On the Road cover art

On the Road

Adventures from Nixon to Trump

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On the Road

By: James Naughtie
Narrated by: James Naughtie
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About this listen

 The acclaimed author and BBC broadcaster on US politics and the American dream, from Richard Nixon to Donald Trump.

James Naughtie, the acclaimed author and BBC broadcaster, now brings his unique and inquisitive eye to the country that has fascinated him and drawn him across the Atlantic for half a century. In looking at America, from Presidents Nixon through to Biden, he tells the story of a country that is grappling with a dream. What has it come to mean in the new century, and who do Americans now think they are?

Drawing on his travels and encounters over forty years in the ‘Land of the Free’, On The Road is filled with anecdotes, memories, tears and laughter reflecting Naughtie’s characteristic warmth and enthusiasm in encountering the America of Washington, of Broadway, of the small town and the plains. As a student, Naughtie watched the fall of President Richard Nixon in 1974, and subsequently as a journalist followed the story of the country – its politicians, artists, wheeler-dealers and the people who make it what it is, in the New York melting pot or the western deserts. This is a story filled with encounters, for example with the people he has watched on every presidential campaign from the late 1970s to the victory of Joe Biden in 2020.

This edition is fully updated to include Naughtie's fascinating insights on the controversial presidential election battle in 2020 between Donald Trump and Joe Biden.©2020 Jim Naughtie. All rights reserved (P)2020 Simon & Schuster, UK. All Rights Reserved. Politicians Politics & Activism Politics & Government United States World Richard Nixon Thought-Provoking Dwight Eisenhower

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Critic reviews

'Everything you would expect of a James Naughtie book - droll, absorbing and wonderfully perceptive.' (Bill Bryson)
'Naughtie has been there, done that and got the bumper sticker. Now 50 years of adventuring is distilled into a revealing and at times spellbinding tapestry of a nation in all its glories and complexities…This is the rarest of reads, a book that makes you ache to hop on a plane and sample this extraordinary country for yourself. It is thought-provoking, constantly surprising and hugely entertaining. Sublime stuff.’ (Michael Simkins)
'It's a fascinating pleasure to encounter an outsider who sees America clearly with fresh eyes.' (P.J.O'Rourke)
'This book is first a memoir of his experiences which have included covering every Presidential election from Reagan to Trump... There are lively descriptions and acute observations of politicians in action... Delightful and always informative... This is an illuminating and thoroughly enjoyable book.' (Allan Massie)
'An insightful account of living through momentous times...much to enjoy in Naughtie's astute memoir.' (Martin Chilton)
All stars
Most relevant
Excellent insightful writing and superb presentation. must be Non Fiction Book of the Year. IMHO.

Superb storytelling .

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Entertaining and educational. Essential reading before the coming election in 2020. Not for Trump supporters unless they want the truth.

Read this now!

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Really good book. Recommended to all those trying to figure out what is happening to America right now. You walk away with a better idea of how important political leadership is, and what happens when it doesn't exist - a deeply divided society that, probably, can only healed in the aftermath of a traumatic or cathartic event. The mark of leadership in politics is bringing people of different ilk and creed along the same path.

Best analysis of American politics in years.

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Naughtie’s atmospheric evocation of everyday America digs deep beneath the surface. It is elegant and elegiac, suffused with melancholy and a sense of loss of a USA now just out of reach. You get a feeling for the country and its people but also a sense the America visited in earlier years is a ghostly echo of the country it has become. I am left feeling less hopeful about the future of the USA but with a much greater understanding of how we have arrived at this point.

Elegant and enlightening

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Expertly woven detail with wry observation. A wonderfully evocative account of a fascination with USA politics over many decades. Perfectly combines the personal with arch of history. A must listen for anyone who lives American politics.

Brilliant brilliant brilliant!

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