man capable of great bravery and extraordinary deviousness. "Publishers Weekly" As Thomas s biographical and sometimes psychobiographical study builds, it becomes ever more unlikely that Nixon, a loner in the constituency-pleasing game of politics, could ever have succeeded. . . . This is one of the better books on Nixon in the recent crop. "Kirkus Reviews" The great Evan Thomas has brought us a measured, concise, and important American biography. Now that the shouting and tumult have faded and Richard Nixon moves from our contemporary politics toward history, Thomas offers wise insights, based on many new sources, achieving what might have seemed impossible: He has rendered a new Nixon who, in vital and unexpected ways, is very different from the character about whom, for the past seventy years, so much has been said and written. Michael Beschloss, author of "Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789 1989" Richard Nixon is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in American history. In this poignant, revealing, and compellingly readable book, Evan Thomas makes him human. Jay Winik, author of "April 1865 and The Great Upheaval" What was it really like to be Richard Nixon? Evan Thomas tackles this fascinating question by peeling back the layers of a man driven by a poignant mix of optimism and fear. The result is both insightful history and an astonishingly compelling psychological portrait of an anxious introvert who struggled to be a transformative statesman. Walter Isaacson, author of" Steve Jobs" "" In the sprawling literature surrounding the only American president to resign from office, " Being Nixon" stands apart. For while many have praised or damned Richard Nixon from afar, poked and prodded at his psyche and tapes, struggled to understand the mysterious sources of his enduring communion with the American spirit, Evan Thomas is the first writer daring enough to aspire to "be" Nixon. The result is a supremely rewarding portrait, refined yet readable, unsparing and generous, rich in history with fresh research and evidence: a new Nixon for the twenty-first century, innovative and invaluable. James Rosen, Fox News chief Washington correspondent and author of "The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate"" Advance praise for" Being Nixon" The great Evan Thomas has brought us a measured, concise, and important American biography. Now that the shouting and tumult have faded and Richard Nixon moves from our contemporary politics toward history, Thomas offers wise insights, based on many new sources, achieving what might have seemed impossible: He has rendered a new Nixon who, in vital and unexpected ways, is very different from the character about whom, for the past seventy years, so much has been said and written. Michael Beschloss, author of "Presidential Courage: Brave Leaders and How They Changed America 1789 1989" Richard Nixon is one of the most complex and fascinating characters in American history. In this poignant, revealing, and compellingly readable book, Evan Thomas makes him human. Jay Winik, author of "April 1865 and The Great Upheaval" What was it really like to be Richard Nixon? Evan Thomas tackles this fascinating question by peeling back the layers of a man driven by a poignant mix of optimism and fear. The result is both insightful history and an astonishingly compelling psychological portrait of an anxious introvert who struggled to be a transformative statesman. Walter Isaacson, author of" Steve Jobs" "" In the sprawling literature surrounding the only American president to resign from office, " Being Nixon" stands apart. For while many have praised or damned Richard Nixon from afar, poked and prodded at his psyche and tapes, struggled to understand the mysterious sources of his enduring communion with the American spirit, Evan Thomas is the first writer daring enough to aspire to "be" Nixon. The result is a supremely rewarding portrait, refined yet readable, unsparing and generous, rich in history with fresh research and evidence: a new Nixon for the twenty-first century, innovative and invaluable. James Rosen, Fox News chief Washington correspondent and author of "The Strong Man: John Mitchell and the Secrets of Watergate""