One man against the world
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
15
Ratings3
Average rating3.7
Draws on recently declassified documents to chronicle one of the most disastrous presidencies in U.S. history, presenting a portrait of a brilliant man overcome by his deep insecurities and his distrust of his cabinet, Congress, and the American people.
Here is the first history of President Richard Nixon covering all of his secret tapes and documents, many declassified in the past two years. Award-winning journalist Tim Weiner presents a devastating portrait of a tortured and tormented man, showing how, in Nixon's mind, the conflict in Vietnam and the crimes of Watergate were one war, fought on two fronts. He trusted no one--not his Cabinet, not his closest advisers, not the American people. Elected to unite a nation as discordant as it was at the close of the Civil War, Nixon disdained domestic policies and programs. He wanted above all to create what he called "a generation of peace"--by asking the world's leading Communist dictators to help him end the Vietnam War. He saw antiwar American citizens as opponents no less dangerous than the enemy in Vietnam. Gripped by rage and insomnia, he fought his foes without mercy. Abroad, his best weapons were B-52 bombers. At home, he used undercover agents, warrantless wiretaps, break-ins, and burglaries. Almost all his presidency is recorded on tape or preserved on paper, creating a remarkable record of the most intimate and damning conversations. Only recently, after forty years of struggle, has much of this jaw-dropping information been made public. Nixon saw himself not only as the leader of the free world but "the world leader"--yet he was addicted to the gutter politics that ruined him. His political suicide has no equal in American history. --Adapted from book jacket.
Reviews with the most likes.
Richard Nixon was a legitimately terrifying human being. Triply so because he was president. I never figured him for a super great guy, but the Nixon depicted in this book is clinically paranoid, petty and far more vindictive than he has any right to be. You need a little background for this book, which is the only reason I left off a star - it's an accounting of the secrets that have come out of Nixon's presidency only in this millennium as the secret tapes and documents have been made public.
In a weird way, Nixon was right: It's far better for the United States that the things he did, said and thought were kept from people. However, the ultimate tragedy (for Nixon, sure, but for the rest of us as well) is that it's only true because Nixon was given power - if he weren't so awful, we wouldn't have needed the secrecy.
I thought Legacy of Ashes was a great book. It had a great narrative and was fact filled. For being a non-fiction book it read like a spy thriller. The writer obviously had a great deal of passion for the subject and that energy showed in the prose. Enemies was a really good book. The narrative was also solid, as following Hoover's life provided a solid basis to tell the story of the FBI. I was looking forward to One Man Against the World. I thought Weiner would tackle Nixon' life in the way he went through Hoover's. It doesn't. The exhaustive, thoughtful analysis found in Weiner's two previous books is missing here. The progression through Nixon's life is relatively routine. Supporting characters in Nixon's life come and go without much rhyme or reason. Pat Nixon barely appears. Watergate is discussed for several chapters, but a lot of information has been covered in other places in better detail. The whole book seems rushed.
Making matters worse is that Nixonland was released before this book. Even though that book doesn't get into Watergate, it tells the story of the rise and fall of Richard Nixon in the context of history in a highly superior way. The first two-thirds of this book goes over the same ground as Nixonland, but the latter book does it in a superior manner. I walked away from Nixonland and felt I understood why Nixon did what he did. I didn't get the same feeling with this book.
