by Evan Thomas
First published 2015
Evan Thomas examines Richard Nixon through a fresh lens in this comprehensive biography. The New York Times bestselling author moves past familiar caricatures to explore the contradictions that defined America's thirty-seventh president. Thomas traces Nixon's journey from his Quaker upbringing through his rise to power, showing how a painfully shy man who avoided eye contact became a master politician. The author reveals how Nixon could deliver the tearjerking Checkers speech while simultaneously plotting against his enemies. Thomas draws on extensive historical sources to illuminate Nixon's foreign policy triumphs, including détente with the Soviet Union and opening relations with China, alongside the underhanded tactics that earned him the nickname Tricky Dick. The biography shows Nixon as both architect of the modern Republican Party and surprising liberal on issues like school desegregation and environmental protection. Thomas presents a nuanced portrait of a leader whose vision coexisted with fatal character flaws, offering readers an intimate look at one of American history's most complex political figures.
Genres: biography, 20th-century, political-science, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-study, redemption-arc
Setting: United States
Period: 20th Century
640 pages · Hardcover · Random House