“In a crisis, be aware of the danger – but recognize the opportunity.”
Richard Milhous Nixon is one of the twentieth century’s most compelling characters. The scars of the Watergate scandal led to him becoming the only US President to resign, bringing to an end a political career that had, up until that point, been a stellar example in overcoming early setbacks to forge a path towards greatness.
His presidency saw the end of segregation in the South, the end of the Vietnam War, economic recovery, the Apollo Moon Landings and improved relations with the Communist world, and yet the enduring image of Richard Nixon, for the bulk of the world, remains that of ‘tricky Dickie’, a scheming crook who made a mockery of the Oval Office. To better understand one of history’s most complex and nuanced men, join us at What We Reading for the best Richard Nixon books!
Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise Of An American Politician – Roger Morris
Published back in 1990, Roger Morris’ Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise Of An American Politician remains the best biography on the early and formative years of the US’ 37th President.
A renowned journalist, writer and former staff member of the National Security Council during the LBJ and Nixon administrations, Morris chronicles the lives of Nixon’s parents as well as the first forty years of his own life in this first entry in a trilogy on the man. In it, he highlights the early victories, defeats, setbacks and triumphs of the influences that would later follow Nixon to the White House.
Being Nixon – Evan Thomas
Capturing a figure that was so nuanced as Richard Nixon is no easy feat, however, author Evan Thomas does a stellar job in his biography, Being Nixon: A Man Divided.
In it, the New York Times bestselling author captures the paradoxes and complications behind this layered individual, bringing Nixon to life in a way few other books can. With cutting precision, detailed analysis and expert insights, he dispels some of the most common myths about Nixon to paint a more human and intimate portrait of Nixon. Engaging and enthralling in its delivery, it is one of the best books on Nixon going.
Nixonland – Rick Perlstein
Rick Perlstein’s Nixonland: The Rise of a President and the Fracturing of America details the turbulent years of the ‘60s and ‘70s in the US, and how Richard Nixon was able to fasten an ascent from the political graveyard to the White House.
Perlstein masterfully explores how a nation split at the seams gave way to a wide array of colourful politicians, and how one disgraced former vice president was able to successfully foster a message of unity. For understanding the brilliance and resilience of the man at his height, Nixonland is one of the best Richard Nixon books up for grabs.
President Nixon: Alone In The White House – Richard Reeves
In President Nixon: Alone In The White House, Richard Reeves illuminates a presidency that was doomed from the start. Utilising new interviews and recently declassified source material, he explores how Nixon’s office was one of the most corrupt and suspicion-driven offices in US history.
Aides, ministers, generals, admirals and even the President himself were constantly spying on one another, rifling through briefcases and tapping phones to the point where no one knew who to trust. It is a stunning look into life inside the Nixon administration and helps to explain how the controversy that was Watergate found its origins.
Richard M. Nixon: A Life In Full – Conrad Black
Conrad Black received critical acclaim for his works on FDR, and the author returns with a fascinating look into the contrasts and complexities of Richard Nixon. In his analysis of Nixon’s impact on US politics from the 1940s to the 1970s, Black skillfully deconstructs the favorable aspects of the 39th President and skillfully balances them against the unfavorable elements.
From his foreign initiatives and liberal domestic policies, his resilience in the face of political setbacks to the sinister scheming that followed him whichever position he held, A Life in Full is a Presidential biography sure to generate plenty of conversation.
Check Out The Best Books On FDR
Kennedy And Nixon – Chris Matthews
The 1960 Presidential Election was one of the most closely-fought and significant elections in American history. Both Richard Nixon and John F Kennedy were regarded as the trailblazing futures of their parties, and both entered the race for the White House knowing that their presidency would profoundly shape the country.
In Kennedy and Nixon: The Rivalry That Shaped Postwar America, author Chris Matthews explores how an amicable friendship descended into a bitter feud that would last for far longer than the close of election night in 1960.
Check Out The Best Books On JFK
The Invisible Bridge – Rick Perlstein
From the bestselling author of Nixonland, The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan is an enthralling look at the turbulent economic and political era of 1970s America. Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan are two of the Republican Party’s most titanic names, and Rick Perlstein details masterfully how the baton was passed from one to the other during these tumultuous years.
Asking huge questions about American identity that are just as relevant now, is a powerful look at the lasting legacy of Nixon’s era.
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Frost/Nixon – David Frost
The Nixon interviews remain one of the most fascinating feats of journalism ever conducted in the world of politics and continue to influence the legacy of Richard Nixon as a President and as a character. Frost/Nixon depicts the behind-the-scenes events when David Frost, a person often deemed easily persuadable, successfully convinces a President who had suffered a loss of respect to engage in a series of interviews. In the end, people would acclaim these interviews as one of the most astonishing moments in television history.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
