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  • Richard Nixon

  • The Life
  • By: John A. Farrell
  • Narrated by: Dan Woren
  • Length: 28 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (132 ratings)
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Richard Nixon cover art

Richard Nixon

By: John A. Farrell
Narrated by: Dan Woren
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Summary

Brilliantly researched, authoritatively crafted by a prize-winning biographer, this is the Nixon we've been waiting for.

Richard Nixon opens with young navy lieutenant "Nick" Nixon returning from the Pacific and setting his cap at Congress, an idealistic dreamer seeking to build a better world. Yet amid the turns of that now legendary 1946 campaign, Nixon's finer attributes quickly gave way to unapologetic ruthlessness. It is a stunning overture to John A. Farrell's magisterial portrait of a man who embodied postwar American cynicism.

Within four years of that first win, Nixon would be a US senator, in six the vice president of the United States of America. "Few came so far, so fast, and so alone," Farrell writes. Finally president, Nixon's staff was full of bright young men who 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.

Nixon had another legacy, too: an America divided and polarized. 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 elites. He persuaded Americans to gnaw, as he did, on grievances - and to look at one another as enemies. Finally, in August 1974, after two years of the mesmerizing intrigue and scandal known as Watergate, Nixon became the only president to resign in disgrace.

Richard Nixon is an enthralling tour de force biography of our darkest president, one that reviewers will hail as a defining portrait, and the full life of Nixon listeners have awaited.

©2017 John A. Farrell (P)2017 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

"Farrell's blockbuster portrait of Nixon is revelatory - filled with fresh reporting shedding new light on the roots of our own dark political moment. He shows that dirty tricks, October Surprises, and anti-elitist resentment were among the gifts Nixon bequeathed to our own presidential politics." (Jane Mayer, author of Dark Money: The Hidden History of the Billionaires Behind the Rise of the Radical Right)
"John A. Farrell has once again delivered a rich, precisely written portrait of the past to help us understand the present. He traces the origins and turning points of one of the most complex, complicated and fascinating presidents of the modern age with flair and narrative skill. Each page is a joy to read, on the way to a very satisfying whole." (John Dickerson, moderator of CBS' Face the Nation and author of Whistlestop: My Favorite Stories from Presidential Campaign History)
"Richard Nixon's political career has all the nooks and crannies of an English muffin: the red-baiting of the early campaigns; Checkers; the Great Debates of 1960; the comeback in '68; the inheritance and horror of Vietnam; the historic opening to China; the shame of Watergate. In Richard Nixon, John A. Farrell is tough and unyielding, yet gives his subject a fair hearing through each gripping episode. 'I'm not a quitter,' Nixon once protested, and this grand, indispensable book proves him right, right to the end." (Chris Matthews, author of Kennedy & Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Post-war America)

What listeners say about Richard Nixon

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  • 11-05-17

Outstanding biography of the man

Too many biographies of men of consequence turn into histories of those events and times , not here. This is a portrait of the man from humble beginnings to the end.

I have listened to about 15 books on the Nixon presidency and it was fresh to me to hear about the early days, first campaigns etc. We are treated to an exciting narrative of the Hiss scandal.

This book was balanced and fair so unfortunately lacking in the justifiable hate for the man. Many people looking to satisfy a prejudice against him or for him will find plenty of material here to satisfy a preexisting bias but actually this is fine professional history. I noticed gaps such as Nixon's junkets in the wilderness years, his dark dealings with foreign powers especially Iran (see Oil Kings by Cooper on Audible) and the midnight prayer with Kissinger (see Nixon and Kissinger by Dalek on Audible). And was sad when we skip quickly through the Yom Kippur war. I wanted to see that but if it was that detailed it would be 100 hours long.

Overall.. 5/5 for enjoyable sweep over a complex man. This is better for not being a history of the Nixon years, it is good to see it sticking to the man not the times.

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9 people found this helpful

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Pretty Good

Good biography. Lots of focus on the less well-known aspects of Nixon's life (his childhood, stint in the war, early congressional career and Vice Presidency) but still an interesting enough focus on the more well-known aspects (Watergate). It doesn't hide from the ugly aspects of Nixon, but every now and then it does a good job of humanising him - there are lots of little commentaries on his psychology, his insecurities and his being 'Frank's son'. Narrators voice was soothing without being monotonous. It's not as academic as the other biographies or history books, but that's why its more entertaining and a good read. I would really recommend it to someone who is interested in Nixon and wants a solid, comprehensive overview of his life, his character and his driving forces.

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2 people found this helpful

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Outstanding

This is a brilliant audiobook. It is comprehensive, balanced and engaging. I fully recommend it.

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good listen, great overview

it's a bit weird in the beginning it seems to get straight into mid life nixon and then they go back to his origins around chapter 3. but aside from this it follows Nixon all through the stages of his life and is a great overview. I was left feeling sorry for him and overwhelmed at his self righteousness. I would reccomend this book

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Magnificent

I’m a Watergate and Nixon obsessive and I enjoyed every minute of it. Highly recommended.

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Excellent 👍

Very detailed account of the life of one of America's most interesting political figures from the 20th century.

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Fascinating story of a fascinating man

Henry Kissinger notes that his old boss, Richard Nixon, was a figure out of a Greek tragedy. Truer words are seldom spoken. This is a great biography of a great, but critically flawed, man and one whose consequential legacy is too often overlooked.

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Great listen

Interesting story. Nixon grew up poor and had many things working against him. A little less paranoia and he wouldn't have paved the way to Watergate, ending his presidency like that.

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Really interesting profile

Really interesting to learn about 'Mr Evil' and understand his motivations and accomplishments. I really recommend this book.

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Incredibly interesting

Nixon, like most interesting people, was a contradictory mix of good and bad. I think we sometimes forget that people we simply classify as "evil" or "dishonest" etc. are in fact often unable to control their behaviours and impulses and are all too aware of their own shortcomings and strange idiosyncrasies and how this prevents them from ever operating normally in society, which in itself is punishment enough for these lost, lonely souls. Until listening to this audio book I considered Richard Nixon as merely a selfish and one dimensional crook. He was of course much more than that and I came away from this listen with a new found empathy for him and indeed I actually felt sorry for the man; a highly intelligent yet socially awkward person who yearned for people to like him but yet inadvertently drove them away. I think the fact that he realised fully his effect on people makes it all the more poignant. A well-balanced biography; neither vilifies him nor tries to protect him, just presents him as a human - a man with numerous positive and negative attributes.

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