Nixon: A Life [Paperback]

Jonathan Aitken (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1, 1996

The rise, fall, and rebirth of Richard Nixon is perhaps the most fascinating story in American politics. Presidential chronicles and other outside sources have tried to capture it in full, but Nixon: A Life is the first to succeed. Nixon: A Life is the first entirely objective biography of Richard Nixon. Jonathan Aitken, who, in addition to serving in Parliament, serves as Her Majesty's Minister of State for Defense, conducted over sixty hours of interviews with Nixon and was granted unprecedented access to thousands of pages of Nixon's previously sealed private documents. The results of Aitken's interviews and research shed new light on a presidency that is just now beginning to be understood by serious students of history. Among the questions Aitken answers with fresh insight are: . Why didn't Nixon burn the Watergate tapes? How did he achieve his astonishing comebacks after being defeated by Kennedy in 1960 and resigning from the presidency in 1974? What were his relationships with political figures such as Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, and personal friends such as Bebe Rebozo and Robert Abplanalp? What caused him to overcome his doubts and pursue the Alger Hiss spy case in Congress? What are Nixon's innermost spiritual beliefs and intellectual influences? What drives him now? Previously published in Great Britain to rave reviews, Nixon: A Life is the first Nixon biography written by a non-American author. Aitken's refreshingly unencumbered positions on Watergate and Vietnam provide a unique perspective on Nixon's life and his presidency. Nixon: A Life breaks important new ground as a major work of political biography. It is a work that will inspire historiansto recognize the outstanding diplomatic achievements of a man whose journey from tainted politician to respected foreign policy expert and elder statesman has been nothing short of remarkable.

Product Details

• Paperback: 633 pages
• Publisher: Regnery Publishing (February 1, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895267209
• ISBN-13: 978-0895267207
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.1 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,617 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #77 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( N ) > Nixon, Richard

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Broad scope, but not a lot of depth, December 29, 1999

By 

James Kunke - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nixon: A Life (Paperback)

This generally favorable treatment of Richard Nixon does a nice job of offering his own words to explain the thoughts and emotions behind his fascinating political career. There are not a lot of outside sources used to add perspective, but those who are used lend some needed credibility. Overall, this won't open very many new windows into the Nixon White House, but it does answer the pressing question of what RMN himself thought about issues of the day and how things were allowed to get out of control.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars My only Nixon biography and I liked it, July 7, 2006

By 

C. Hayes "CS Hayes" (Nashville, TN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nixon: A Life (Audio Cassette)

First, the book is a page turner. It is well written and entertaining. If you read this book for anything else, read it for its readability.
I like the fact that the book paints Nixon as a person. I really enjoyed his early life stories and his pursuit of Alger Hiss. His life throughout the book is nothing less than a raw determination to succeed with all its ups and downs. As most biographies focus on a characters one major event for 3/4 of the book, this book covers his life with good balance.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Fair Profile of an Amazing But Flawed American, November 6, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Nixon: A Life (Paperback)

Richard Nixon will forever be associated with Watergate, but as Jonathan Aitken shows us, there was so much more to his life. Throughout this thoroughly researched study of the most villified American President in modern history, Aitken shows that view only scratches the surface of the real Richard Nixon. Aitken takes the reader through RN's modest upbringing in rural California, to his noble service in WWII, up to the Checkers speech, through the historic Kitchen Debate, and to his amazing politcal comeback in 68'. Aitken makes the reader feel as if they were there, backing up his writing with irrefutable evidence, experiencing these amazing events in person. The author's account of RN's historic trip to China, which brought about the normalization of relations, is worth the price alone. The back-channeling required and near disasters are riveting. These revelations only confirm the enormous part RN played in ending the Vietnam War as well as the Cold War. No Nixon book could be complete without addressing Watergate. Aitken, with his unequaled research, provides new insight as to who was responsible for what. Did Nixon give any orders? Who is Deepthroat? Did the plumbers go further than they'd been authorized? What about the missing minutes on the tapes? All these questions are answered in the fairest way, with thorough supportive evidence. If you're looking for an insight into one of the most infamous presidents in American history, this book is for you. Whatever your preconcieved notions are, you'll have to agree that this is the most unbiased book ever published about the 37th President of The United States Richard Milhous Nixon.