Rating: 
Summary: Interesting Insight into a Complex Man
Review: Richard Nixon will forever go down in history as one of the most memorable of US Presidents. Not for his accomplishments, as he had always envisioned, but for his failures.In "RN", written, in my opinion, too closely after his resignation, Nixon seeks to tell his side of the Watergate story, as well as give the reader a glimpse into his meteoric rise and abrupt halt as GOP "star." Using his now infamous notes, Nixon shares with the reader his side of the Alger Hiss trial that propelled him to instant stardom within the House and into the US Senate. President Eisenhower suprised many with his unlikely choice of Nixon as Vice Presidential candidate, a position that placed him in a delicate position in light of his position in the Hiss trial. The Eisenhower administration was now in the position of finding a way to get rid of Joe McCarthy or face the wrath of an exasperated American population. His campaign against John F. Kennedy was the closest in history (until 2000) that many think embittered him for life. A loss in the California Governor's race seemed to further embitter him, but he came back with a splash. He attempts to minimize his involvement in Watergate, saying he was "misled" and "lied too." However, most historians are somewhat skeptical of those claims. The work should be read, if only for the fact that everyone is entilted to tell their side of the story.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting Insight into a Complex Man
Review: Richard Nixon will forever go down in history as one of the most memorable of US Presidents. Not for his accomplishments, as he had always envisioned, but for his failures. In "RN", written, in my opinion, too closely after his resignation, Nixon seeks to tell his side of the Watergate story, as well as give the reader a glimpse into his meteoric rise and abrupt halt as GOP "star." Using his now infamous notes, Nixon shares with the reader his side of the Alger Hiss trial that propelled him to instant stardom within the House and into the US Senate. President Eisenhower suprised many with his unlikely choice of Nixon as Vice Presidential candidate, a position that placed him in a delicate position in light of his position in the Hiss trial. The Eisenhower administration was now in the position of finding a way to get rid of Joe McCarthy or face the wrath of an exasperated American population. His campaign against John F. Kennedy was the closest in history (until 2000) that many think embittered him for life. A loss in the California Governor's race seemed to further embitter him, but he came back with a splash. He attempts to minimize his involvement in Watergate, saying he was "misled" and "lied too." However, most historians are somewhat skeptical of those claims. The work should be read, if only for the fact that everyone is entilted to tell their side of the story.
Rating: 
Summary: Man of Myths
Review: This was one of those books where I accepted the points the author made, but disagreed with the conclusions. Nixon [painfully] recalled the events surrounding Watergate. Clearly, the press and Congress were out of control and acted shamefully (creating false charges, leaking national security information, etc), but this did not exonerate Nixon's actions. Clearly, Nixon did not set any evil precedents for Presidential behavior; he merely got caught lurking around a political blackhole destined to suck in a president at some point in history. Nixon's behavior could probably even be construed as "wholesome" vis-à-vis most of his predecessors. But, again, this still did not exonerate his actions. Nixon's book gave me more respect as well as less respect for politicians. I came to appreciate the emotional extremes of winning and losing - simply surviving?! - in political life as well as the strength of character required to face inevitable adversity inseparable from a life in politics. I also gained a sense of the extreme measures some people [honestly...mostly his opponents] were willing to go to hurt others for no particularly inspiring or justifiable reason. As much as what Nixon said, what he didn't say stood out in my mind. Nixon was able to produce stunning feats of foreign diplomacy through principled negotiation from a position of strength coupled with a sincere interest to develop strong personal relationships with world leaders [though having Henry Kissinger on the team didn't hurt]. Nixon applied only half this formula to Congress and never took the time to develop mutually respectful relationships with key Democrats. Despite having received campaign contributions from Democratic leaders during his easy victory over McGovern, Nixon started his second term by declaring war on government - on an inept Congress and on a bureaucratic executive branch - rather than seizing the opportunity to bring people together. He should have learned from his foreign policy successes. All considered, Nixon wrote a fascinating study of his life. And, if you don't like it, just toss it on the fire (i.e. its about five trees worth of paper)...
Rating:
Summary: The stunning look into the life of a great American.
Review: We are taken on an insiders journey into the life of Richard Nixon. His life starts from the beginning, and weaved for us is a story of a rise to power by one the greatest Presidents ever.
Rating: 
Summary: Self-serving
Review: When this book was published, the biggest news was its price. It was the first mass-marketed book to sell for $20. Remember? Not much else about the book is memorable. His retelling of the Hiss case reads like a good detective story and is the best part of the book. Virtually everything else, however, is an uncomfortable mix of bitterness, evasion, and regret. It is clear that, when he wrote this book, his defeat in 1960 at the hands of John F. Kennedy still ate at him, as did his defeat in 1962 when he ran for governor of California. He fumes about John Dean, but never offers any persuasive reason why. His discussion of the firing of Archibald Cox is perfunctory, as are his comments about the damning tapes subpoenaed by Leon Jaworski in 1974. As to Watergate generally, he neither admits any wrongdoing nor offers any real explanation by which to exonerate himself. Nixon started writing this book as soon as he was out of office. It probably owes its tone to the fact that, when he wrote it, he had not yet shaken the defensive, defiant attitude that characterized his final year as president. Perhaps if had waited some years before writing his memoirs, the distance would have made it possible for him to be more detached and candid.
| 
