What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady
🎧Listening Length = 14 hours and 7 minutes
A new, revolutionary look into the brilliant life of Pat Nixon.
In America’s collective consciousness, Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and made Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times. She survived the turmoil of the Watergate scandal with her popularity and dignity intact. And yet, the media often portrayed Mrs. Nixon as elusive and mysterious. The real Pat Nixon, however, bore little resemblance to the woman so often described in the press. Pat married California lawyer Richard Nixon in June of 1940, becoming a wife, mother, and her husband’s trusted political partner in short order. As the couple rose to prominence, Pat became Second Lady from 1953-1961 and then First Lady from 1969-1974, forging her own graceful path between the protocols of the strait-laced mid-century and the bra-burning Sixties and Seventies.
Pat was a highly traveled First Lady, visiting eighty-three countries during her tenure. After a devastating earthquake in Peru in 1970, she personally flew in medical supplies and food to hard-hit areas, meeting one-on-one with victims of the tragedy. The First Lady’s 1972 trips with her husband to China and to Russia were critical to the detente that resulted. President Nixon frequently sent her to represent him at significant events in South America and Africa solo. Pat greatly expanded upon previous preservation efforts in the White House, obtaining more art and antique objects than any other First Lady. She was progressive on women’s issues, favoring the Equal Rights Amendment and backing a targeted effort to get more women into high level government jobs. Pat strongly supported nominating a woman for the Supreme Court. She was pro-choice, supporting women’s reproductive rights publicly even before the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.
When asked to define her “signature” First Lady agenda, she defied being put into a box, often “People are my project.” There was nothing Pat Nixon enjoyed more than working one-on-one directly with ordinary human beings, especially with women, children, and those in need.
In The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, Heath Hardage Lee presents listeners with the essential nature of this First Lady, an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered world-wide.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.
Reading Discussion Guide available at publisher's website.
A new, revolutionary look into the brilliant life of Pat Nixon.
In America’s collective consciousness, Pat Nixon has long been perceived as enigmatic. She was voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and made Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times. She survived the turmoil of the Watergate scandal with her popularity and dignity intact. And yet, the media often portrayed Mrs. Nixon as elusive and mysterious. The real Pat Nixon, however, bore little resemblance to the woman so often described in the press. Pat married California lawyer Richard Nixon in June of 1940, becoming a wife, mother, and her husband’s trusted political partner in short order. As the couple rose to prominence, Pat became Second Lady from 1953-1961 and then First Lady from 1969-1974, forging her own graceful path between the protocols of the strait-laced mid-century and the bra-burning Sixties and Seventies.
Pat was a highly traveled First Lady, visiting eighty-three countries during her tenure. After a devastating earthquake in Peru in 1970, she personally flew in medical supplies and food to hard-hit areas, meeting one-on-one with victims of the tragedy. The First Lady’s 1972 trips with her husband to China and to Russia were critical to the detente that resulted. President Nixon frequently sent her to represent him at significant events in South America and Africa solo. Pat greatly expanded upon previous preservation efforts in the White House, obtaining more art and antique objects than any other First Lady. She was progressive on women’s issues, favoring the Equal Rights Amendment and backing a targeted effort to get more women into high level government jobs. Pat strongly supported nominating a woman for the Supreme Court. She was pro-choice, supporting women’s reproductive rights publicly even before the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.
When asked to define her “signature” First Lady agenda, she defied being put into a box, often “People are my project.” There was nothing Pat Nixon enjoyed more than working one-on-one directly with ordinary human beings, especially with women, children, and those in need.
In The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, Heath Hardage Lee presents listeners with the essential nature of this First Lady, an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered world-wide.
A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin’s Press.
Reading Discussion Guide available at publisher's website.
Audible Audio
First published January 1, 2024
67 people are currently reading
8452 people want to read
About the author
Heath Hardage Lee
6 books94 followersHeath Hardage Lee comes from a museum education and curatorial background, and she has worked at history museums across the country. She holds a B.A. in History with Honors from Davidson College, and an M.A. in French Language and Literature from the University of Virginia. Heath served as the 2017 Robert J. Dole Curatorial Fellow: her exhibition entitled The League of Wives: Vietnam POW MIA Advocates & Allies about Vietnam POW MIA wives premiered at the Robert J. Dole Institute of Politics in May of 2017 and is now travelling to museums throughout the U.S. Potomac Books, a division of the University of Nebraska Press, published Heath’s first book, Winnie Davis: Daughter of the Lost Cause, in 2014. Winnie won the 2015 Colonial Dames of America Annual Book Award as well as a 2015 Gold Medal for Nonfiction from the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Heath lives in Roanoke, Virginia, with her husband Chris and her two children, Anne Alston and James.
(source: Amazon)
(source: Amazon)
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
February 27, 2025
"[Pat Nixon] was America's first modern First Lady: a bridge between women of the old school like Mamie, Jackie, and Lady Bird, and [those] of a new, more visible mold like Betty Ford and Rosalyn Carter . . . She refused to be put into a box or to be shaped by image-makers. She knew exactly who she was, and remained true to herself despite public and private pressures. She showed Americans that women could balance marriage and motherhood with public roles." -- on pages 314-315
Although some may consider Lee's The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon to be too straightforward or plainly standard in terms of biography, I found it to be incredibly even-handed and informative. Also, there was a secret weapon of sorts in the mix as well: at its sentimental core, it is (or significant parts of it are) a love story, with young attorney Richard Nixon becoming instantly smitten with high school teacher Thelma 'Pat' Ryan when they meet as cast members during a community theater production in 1938. Before she became 'Mrs. Nixon,' Pat Ryan was a hard-working young woman hailing from rural Nevada and California who was a college graduate - somewhat uncommon for a woman at the time - and also served as a nurse in a tuberculosis ward after that stint as a teacher. However, she highly enjoyed living independently and was no pushover when in came to Richard Nixon's adorably sincere attempts to romance her. They married in 1940, and then experienced fifty-three eventful years of union in which she often lived up to that axiom of 'behind every great man there stands a strong woman.' I really enjoyed this book because - and I know that Richard Nixon is a divisive figure for his conduct during the laters years of his presidency - Pat Nixon sounds like she was always an amazingly kind and thoughtful person (a six year-old boy from Princeton, NJ was even inspired to write her a fan letter in 1952), whether in the roles as wife / mother OR during campaigning and serving in an ambassadorial role during her many years as our Second and then First Lady. I found it rather heartwarming that the White House staffers, military aides, Secret Service agents and others interviewed had nothing but nice things to say about her genuine manner and graceful conduct.
Although some may consider Lee's The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon to be too straightforward or plainly standard in terms of biography, I found it to be incredibly even-handed and informative. Also, there was a secret weapon of sorts in the mix as well: at its sentimental core, it is (or significant parts of it are) a love story, with young attorney Richard Nixon becoming instantly smitten with high school teacher Thelma 'Pat' Ryan when they meet as cast members during a community theater production in 1938. Before she became 'Mrs. Nixon,' Pat Ryan was a hard-working young woman hailing from rural Nevada and California who was a college graduate - somewhat uncommon for a woman at the time - and also served as a nurse in a tuberculosis ward after that stint as a teacher. However, she highly enjoyed living independently and was no pushover when in came to Richard Nixon's adorably sincere attempts to romance her. They married in 1940, and then experienced fifty-three eventful years of union in which she often lived up to that axiom of 'behind every great man there stands a strong woman.' I really enjoyed this book because - and I know that Richard Nixon is a divisive figure for his conduct during the laters years of his presidency - Pat Nixon sounds like she was always an amazingly kind and thoughtful person (a six year-old boy from Princeton, NJ was even inspired to write her a fan letter in 1952), whether in the roles as wife / mother OR during campaigning and serving in an ambassadorial role during her many years as our Second and then First Lady. I found it rather heartwarming that the White House staffers, military aides, Secret Service agents and others interviewed had nothing but nice things to say about her genuine manner and graceful conduct.
December 22, 2024
A side quest on my reading the president's journey. First Ladies have an important but unpaid job. They are expected to work their ass off but they aren't rewarded for their labor. Their every move is scrutinize and picked at but they aren't an official member of the government.
Pat Nixon was in her lifetime and even now considered a mystery. She was extremely private and the press painted her as cold. She wasn't. She just didn't want people all up in her business. Pat Nixon was the wife of an extremely controversial and conservative Republican president so you would assume she would also be as conservative as her husband but she wasn't. If Pat was around today she'd probably be a moderate Democrat or an Independent. She claimed she wasn't a feminist but she was extremely pro woman. She fought to get more women into her husband's administration and into politics overall. She was pro choice and she was pro civil rights.
Pat Nixon was an extraordinary woman....what she saw in Dick Nixon will remain a mystery. I'm looking forward to reading about her husband at some point but I don't think I'll like him as much as I like her.
A must read for readers who love strong women.
I highly recommend this book to my fellow political junkies.
Pat Nixon was in her lifetime and even now considered a mystery. She was extremely private and the press painted her as cold. She wasn't. She just didn't want people all up in her business. Pat Nixon was the wife of an extremely controversial and conservative Republican president so you would assume she would also be as conservative as her husband but she wasn't. If Pat was around today she'd probably be a moderate Democrat or an Independent. She claimed she wasn't a feminist but she was extremely pro woman. She fought to get more women into her husband's administration and into politics overall. She was pro choice and she was pro civil rights.
Pat Nixon was an extraordinary woman....what she saw in Dick Nixon will remain a mystery. I'm looking forward to reading about her husband at some point but I don't think I'll like him as much as I like her.
A must read for readers who love strong women.
I highly recommend this book to my fellow political junkies.
August 26, 2024
I had high hopes for this book after reading the Prologue. That Prologue led me to believe that this biography would be a cut above others I had read. That there would be more than a dry recitation of the facts of the events in the person's life. Sadly, that turned out not to be the case.
Way back in the day I used to read a lot of biographies and plays. Well, my tastes have certainly devolved, and I prefer a good romantic-suspense to just about anything else. I guess I was looking for a good romantic narrative about a couple who had it all and lost it all. I wanted the romance, drama and political intrigue that the story of Pat and Richard Nixon played out to be.
What I got was a not much more than rehash of facts filed with quotes of people who knew them, with the author's own opinions thrown in along the way. This book is absolutely well researched, and fact based with hundreds of footnotes and that is great, if that is what you look for in a biography. I guess what I wanted was a living, breathing, passionate portrayal of a woman who lived one of the most turmoilous times in American history. This book isn't that.
My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.
Way back in the day I used to read a lot of biographies and plays. Well, my tastes have certainly devolved, and I prefer a good romantic-suspense to just about anything else. I guess I was looking for a good romantic narrative about a couple who had it all and lost it all. I wanted the romance, drama and political intrigue that the story of Pat and Richard Nixon played out to be.
What I got was a not much more than rehash of facts filed with quotes of people who knew them, with the author's own opinions thrown in along the way. This book is absolutely well researched, and fact based with hundreds of footnotes and that is great, if that is what you look for in a biography. I guess what I wanted was a living, breathing, passionate portrayal of a woman who lived one of the most turmoilous times in American history. This book isn't that.
My thanks to the Publisher and the Author for providing a complimentary digital Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) of this novel via NetGalley. This is my fair, honest and personal review. All opinions are mine alone and were not biased in any way.
June 26, 2024
First and foremost, a large thank you to NetGalley, Heath Hardage Lee, and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with a copy of this publication, which allows me to provide you with an unbiased review.
Heath Hardage Lee presents a great look at one of the most misunderstood First Ladies in US history. While many know Pat Nixon as the wife of disgraced former US President Richard Nixon, few likely know the impact she had on America or the role of First Lady. Hardage Lee offers up a great biography that checks all the boxes to provide the reader with a well-rounded look at the woman and many of her accomplishments over the period she was in the public spotlight, a place she never wanted to be. Pat Nixon helped not only America, but the role of women and pioneered many of the advancements that are commonplace today. A great piece that was entertaining while also being informative, this book left me wanting to know more about the elusive Pat Nixon.
Born Thelma Catherine ‘Buddy’ Ryan, the woman who would eventually change her name to Pat grew up in a strict household, though it was always full of love. A small Nevada town helped shape her and she pushed to attain high grades, while being as useful to her family as possible. The pull of an education always drove ‘Buddy’ to become the best she could, which was exemplified when she was offered a spot in a college as soon as she finished her studies, something she had to decline for a time due to the family’s financial situation. However, when given the chance, Buddy headed to California and strove to make a difference, earning a degree before securing a post as a teacher.
During those teaching years, she was able to shape the minds of young people and instil a feeling of usefulness. She loved her time with students, but was also highly interested in seeing the world around her, especially after her move to California. These adventures might have helped fuel her passion to see the world, which is exemplified in the latter part of the book. It was at this time that she also began dating and experiencing the thrill of being sought after, though she could not have known that there was one young lawyer, Dick Nixon, whose eye was captivated by her.
Hardage Lee explores the courting and bashful relationship that Buddy (now going by Pat) and Dick had, which led to really getting t know one another, as well as the likes they both have. Their marriage and early years together helped forge a bond, which was further cemented when Dick took up a political posting as a lawyer. They travelled across the US and did whatever they could to help Dick expand his base, which would prove helpful in the future. Adding two daughters to their family also helped both Pat and Dick become more loving and compassionate, though it was always the political ambitions that fuelled Dick and Pat quietly agreed to support him as best she could.
Hardage Lee describes the rise to prominence of Dick Nixon through a few strong chapters in the middle of the book. Pat was always by his side, campaigning and doing whatever she could to advance his ambitions, though she privately did not like the spotlight. She knew that her husband’s roles were important to him, though she also knew that she would be able to use his prominence to help push her own agendas, albeit not in an inculcating way. Women’s rights and freedoms were always at the top of her list, something that Pat Nixon never shied away from starting throughout her time with Dick in the political spotlight.
Pat Nixon was there for all the highs and lows as well, which were plentiful. As Hardage Lee presents, the rise to US vice-president was full of greatness and some diminution of authority, something both Nixons had to take in stride. It did, however, allow them both to explore their love of the country and its people, as well as diplomacy with various groups. Pat Nixon was able to lay the groundwork for some of her most important decisions through her time as Second Lady of the US. This also turned into being a means of communicating across the aisle, something that is always hard to do in partisan Washington. Still, Pat Nixon did not allow herself to get in the mud with many people, while also supporting her husband through thick and thin. Even when the end was nigh (an apparent prophecy in 1962 when Nixon lost the California gubernatorial race), she stuck by him and consoled a devastated Richard.
Hardage Lee explores a number of moments when Pat Nixon had to again enter the spotlight, very much reluctantly, when Richard won the presidency in 1968. She had wanted to live a quiet life, but was thrust into the middle of much drama. She used her skill and the platform once more to push for women’s rights and equality, going so far as to insist her presence on foreign trips break the norms set by host countries, all to ensure that women were not forgotten or treated life wallflowers. Pat Nixon was a trailblazer and never stepped back from this role, no matter the issue before her. This would surely be some of her most remembered aspects, though many who were not around (such as me) would not know this without some thorough research.
When things got tough and Nixon’s presidency disintegrated before him, Pat wad there to help console her husband and transition out of the White House, head held high. While there is little mentioned about her own personal sentiments on the issue (diverging from her husband’s at least), Hardage Lee presents a woman who kept her dignity while the fires destroyed her husband’s legacy. Focussed on a life outside of Washington, Pat Nixon used those post-presidential years to help lick the wounds the jobs and country put upon her and Richard, while holding her head high throughout it all. Until the very end, when Pat died of terminal lung cancer in 1993, she stood by and supported the man she loved. Hardage Lee does not leave a stone unturned in this stunning biography.
While I have read many political biographies, I can admit that this one piqued my interest more than most. Many of the figures whose lives I have learned about have had many who lauded and criticised them, allowing me to have a good foundation when I go into a read. However, when I was asked to read this book, Heath Hardage Lee had me learning from the opening pages. I knew little about Pat Nixon, though always presumed she would have been a sycophant for her husband, praising him even when he pushed the limits of his power. I discovered a new side to both Nixons and an admiration for Pat Nixon in her views and projects. She sought not only to support her husband, but to carve out a place for women in the US and around the world. Breaking protocols, Pat Nixon sought to make a difference for herself and women, never bowing to the pressures set upon her by the past. Hardage Lee makes this known throughout and piqued my interest with her many stories. This helped me see a difference side and hunger for more about the woman whose life is so mysterious to me. That is the sign of a great biography.
Hardage Lee offers up the Pat Nixon story in such a way that it is less a delivery and more a story the reader can find themselves enjoying from inside. She paints a stellar portrait of the woman through short-ish chapters that are full of information and true dedication to the larger theme of the rights of all. The story flows through these chapters, which are organised well and chronologically. There are moments that things seem to leap, taking in large portions of time in a single paragraph, but that might be for brevity’s sake. While I might have liked a more thorough approach on some things, this serves as a stellar primer for those who want to know more. Hardage Lee does not skimp on referencing the other books, papers, and publications that could pave the way for deeper learning, offering them up without hesitation. While I could not have asked for anything more, I am now eager to look deeper into the life and times of Pat Nixon, as well as some of the other projects she undertook that shaped America (and the world )during her time in the spotlight. Pat Nixon may not have liked the notoriety, but she sure did a great deal to push things forward for all while being humble about it. I highly recommend this biography to anyone with a passion for politics and seeing those who are not pulling the levers of power, but certainly know how to point them out!
Kudos, Madam Hardage Lee, for a stunning look into the life of Pat Nixon and teaching me so very much!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
Heath Hardage Lee presents a great look at one of the most misunderstood First Ladies in US history. While many know Pat Nixon as the wife of disgraced former US President Richard Nixon, few likely know the impact she had on America or the role of First Lady. Hardage Lee offers up a great biography that checks all the boxes to provide the reader with a well-rounded look at the woman and many of her accomplishments over the period she was in the public spotlight, a place she never wanted to be. Pat Nixon helped not only America, but the role of women and pioneered many of the advancements that are commonplace today. A great piece that was entertaining while also being informative, this book left me wanting to know more about the elusive Pat Nixon.
Born Thelma Catherine ‘Buddy’ Ryan, the woman who would eventually change her name to Pat grew up in a strict household, though it was always full of love. A small Nevada town helped shape her and she pushed to attain high grades, while being as useful to her family as possible. The pull of an education always drove ‘Buddy’ to become the best she could, which was exemplified when she was offered a spot in a college as soon as she finished her studies, something she had to decline for a time due to the family’s financial situation. However, when given the chance, Buddy headed to California and strove to make a difference, earning a degree before securing a post as a teacher.
During those teaching years, she was able to shape the minds of young people and instil a feeling of usefulness. She loved her time with students, but was also highly interested in seeing the world around her, especially after her move to California. These adventures might have helped fuel her passion to see the world, which is exemplified in the latter part of the book. It was at this time that she also began dating and experiencing the thrill of being sought after, though she could not have known that there was one young lawyer, Dick Nixon, whose eye was captivated by her.
Hardage Lee explores the courting and bashful relationship that Buddy (now going by Pat) and Dick had, which led to really getting t know one another, as well as the likes they both have. Their marriage and early years together helped forge a bond, which was further cemented when Dick took up a political posting as a lawyer. They travelled across the US and did whatever they could to help Dick expand his base, which would prove helpful in the future. Adding two daughters to their family also helped both Pat and Dick become more loving and compassionate, though it was always the political ambitions that fuelled Dick and Pat quietly agreed to support him as best she could.
Hardage Lee describes the rise to prominence of Dick Nixon through a few strong chapters in the middle of the book. Pat was always by his side, campaigning and doing whatever she could to advance his ambitions, though she privately did not like the spotlight. She knew that her husband’s roles were important to him, though she also knew that she would be able to use his prominence to help push her own agendas, albeit not in an inculcating way. Women’s rights and freedoms were always at the top of her list, something that Pat Nixon never shied away from starting throughout her time with Dick in the political spotlight.
Pat Nixon was there for all the highs and lows as well, which were plentiful. As Hardage Lee presents, the rise to US vice-president was full of greatness and some diminution of authority, something both Nixons had to take in stride. It did, however, allow them both to explore their love of the country and its people, as well as diplomacy with various groups. Pat Nixon was able to lay the groundwork for some of her most important decisions through her time as Second Lady of the US. This also turned into being a means of communicating across the aisle, something that is always hard to do in partisan Washington. Still, Pat Nixon did not allow herself to get in the mud with many people, while also supporting her husband through thick and thin. Even when the end was nigh (an apparent prophecy in 1962 when Nixon lost the California gubernatorial race), she stuck by him and consoled a devastated Richard.
Hardage Lee explores a number of moments when Pat Nixon had to again enter the spotlight, very much reluctantly, when Richard won the presidency in 1968. She had wanted to live a quiet life, but was thrust into the middle of much drama. She used her skill and the platform once more to push for women’s rights and equality, going so far as to insist her presence on foreign trips break the norms set by host countries, all to ensure that women were not forgotten or treated life wallflowers. Pat Nixon was a trailblazer and never stepped back from this role, no matter the issue before her. This would surely be some of her most remembered aspects, though many who were not around (such as me) would not know this without some thorough research.
When things got tough and Nixon’s presidency disintegrated before him, Pat wad there to help console her husband and transition out of the White House, head held high. While there is little mentioned about her own personal sentiments on the issue (diverging from her husband’s at least), Hardage Lee presents a woman who kept her dignity while the fires destroyed her husband’s legacy. Focussed on a life outside of Washington, Pat Nixon used those post-presidential years to help lick the wounds the jobs and country put upon her and Richard, while holding her head high throughout it all. Until the very end, when Pat died of terminal lung cancer in 1993, she stood by and supported the man she loved. Hardage Lee does not leave a stone unturned in this stunning biography.
While I have read many political biographies, I can admit that this one piqued my interest more than most. Many of the figures whose lives I have learned about have had many who lauded and criticised them, allowing me to have a good foundation when I go into a read. However, when I was asked to read this book, Heath Hardage Lee had me learning from the opening pages. I knew little about Pat Nixon, though always presumed she would have been a sycophant for her husband, praising him even when he pushed the limits of his power. I discovered a new side to both Nixons and an admiration for Pat Nixon in her views and projects. She sought not only to support her husband, but to carve out a place for women in the US and around the world. Breaking protocols, Pat Nixon sought to make a difference for herself and women, never bowing to the pressures set upon her by the past. Hardage Lee makes this known throughout and piqued my interest with her many stories. This helped me see a difference side and hunger for more about the woman whose life is so mysterious to me. That is the sign of a great biography.
Hardage Lee offers up the Pat Nixon story in such a way that it is less a delivery and more a story the reader can find themselves enjoying from inside. She paints a stellar portrait of the woman through short-ish chapters that are full of information and true dedication to the larger theme of the rights of all. The story flows through these chapters, which are organised well and chronologically. There are moments that things seem to leap, taking in large portions of time in a single paragraph, but that might be for brevity’s sake. While I might have liked a more thorough approach on some things, this serves as a stellar primer for those who want to know more. Hardage Lee does not skimp on referencing the other books, papers, and publications that could pave the way for deeper learning, offering them up without hesitation. While I could not have asked for anything more, I am now eager to look deeper into the life and times of Pat Nixon, as well as some of the other projects she undertook that shaped America (and the world )during her time in the spotlight. Pat Nixon may not have liked the notoriety, but she sure did a great deal to push things forward for all while being humble about it. I highly recommend this biography to anyone with a passion for politics and seeing those who are not pulling the levers of power, but certainly know how to point them out!
Kudos, Madam Hardage Lee, for a stunning look into the life of Pat Nixon and teaching me so very much!
Love/hate the review? An ever-growing collection of others appears at:
http://pecheyponderings.wordpress.com/
July 18, 2024
The president’s wives are not elected but are expected to play an important political role. They are not paid for their work. They don’t get to choose where they live and must obtain approval and funds to make changes to their home. They come under public scrutiny and have to consider their every word, their appearance, and actions. They often don’t know who to trust and therefore can be hard to know.
Thelma Catherine Ryan was nicknamed Pat and she adopted the name Patricia in her college days–the name appears on her marriage licence to Dick Nixon.
Grace under fire was fast becoming Pat’s specialty. from The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
Her father was an alcoholic. Watching the fights between her parents, she determined to avoid such scenes in her own life. Her mother was a Christian Scientist and died a horrendous death from liver cancer and Bright’s disease. Pat had to become the housekeeper and cook for her father and brothers while in high school.
She was a brilliant student who was advanced two grades. She worked at a bank while attending junior college. An opportunity took her to New York City. She enjoyed a life of work and dating before returning to college with a research scholarship. After graduation, she moved to a small, Quaker founded California town to teach.
“Miss Ryan was quite a dish, a sweater girl, with beautiful auburn hair.” from The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
Pat enjoyed her freedom and life. Then, she met Dick Nixon. He decided she was the woman for him, and persistently wooed her with flowers and letters and poetry.
Dick’s Quaker upbringing included respect for women as equal partners and his support of women was evident throughout his career. If Pat was hard to know, keeping up boundaries although always warm, Dick was an open book who showed his emotions. They shared ambition, a love of travel, and experiencing different cultures. Pat understood that Dick had ambitions, and early expressed to a friend that she dreaded the idea of living in Washington, D. C.
During WWII, while Dick was in the service, Pat had a chance to again experience freedom and meaningful work. After the war, they moved several times for Dick’s work, then Dick was elected to Congress. Pat made two demands on her husband: she would never give a political speech, and she wanted to keep his work out of their home.
Pat volunteered at her husband’s campaign offices. Her idealism was shattered by the underhanded tricks of politics: she had personally financed the printing of campaign brochures, and discovered the opposition was taking them and destroying them, plus the office was broken into and more were stolen!
In Congress, Dick and Jack Kennedy became friends. Dick toured post-war Europe, which convinced of the threat of communism. Consequently, Dick became involved with the investigation into Alger Hiss, an American government offical accused of being a communist operative.
But underneath Pat’s apple=pie perfection was a core of steel. From The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon
During Dick’s next campaign, journalists stereotyped Pat as robotic and her husband as Tricky Dick.
They purchased a newly built house, but learning it was redlined, sold it and moved. They grew up with, and believed in, diversity.
When Ike Eisenhower picked Dick as his V.P., Pat was again fodder for the press. Her neighbors knit her a wardrobe for campaigning in, yet she was accused of using a secret campaign fund for personal benefit. Dick’s comment that Pat didn’t have a mink coat, just “a good Republican cloth coat,” became famous. As did his Checkers speech, proclaiming that the one gift he was keeping was a cocker spaniel that the girls adored.
Pat was horribly embarrassed by this intrusive episode.
Pat gave 100% to everything, as a mother and wife and political spouse. She was her husband’s helpmeet and his biggest asset wherever they traveled. She knew how to connect with people, hugged children, and never lost her cool. She made friends with Mamie Eisenhower. J. Edgar Hoover and his partner were often at their home. The couple had a liberal side, as Dick supported civil rights and equal education.
Pat made lifelong friends across the world. During a visit to Lima, Peru, their travelcade was attacked. It was Pat kept her head and comforted the foreign minister’s wife.
When President Eisenhower suffered a stroke and a heart attack, the couple became acting president and First Lady. The pressure and relentless schedule wore on Pat, but she never flagged in her duty.
Dick lost the presidential election to Jack Kennedy. Jack offered him a cabinet post, bu Dick turned it down, saying he should remain the ‘loyal opposition.” After he lost a bid for California governor it appeared that his political career was over. Having always worked, Pat worked at Dick’s law office as ‘Miss Ryan’. But Dick didn’t thrive in legal work.
During his 1968 campaign for president, Pat’s influence on her husband was usurped by the new Madison Avenue ad men he hired–Bob and John Ehrlichman. They saw the candidate as a commodity to sell. Pat didn’t like that approach. The pair pushed out Nixon’s old team and sidelined Pat; they didn’t understand that she was Dick’s best asset.
Dick won the election with his Republican platform of ending the way and restoring law and order in response to homefront political turmoil.
Needing to take on a First Lady cause, Pat choose volunteerism.
Pat was the first First Lady to visit a combat zone and the first to speak to a foreign parliament. Visiting China with Dick, she became a sensation her red coat. She impressed people across China. When she told Premier Chou En-lai how cute pandas where, he sent a pair to the National Zoo as a thank you to the Nixons.
She rebranded the presidential mansion as the people’s house, and initiated candlelight tours and tours for the blind and disabled.
She adopted wearing pantsuits. She held a show for artist Andrew Wyeth’s painting at the White house.
And she continued the renovation begun by Jackie Kennedy, seeking period appropriate historical furnishings for the reception rooms and Oval Office.
Always frugal, Pat paid for their long distance calls made from the White House.
She expressed the need for a woman on the Supreme Court. Sadly, Dick’s promoting of a black woman for the court was blocked by the ABA Committee on Federal Judiciary.
“This visit by Mrs. Nixon has done more to improve relations with our country than anything the United States has done in a hundred years.” Peruvian general, quoted in The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
Pat’s personal connection to people was a gift. She had remarkable sensitivity and understanding. She arranged for Jackie Kennedy and her children to privately and secretly come to the White House to see the official portraits of Jack and Jackie.
Meanwhile, her husband made strides in American-Soviet detente.
Pat commented that although she didn’t agree with abortion on demand, she supported a woman’s choice when Roe v. Wade was passed.
Then came Watergate. Dick’s political career was over. He later commented, “Pat’s devotion kept me alive.” He died just ten months after Pat’s death from cancer.
The author interviewed people from the White House staff, friends, and Nixon family. The book dismantled the false narratives about Pat. She was not a drinker. She was never a recluse. She worked from dawn to late at night.
Pat emerges from these pages as a remarkable woman. Her husband’s idealism and faith and love will shock those of us used to the conventional images of him. The Watergate break in occurred the same day I was married. I watched the hearings on television. This portrait was quite a surprise.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
Thelma Catherine Ryan was nicknamed Pat and she adopted the name Patricia in her college days–the name appears on her marriage licence to Dick Nixon.
Grace under fire was fast becoming Pat’s specialty. from The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
Her father was an alcoholic. Watching the fights between her parents, she determined to avoid such scenes in her own life. Her mother was a Christian Scientist and died a horrendous death from liver cancer and Bright’s disease. Pat had to become the housekeeper and cook for her father and brothers while in high school.
She was a brilliant student who was advanced two grades. She worked at a bank while attending junior college. An opportunity took her to New York City. She enjoyed a life of work and dating before returning to college with a research scholarship. After graduation, she moved to a small, Quaker founded California town to teach.
“Miss Ryan was quite a dish, a sweater girl, with beautiful auburn hair.” from The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
Pat enjoyed her freedom and life. Then, she met Dick Nixon. He decided she was the woman for him, and persistently wooed her with flowers and letters and poetry.
Dick’s Quaker upbringing included respect for women as equal partners and his support of women was evident throughout his career. If Pat was hard to know, keeping up boundaries although always warm, Dick was an open book who showed his emotions. They shared ambition, a love of travel, and experiencing different cultures. Pat understood that Dick had ambitions, and early expressed to a friend that she dreaded the idea of living in Washington, D. C.
During WWII, while Dick was in the service, Pat had a chance to again experience freedom and meaningful work. After the war, they moved several times for Dick’s work, then Dick was elected to Congress. Pat made two demands on her husband: she would never give a political speech, and she wanted to keep his work out of their home.
Pat volunteered at her husband’s campaign offices. Her idealism was shattered by the underhanded tricks of politics: she had personally financed the printing of campaign brochures, and discovered the opposition was taking them and destroying them, plus the office was broken into and more were stolen!
In Congress, Dick and Jack Kennedy became friends. Dick toured post-war Europe, which convinced of the threat of communism. Consequently, Dick became involved with the investigation into Alger Hiss, an American government offical accused of being a communist operative.
But underneath Pat’s apple=pie perfection was a core of steel. From The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon
During Dick’s next campaign, journalists stereotyped Pat as robotic and her husband as Tricky Dick.
They purchased a newly built house, but learning it was redlined, sold it and moved. They grew up with, and believed in, diversity.
When Ike Eisenhower picked Dick as his V.P., Pat was again fodder for the press. Her neighbors knit her a wardrobe for campaigning in, yet she was accused of using a secret campaign fund for personal benefit. Dick’s comment that Pat didn’t have a mink coat, just “a good Republican cloth coat,” became famous. As did his Checkers speech, proclaiming that the one gift he was keeping was a cocker spaniel that the girls adored.
Pat was horribly embarrassed by this intrusive episode.
Pat gave 100% to everything, as a mother and wife and political spouse. She was her husband’s helpmeet and his biggest asset wherever they traveled. She knew how to connect with people, hugged children, and never lost her cool. She made friends with Mamie Eisenhower. J. Edgar Hoover and his partner were often at their home. The couple had a liberal side, as Dick supported civil rights and equal education.
Pat made lifelong friends across the world. During a visit to Lima, Peru, their travelcade was attacked. It was Pat kept her head and comforted the foreign minister’s wife.
When President Eisenhower suffered a stroke and a heart attack, the couple became acting president and First Lady. The pressure and relentless schedule wore on Pat, but she never flagged in her duty.
Dick lost the presidential election to Jack Kennedy. Jack offered him a cabinet post, bu Dick turned it down, saying he should remain the ‘loyal opposition.” After he lost a bid for California governor it appeared that his political career was over. Having always worked, Pat worked at Dick’s law office as ‘Miss Ryan’. But Dick didn’t thrive in legal work.
During his 1968 campaign for president, Pat’s influence on her husband was usurped by the new Madison Avenue ad men he hired–Bob and John Ehrlichman. They saw the candidate as a commodity to sell. Pat didn’t like that approach. The pair pushed out Nixon’s old team and sidelined Pat; they didn’t understand that she was Dick’s best asset.
Dick won the election with his Republican platform of ending the way and restoring law and order in response to homefront political turmoil.
Needing to take on a First Lady cause, Pat choose volunteerism.
Pat was the first First Lady to visit a combat zone and the first to speak to a foreign parliament. Visiting China with Dick, she became a sensation her red coat. She impressed people across China. When she told Premier Chou En-lai how cute pandas where, he sent a pair to the National Zoo as a thank you to the Nixons.
She rebranded the presidential mansion as the people’s house, and initiated candlelight tours and tours for the blind and disabled.
She adopted wearing pantsuits. She held a show for artist Andrew Wyeth’s painting at the White house.
And she continued the renovation begun by Jackie Kennedy, seeking period appropriate historical furnishings for the reception rooms and Oval Office.
Always frugal, Pat paid for their long distance calls made from the White House.
She expressed the need for a woman on the Supreme Court. Sadly, Dick’s promoting of a black woman for the court was blocked by the ABA Committee on Federal Judiciary.
“This visit by Mrs. Nixon has done more to improve relations with our country than anything the United States has done in a hundred years.” Peruvian general, quoted in The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
Pat’s personal connection to people was a gift. She had remarkable sensitivity and understanding. She arranged for Jackie Kennedy and her children to privately and secretly come to the White House to see the official portraits of Jack and Jackie.
Meanwhile, her husband made strides in American-Soviet detente.
Pat commented that although she didn’t agree with abortion on demand, she supported a woman’s choice when Roe v. Wade was passed.
Then came Watergate. Dick’s political career was over. He later commented, “Pat’s devotion kept me alive.” He died just ten months after Pat’s death from cancer.
The author interviewed people from the White House staff, friends, and Nixon family. The book dismantled the false narratives about Pat. She was not a drinker. She was never a recluse. She worked from dawn to late at night.
Pat emerges from these pages as a remarkable woman. Her husband’s idealism and faith and love will shock those of us used to the conventional images of him. The Watergate break in occurred the same day I was married. I watched the hearings on television. This portrait was quite a surprise.
Thanks to the publisher for a free book through NetGalley.
August 20, 2024
This book felt very biased. The author spent a lot of time trying to convince readers P. Nixon was supportive of women’s rights and had a loving, equal partnership with her husband. Her feminist point of view seems more lip service than actual action and her loving partner left the task of telling his wife he was resigning to a presidential staff person. I think the truth is somewhere in between.
May 11, 2024
If one were to compare Pat Nixon to the current Republican party, confusion would likely set in. A surprisingly progressive woman who supported the ERA, was pro-choice, and who actively supported her husband's efforts to elevate a woman to the U.S. Supreme Court, Nixon was an enigmatic presence who valued her privacy and yet fiercely supported her husband's political journey.
"The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington's Most Private First Lady" by Heath Hardage Lee finds most of its narrative focus in Nixon's life after marrying Richard Nixon in 1940. The political rise for Richard Nixon came in short order, though there were certainly long before his final setbacks that would lead to impeachment and his resignation. Pat Nixon served as Second Lady from 1953-1961 and First Lady from 1969-1974.
Painstakingly resourced, somewhat distractingly so, "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" paints a loving portrait of Nixon - voted the "Most Admired Woman in the World" in 1972 and in the Gallup Poll's Top Ten List of Most Admired Women fourteen times. Even after the Watergate scandal that would end her husband's presidency, Pat Nixon's popularity largely survived.
"The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is less a biography of Nixon than a precise journey through Nixon's political life alongside her husband and, at times, surprisingly independently. Nixon never ran for office herself, however, she did help to redefine what it meant to be a truly engaged First Lady.
It doesn't take long to also realize that "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is very much a celebration of Nixon. At times reading more like fanfic than an actual biography of any sort, "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" presents with uncompromising adoration for Nixon and interprets the Nixon presidency largely through rose-colored glasses.
I can deal with this. I really can. Because, in the end, what really bothered me most about "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is that by the time the 400+ page book was winding down (NOTE: Over 1/3 of those pages are source documentation) I didn't feel like Pat Nixon was any less of a mystery.
"The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is divided into three sections: A Farmer's Daughter, Washington Wife, and Leading Lady. A Farmer's Daughter comes the closest to feeling like an actual biography, an exploration of the foundation from which Nixon came. The final two sections, comprising the majority of the book, delve more fully into the woman behind the political facade to attempt to dig a little deeper into Nixon's attempt to bring humanity into her role as a political wife.
Indeed, it may very well have been Nixon who best humanized her husband. She was a connector, someone who intentionally shook hands with people and refused to rush them through the line. Her greatest political claim to fame may very well have been the deep humanity she brought to disaster response following a natural disaster in Peru where she showed up in person with an entire plane filled with aid for Peruvians.
While "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" gives us these glimpses of the Pat Nixon we seldom saw the press portray, more often than not it also feels like sound byte documentation more concerned with documenting resources than creating a narrative arc. It's as if, at times, the author is so concerned with documenting the justification for praising so extensively that it feels as if we're getting an extended press release instead of effective storytelling. There were times when "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" would open up a certain subject about Mrs. Nixon where I found myself wanting more, however, it would quickly divert to another topic entirely. There was very little that truly immersed me in the world of Pat Nixon.
You're likely saying to yourself "Oh, you're just a Democrat!" In the current world of divided politics, it seems like any such negative comments are met with name-calling and or just plain derision.
To that, I say hogwash.
Growing up, I was known as the kid who had a papier mache' of Richard Nixon on my bedroom dresser (possibly a less fashionable Alex P. Keaton). I had a fascination with Nixon, a deep intrigue with some of his choices and a curiosity about both his strengths and weaknesses as a political leader who rose very quickly and was on the cusp of a change in American politics where we began to move away from the President as a powerful human being to the political machinery around the President actually retaining the power. To this day, this is where I'd say we are now.
We do get interesting glimpses into the political machine, including an interesting glimpse into Pat Nixon's conviction that Nixon's 1960 election was actually stolen - an argument we certainly hear a lot these days. However, even these moments are glimpses that never really go deeper.
Truthfully, I had high hopes for "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" and for the most part found it to be a middling experience that will likely please readers of political history and those particularly curious about the Nixons. I expect that to be many, however, for me "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" could been a far more effective experience if it had relaxed a bit with the journalistic approach and moved into more patient storytelling about a fascinating family, an enigmatic woman, and a unique time in American political history that I would argue continues to have its influence ripple to this very day.
Pat was a highly traveled First Lady, visiting eighty-three countries during her tenure. After a devastating earthquake in Peru in 1970, she personally flew in medical supplies and food to hard-hit areas, meeting one-on-one with victims of the tragedy. The First Lady’s 1972 trips with her husband to China and to Russia were critical to the detente that resulted. President Nixon frequently sent her to represent him at significant events in South America and Africa solo. Pat greatly expanded upon previous preservation efforts in the White House, obtaining more art and antique objects than any other First Lady. She was progressive on women’s issues, favoring the Equal Rights Amendment and backing a targeted effort to get more women into high level government jobs. Pat strongly supported nominating a woman for the Supreme Court. She was pro-choice, supporting women’s reproductive rights publicly even before the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.
When asked to define her “signature” First Lady agenda, she defied being put into a box, often saying: “People are my project.” There was nothing Pat Nixon enjoyed more than working one-on-one directly with ordinary human beings, especially with women, children, and those in need. In The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, Heath Hardage Lee presents readers with the essential nature of this First Lady, an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered world-wide.
"The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington's Most Private First Lady" by Heath Hardage Lee finds most of its narrative focus in Nixon's life after marrying Richard Nixon in 1940. The political rise for Richard Nixon came in short order, though there were certainly long before his final setbacks that would lead to impeachment and his resignation. Pat Nixon served as Second Lady from 1953-1961 and First Lady from 1969-1974.
Painstakingly resourced, somewhat distractingly so, "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" paints a loving portrait of Nixon - voted the "Most Admired Woman in the World" in 1972 and in the Gallup Poll's Top Ten List of Most Admired Women fourteen times. Even after the Watergate scandal that would end her husband's presidency, Pat Nixon's popularity largely survived.
"The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is less a biography of Nixon than a precise journey through Nixon's political life alongside her husband and, at times, surprisingly independently. Nixon never ran for office herself, however, she did help to redefine what it meant to be a truly engaged First Lady.
It doesn't take long to also realize that "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is very much a celebration of Nixon. At times reading more like fanfic than an actual biography of any sort, "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" presents with uncompromising adoration for Nixon and interprets the Nixon presidency largely through rose-colored glasses.
I can deal with this. I really can. Because, in the end, what really bothered me most about "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is that by the time the 400+ page book was winding down (NOTE: Over 1/3 of those pages are source documentation) I didn't feel like Pat Nixon was any less of a mystery.
"The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" is divided into three sections: A Farmer's Daughter, Washington Wife, and Leading Lady. A Farmer's Daughter comes the closest to feeling like an actual biography, an exploration of the foundation from which Nixon came. The final two sections, comprising the majority of the book, delve more fully into the woman behind the political facade to attempt to dig a little deeper into Nixon's attempt to bring humanity into her role as a political wife.
Indeed, it may very well have been Nixon who best humanized her husband. She was a connector, someone who intentionally shook hands with people and refused to rush them through the line. Her greatest political claim to fame may very well have been the deep humanity she brought to disaster response following a natural disaster in Peru where she showed up in person with an entire plane filled with aid for Peruvians.
While "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" gives us these glimpses of the Pat Nixon we seldom saw the press portray, more often than not it also feels like sound byte documentation more concerned with documenting resources than creating a narrative arc. It's as if, at times, the author is so concerned with documenting the justification for praising so extensively that it feels as if we're getting an extended press release instead of effective storytelling. There were times when "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" would open up a certain subject about Mrs. Nixon where I found myself wanting more, however, it would quickly divert to another topic entirely. There was very little that truly immersed me in the world of Pat Nixon.
You're likely saying to yourself "Oh, you're just a Democrat!" In the current world of divided politics, it seems like any such negative comments are met with name-calling and or just plain derision.
To that, I say hogwash.
Growing up, I was known as the kid who had a papier mache' of Richard Nixon on my bedroom dresser (possibly a less fashionable Alex P. Keaton). I had a fascination with Nixon, a deep intrigue with some of his choices and a curiosity about both his strengths and weaknesses as a political leader who rose very quickly and was on the cusp of a change in American politics where we began to move away from the President as a powerful human being to the political machinery around the President actually retaining the power. To this day, this is where I'd say we are now.
We do get interesting glimpses into the political machine, including an interesting glimpse into Pat Nixon's conviction that Nixon's 1960 election was actually stolen - an argument we certainly hear a lot these days. However, even these moments are glimpses that never really go deeper.
Truthfully, I had high hopes for "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" and for the most part found it to be a middling experience that will likely please readers of political history and those particularly curious about the Nixons. I expect that to be many, however, for me "The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon" could been a far more effective experience if it had relaxed a bit with the journalistic approach and moved into more patient storytelling about a fascinating family, an enigmatic woman, and a unique time in American political history that I would argue continues to have its influence ripple to this very day.
Pat was a highly traveled First Lady, visiting eighty-three countries during her tenure. After a devastating earthquake in Peru in 1970, she personally flew in medical supplies and food to hard-hit areas, meeting one-on-one with victims of the tragedy. The First Lady’s 1972 trips with her husband to China and to Russia were critical to the detente that resulted. President Nixon frequently sent her to represent him at significant events in South America and Africa solo. Pat greatly expanded upon previous preservation efforts in the White House, obtaining more art and antique objects than any other First Lady. She was progressive on women’s issues, favoring the Equal Rights Amendment and backing a targeted effort to get more women into high level government jobs. Pat strongly supported nominating a woman for the Supreme Court. She was pro-choice, supporting women’s reproductive rights publicly even before the landmark Roe v. Wade case in 1973.
When asked to define her “signature” First Lady agenda, she defied being put into a box, often saying: “People are my project.” There was nothing Pat Nixon enjoyed more than working one-on-one directly with ordinary human beings, especially with women, children, and those in need. In The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon, Heath Hardage Lee presents readers with the essential nature of this First Lady, an empathetic, adventurous, self-made woman who wanted no power or influence, but who connected warmly with both ordinary Americans and people from different cultures she encountered world-wide.
September 8, 2024
Biographies of famously private people can be tricky. The author definitely sets out to show that there was more to “plastic Pat” than people realize but never quite manages to peek over that stone wall. It feels very much like an authorized biography, with Dick Nixon’s (and America’s) supposed crimes glossed over.
May 22, 2025
A fascinating look at the life of Pat Nixon. While her life was one that was very public we knew very little about Pat Nixon, and it seems she was intentional about that. She was a private person which made her life in politics sometimes very challenging. Hers was not an easy life, from her earliest days she was forced to grow up quickly, taking on family responsibilites at an early age. This served her well as an adult when she was in Washington and living in the White House. She could juggle and handle a great deal of responsibilities. I appreciated reading what a loving and thoughtful mother she was to her two daughters and the very kind and thoughtful words her son-n-laws spoke on her behalf throughout her life. It's well written and easy to read while also informative.
July 5, 2025
Excellent biography full of insight into a fine woman. Also, an excellent refresher on the times. I read it in full while flying from San Francisco to Fort Wayne, IN, finishing as we touched down!
Highly readable and thought-provoking. Pat Nixon was a much more dynamic and intelligent woman than we were led to believe by many "journalists."
Highly readable and thought-provoking. Pat Nixon was a much more dynamic and intelligent woman than we were led to believe by many "journalists."
July 20, 2024
The Mysterious Mrs Nixon
By: Heath Hardage Lee
Pub date: August 6, 2024
Publisher: MacMillian Audio
Narrator: Jane Oppenheimer
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This audio is so interesting! With press we know so much about Richard Nixon and his presidency and of course Watergate.
Politics aside, Pat Nixon was a multi-layered woman. She was compassionate, loved, and charmed many foreign leaders while supporting her husband and their family. I enjoyed finding out how they met and Richard courted her and was a true romantic.
One of the many stories told in this novel was her kindness towards Jackie Kennedy. She let Jackie Kennedy and her kids visit the White House with no press. Pat Nixon did not fear much and the courage she displayed was beyond measure in the toughest situations.
By: Heath Hardage Lee
Pub date: August 6, 2024
Publisher: MacMillian Audio
Narrator: Jane Oppenheimer
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
This audio is so interesting! With press we know so much about Richard Nixon and his presidency and of course Watergate.
Politics aside, Pat Nixon was a multi-layered woman. She was compassionate, loved, and charmed many foreign leaders while supporting her husband and their family. I enjoyed finding out how they met and Richard courted her and was a true romantic.
One of the many stories told in this novel was her kindness towards Jackie Kennedy. She let Jackie Kennedy and her kids visit the White House with no press. Pat Nixon did not fear much and the courage she displayed was beyond measure in the toughest situations.
August 27, 2024
I went into this book blind. I knew nothing about Pat Nixon, nor much about her husband and his presidency. I vaguely know about Watergate and Nixon’s famous quote, but that is the end of my knowledge regarding the Nixons. I felt this book would give me some good history and help deepen my knowledge about the Nixons.
This book was well written and provided detailed insight into the former First Lady. I truly enjoyed this insightful book that helped me learn more about Pat Nixon. The narrator was perfect for this book, as I felt she delivered the story in a way that made me feel connected to the history that I was learning.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.
This book was well written and provided detailed insight into the former First Lady. I truly enjoyed this insightful book that helped me learn more about Pat Nixon. The narrator was perfect for this book, as I felt she delivered the story in a way that made me feel connected to the history that I was learning.
Thank you NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.
August 27, 2024
Thank you to @macmillian.audio for the gifted audiobook and St. Martin’s Press Books/ NetGalley for the audiobook ARC. All opinions are my own.
Narrator Jane Oppenheimer did an excellent job of narrating The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon. I listened at 1.75x. This is my fourth book by this narrator. Jane has narrated over 100 books, notably The Frozen River and The Goddess of Warsaw.
Bookish Thoughts: I think it is a win when I learn new information after reading a book. I thought the author did a thorough job of researching about the former First Lady. If you enjoy reading about history and politics, then you will enjoy this book!
Narrator Jane Oppenheimer did an excellent job of narrating The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon. I listened at 1.75x. This is my fourth book by this narrator. Jane has narrated over 100 books, notably The Frozen River and The Goddess of Warsaw.
Bookish Thoughts: I think it is a win when I learn new information after reading a book. I thought the author did a thorough job of researching about the former First Lady. If you enjoy reading about history and politics, then you will enjoy this book!
December 30, 2024
“People are my project.” —Pat Nixon
The only thing I am disappointed with about The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon by Heath Hardage Lee is it wasn’t longer. The material covering her early family life through college, employment, and meeting Nixon is fascinating, and all new to me. Her being voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and making Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times, is largely a function of her growing up years as a farmer’s daughter, the crucible where she was tested. The challenges she faced (both parents dead by the time she was 18), her work ethic (taking on the mom duties of their household at age 13 while finishing high school and caring for her father who died from tuberculosis 4 years after her mother’s death), her close bond with siblings, her thrift, her industriousness (sewing her own clothes, taking initiative to change tires and solve household problems), her drive to complete goals, her compassion and empathy, and her humility were all qualities that enabled her to connect profoundly with people from all walks of life, and this was never more manifest than when Pat and Dick were campaigning.
The couple crisscrossed California campaigning for his first political office to the US House of Representatives for California’s 12th district. “November 6, 1946, Dick won the election. It was a prolonged race, and the Nixons didn’t know the outcome until 4 a.m., as the ballots had to be hand-counted. But Dick unexpectedly swept the race, garnering 57 percent of the vote. Three years later “Sheridan Downey, California’s Democratic senator, had a term set to expire in 1950. He was a popular incumbent and would be hard to beat. Dick’s advisors and friends discouraged him, with many telling him that ‘running for the Senate would be tantamount to political suicide.’” They took the risk, again mounting a grueling ground game across California only a few years after their first one. “By the end of the campaign, both Pat and Dick were bone-tired. Even though his prospects looked bright, with a solid lead going into the campaign, Dick was gloomy and anxious on Election Day. He and Pat voted in Whittier and then tried to head to the beach for a picnic, but the weather was chilly. They opted instead to see a movie in Long Beach to distract them and calm their nerves. That evening they retreated to their campaign HQ in the Garland Building to await the final tally. Dick won the election by 680,000 votes, the widest margin of victory by any Republican candidate that year and the largest margin of victory for any Senate race nationally.” Three years later he was the 36th Vice President in the Eisenhower administration. From 1969-1974 he was President.
Pat Nixon believed when you had a job to do, you did it to the best of your ability. She was intelligent, attractive, and had a real sense of adventure. Few men would have prevailed with her during her dating years; she valued her freedom and independence fiercely. Pat spent so much time working odd jobs in college, even her professor noticed, “Years later, her former English professor Dr. Frank Baxter recalled how he saw her working tirelessly on campus at all hours of the night and day. He recalled that despite her exhausting schedule, ‘she was a good student, alert and interested. She stood out from the empty-headed, overdressed little sorority girls of that era like a good piece of literature on a shelf of cheap paperbacks.’” Her detractors in the media would later call her “Plastic Pat” proudly exhibiting their penchant for alliteration. It was not her alleged plasticity that attracted Americans to her, but her authenticity in a political town, Washington DC, where insincerity and narcissism were born.
One of the reasons I like reading memoirs and biographies for people of all persuasions is because what we see of a person in life is usually just the tip of the iceberg, or “reality” as packaged by political opponents and their public relations pundits. I love mining such books for the gold they contain, the stories about challenges and adversities people experienced and how they overcame them. That and love are life’s greatest strengths, the stuff of Shakespeare’s art, and the things that make humans awesome. The Nixons had their share of difficulties, but a real love story between them, as the book details, and managed to raise two daughters with the help of extended family, who despite their parents’ protracted absences on the campaign trails, went on to find their own love stories.
Lou Holtz said “It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” Pat shouldered a lot of loads over the course of her life, literally grace under pressure, the embodiment of “never complain, never explain.” Pat was stoic, and never gave up. After the helicopter removed them from the grounds of the White House in 1974 for their post Watergate life, people wondered how they could go on after such humiliation, but they continued down that difficult path, spending the next 20 years of life together, proving as long as they had each other, they had everything they needed.
The only thing I am disappointed with about The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon by Heath Hardage Lee is it wasn’t longer. The material covering her early family life through college, employment, and meeting Nixon is fascinating, and all new to me. Her being voted “Most Admired Woman in the World” in 1972 and making Gallup Poll’s top ten list of most admired women fourteen times, is largely a function of her growing up years as a farmer’s daughter, the crucible where she was tested. The challenges she faced (both parents dead by the time she was 18), her work ethic (taking on the mom duties of their household at age 13 while finishing high school and caring for her father who died from tuberculosis 4 years after her mother’s death), her close bond with siblings, her thrift, her industriousness (sewing her own clothes, taking initiative to change tires and solve household problems), her drive to complete goals, her compassion and empathy, and her humility were all qualities that enabled her to connect profoundly with people from all walks of life, and this was never more manifest than when Pat and Dick were campaigning.
The couple crisscrossed California campaigning for his first political office to the US House of Representatives for California’s 12th district. “November 6, 1946, Dick won the election. It was a prolonged race, and the Nixons didn’t know the outcome until 4 a.m., as the ballots had to be hand-counted. But Dick unexpectedly swept the race, garnering 57 percent of the vote. Three years later “Sheridan Downey, California’s Democratic senator, had a term set to expire in 1950. He was a popular incumbent and would be hard to beat. Dick’s advisors and friends discouraged him, with many telling him that ‘running for the Senate would be tantamount to political suicide.’” They took the risk, again mounting a grueling ground game across California only a few years after their first one. “By the end of the campaign, both Pat and Dick were bone-tired. Even though his prospects looked bright, with a solid lead going into the campaign, Dick was gloomy and anxious on Election Day. He and Pat voted in Whittier and then tried to head to the beach for a picnic, but the weather was chilly. They opted instead to see a movie in Long Beach to distract them and calm their nerves. That evening they retreated to their campaign HQ in the Garland Building to await the final tally. Dick won the election by 680,000 votes, the widest margin of victory by any Republican candidate that year and the largest margin of victory for any Senate race nationally.” Three years later he was the 36th Vice President in the Eisenhower administration. From 1969-1974 he was President.
Pat Nixon believed when you had a job to do, you did it to the best of your ability. She was intelligent, attractive, and had a real sense of adventure. Few men would have prevailed with her during her dating years; she valued her freedom and independence fiercely. Pat spent so much time working odd jobs in college, even her professor noticed, “Years later, her former English professor Dr. Frank Baxter recalled how he saw her working tirelessly on campus at all hours of the night and day. He recalled that despite her exhausting schedule, ‘she was a good student, alert and interested. She stood out from the empty-headed, overdressed little sorority girls of that era like a good piece of literature on a shelf of cheap paperbacks.’” Her detractors in the media would later call her “Plastic Pat” proudly exhibiting their penchant for alliteration. It was not her alleged plasticity that attracted Americans to her, but her authenticity in a political town, Washington DC, where insincerity and narcissism were born.
One of the reasons I like reading memoirs and biographies for people of all persuasions is because what we see of a person in life is usually just the tip of the iceberg, or “reality” as packaged by political opponents and their public relations pundits. I love mining such books for the gold they contain, the stories about challenges and adversities people experienced and how they overcame them. That and love are life’s greatest strengths, the stuff of Shakespeare’s art, and the things that make humans awesome. The Nixons had their share of difficulties, but a real love story between them, as the book details, and managed to raise two daughters with the help of extended family, who despite their parents’ protracted absences on the campaign trails, went on to find their own love stories.
Lou Holtz said “It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it.” Pat shouldered a lot of loads over the course of her life, literally grace under pressure, the embodiment of “never complain, never explain.” Pat was stoic, and never gave up. After the helicopter removed them from the grounds of the White House in 1974 for their post Watergate life, people wondered how they could go on after such humiliation, but they continued down that difficult path, spending the next 20 years of life together, proving as long as they had each other, they had everything they needed.
January 19, 2025
I just finished reading a revolutionary book about the life of Patricia Nixon. It takes the reader on a journey through her humble beginnings and then her eventual marriage to Richard M. Nixon. During her time as First Lady she became well known for her causes and her efforts to help promote her husband’s political career.
August 13, 2024
Absolutely fantastic!!
I never really gave much thought to Pat Nixon [shame on me; lesson learned ] beyond how sad I was for her that she was married to Richard Nixon [someone else I have also done a huge disservice to and will seek to correct that when possible] and that she had to deal with the scandal seemingly alone. Beyond that, she was just someone in history; how much I have missed in ignoring this amazing woman and her truly amazing, interesting, DEVOTED life [it was so interesting to see just how much she loved Richard and how she realized he was only human and how easy it was to stand by him and support him and love him throughout it all ]. Never have I been so glad to have gotten the opportunity to read a book that has taught me [once again ] how wrong it is to assume ANYTHING about ANYONE and how much there is to learn about the people we THINK we know.
Told from Pat's childhood on, this is a deeply researched [the acknowledgements at the end show just how much went into the research [the people this author got to speak to is nothing short of amazing] and writing of this book - I am still very much in awe ], extremely detailed deep-dive into what was Pat Ryan Nixon's life and it quite the ride. I was never bored, never distracted, and always sad when it was time to move on to another book [this happens when you read 4 books at once LOL]. Mrs. Nixon's life was so rich in experiences and life lessons and I was amazed over and over again by what I learned about her and her life before *AND* after the White House [the work that she did IN the White House is an eye-opening part of the book and I was constantly in awe of all the amazing things she accomplished and established; there were things I thought had always been in place and learned that it was truly Mrs. Nixon's work instead ].
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good biography [you'll be in luck because this is a GREAT biography ] or history, or just love learning about amazing, strong women and their place in our rich history.
Jane Oppenheimer is a new-to-me narrator, but I certainly hope this isn't the last time I get to listen to her narration. She does an excellent job narrating this book and made a brilliant read even more enjoyable. I highly recommend listening to this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Heath Hardage Lee, Jane Oppenheimer - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing both the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.
I never really gave much thought to Pat Nixon [shame on me; lesson learned ] beyond how sad I was for her that she was married to Richard Nixon [someone else I have also done a huge disservice to and will seek to correct that when possible] and that she had to deal with the scandal seemingly alone. Beyond that, she was just someone in history; how much I have missed in ignoring this amazing woman and her truly amazing, interesting, DEVOTED life [it was so interesting to see just how much she loved Richard and how she realized he was only human and how easy it was to stand by him and support him and love him throughout it all ]. Never have I been so glad to have gotten the opportunity to read a book that has taught me [once again ] how wrong it is to assume ANYTHING about ANYONE and how much there is to learn about the people we THINK we know.
Told from Pat's childhood on, this is a deeply researched [the acknowledgements at the end show just how much went into the research [the people this author got to speak to is nothing short of amazing] and writing of this book - I am still very much in awe ], extremely detailed deep-dive into what was Pat Ryan Nixon's life and it quite the ride. I was never bored, never distracted, and always sad when it was time to move on to another book [this happens when you read 4 books at once LOL]. Mrs. Nixon's life was so rich in experiences and life lessons and I was amazed over and over again by what I learned about her and her life before *AND* after the White House [the work that she did IN the White House is an eye-opening part of the book and I was constantly in awe of all the amazing things she accomplished and established; there were things I thought had always been in place and learned that it was truly Mrs. Nixon's work instead ].
I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves a good biography [you'll be in luck because this is a GREAT biography ] or history, or just love learning about amazing, strong women and their place in our rich history.
Jane Oppenheimer is a new-to-me narrator, but I certainly hope this isn't the last time I get to listen to her narration. She does an excellent job narrating this book and made a brilliant read even more enjoyable. I highly recommend listening to this book!
Thank you to NetGalley, Heath Hardage Lee, Jane Oppenheimer - Narrator, St. Martin's Press, and Macmillan Audio for providing both the eBook and audiobook ARC's in exchange for an honest review.
August 11, 2024
I went into this book not knowing anything about Pat Nixon and having very little knowledge of the Nixon presidential era other than Watergate and the notorious “I am not a crook” statement. I was interested to learn about the former First Lady and let me just say that this book does a fabulous job of not only providing a well written and detailed account of Pat Nixon throughout her life, but of her influence in her husband’s politics. It also opened my eyes to the many pieces of Nixon’s presidency that I was not previously aware.
A woman before her time - a first wave feminist, forced to work and care for her family as a young woman, shaping her worldview and progressive perspectives. As a wife, she dove head first into supporting her husband’s military and political careers and raising their children, putting herself last and giving her all to the campaigning, support, and the FLOTUS projects - hers related to various charitable organizations.
This book is well written, well organized, and very informative. It gave me insight into a much larger piece of political history than I had expected. The narrator does a wonderful job as well (though I had to listen at a minimum of 2x speed, which is probably a me problem…)
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
A woman before her time - a first wave feminist, forced to work and care for her family as a young woman, shaping her worldview and progressive perspectives. As a wife, she dove head first into supporting her husband’s military and political careers and raising their children, putting herself last and giving her all to the campaigning, support, and the FLOTUS projects - hers related to various charitable organizations.
This book is well written, well organized, and very informative. It gave me insight into a much larger piece of political history than I had expected. The narrator does a wonderful job as well (though I had to listen at a minimum of 2x speed, which is probably a me problem…)
Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Audio for the Audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.
October 28, 2025
This is a 3.5 read for me, but I rounded up because I wanted to like it more. Pat Nixon does come to life on these pages and I learned a lot about a woman I grew up on but knew little about.
Ms. Hardage Lee is a good storyteller but she is not especially careful about specifying which are her opinions and which are Pat's. For example, there is an ongoing compare/contrast between Mrs. Nixon and Jackie Kennedy, with Pat always coming out the better Senate wife and First Lady despite Jackie receiving better press. I hope this Jackie obsession was the author's and not Pat's.
Similarly, Watergate is treated as an unfortunate event, with Nixon as a bystander who trusted the wrong people. This is not only untrue, it robs of us of knowing how Pat Nixon felt about the scandal that drove her from her home and tainted all the good work she did as First Lady.
I liked the Mrs. Nixon I met on these pages. She successfully balanced her independent streak with her sincere desire to conform to the role of political wife. She kept her close friends throughout her life, which could not have been easy as she transitioned from "Pat from Artesia, CA" to world figure, and I admire that. But she is also portrayed as flawless, and I question that.
Ms. Hardage Lee is a good storyteller but she is not especially careful about specifying which are her opinions and which are Pat's. For example, there is an ongoing compare/contrast between Mrs. Nixon and Jackie Kennedy, with Pat always coming out the better Senate wife and First Lady despite Jackie receiving better press. I hope this Jackie obsession was the author's and not Pat's.
Similarly, Watergate is treated as an unfortunate event, with Nixon as a bystander who trusted the wrong people. This is not only untrue, it robs of us of knowing how Pat Nixon felt about the scandal that drove her from her home and tainted all the good work she did as First Lady.
I liked the Mrs. Nixon I met on these pages. She successfully balanced her independent streak with her sincere desire to conform to the role of political wife. She kept her close friends throughout her life, which could not have been easy as she transitioned from "Pat from Artesia, CA" to world figure, and I admire that. But she is also portrayed as flawless, and I question that.
Read
September 20, 2024I enjoyed reading about Pat Nixon’s early life and the years of her courtship and marriage but DNF.
It was based primarily on interviews with family and close friends’ children and came across as such an idealized portrait that Mrs. Nixon didn’t seem real. She appeared to be an admirable person, warm, caring, and loyal but we never get a glimpse of her deeper feelings.
She must have had strong sentiments about Watergate
but they are never really shown . And the author reveals a personal bias against those who revealed the crimes Nixon was committing especially Woodward and Bernstein who she blames for Pat’s stroke. It’s not a vey balanced book. I get the impression that the Nixon
family is not willing to accept that President Nixon
needed to resign and that the author agrees.
It was basically a hagiography and I was disappointed I didn’t get to read about a real flesh and blood person. Pat Nixon still reminds mysterious.
It was based primarily on interviews with family and close friends’ children and came across as such an idealized portrait that Mrs. Nixon didn’t seem real. She appeared to be an admirable person, warm, caring, and loyal but we never get a glimpse of her deeper feelings.
She must have had strong sentiments about Watergate
but they are never really shown . And the author reveals a personal bias against those who revealed the crimes Nixon was committing especially Woodward and Bernstein who she blames for Pat’s stroke. It’s not a vey balanced book. I get the impression that the Nixon
family is not willing to accept that President Nixon
needed to resign and that the author agrees.
It was basically a hagiography and I was disappointed I didn’t get to read about a real flesh and blood person. Pat Nixon still reminds mysterious.
September 29, 2024
The mystery of Pat Nixon has been solved! Heath Lee once again does a fabulous job unveiling the story behind the lesser known characters in our history. Before reading this I l knew very little of Pat Nixon other than who she was married to. Lee did the research to provide lesser known details about Mrs. Nixon’s bringing her to life for the reader. Showing the softer, giving side of Pat provides a look into a life as a servant leader. This was immensely both enjoyable and educational!
May 1, 2025
I felt that this was an honest portrayal of this iconic woman. Her strengths and struggles dealing with being in the public eye, and her husband's dedication to politics was difficult for her. First Lady Nixon's early life was a difficult one also when her mother died during her high school years, having to care for the home, younger brothers, and a dad dying with tuberculosis . She was the first First Lady who campaigned for her husband and the first who traveled abroad on her husband's behalf politically.
September 28, 2024
An interesting and informative biography.
October 31, 2024
I love reading about our First Ladies. I think this is the first book I’ve read about Pat Nixon - very interesting and informative.
June 30, 2025
I loved this book!
June 30, 2024
This was an interesting read. I didn’t know much about the Nixons except what Nixon did as a president, but from what I read about them in this book, was that they had a great love for each other. And while she was a very private person I wouldn’t say she was “mysterious” per se.
June 18, 2024
Thank you Net Galley for the opportunity to pre-read this book.
I enjoyed learning more about Mrs. Nixon and her experiences as Second and First Lady. The footnotes detracted from the story, however, and I feel there should have been a cleaner way to notate a source without constantly having a tiny number after practically every sentence. I hope that pictures are included in the final version as it was disappointing to never come across any in my reading.
I enjoyed learning more about Mrs. Nixon and her experiences as Second and First Lady. The footnotes detracted from the story, however, and I feel there should have been a cleaner way to notate a source without constantly having a tiny number after practically every sentence. I hope that pictures are included in the final version as it was disappointing to never come across any in my reading.
October 28, 2024
Both Pat Nixon and Jackie Kennedy shared a distain for politics; yet both women married politicians.
The difference between the two iconic First Ladies is that the press fawned over Mrs. Kennedy but mocked Mrs. Nixon by referring to her as "Plastic Pat."
Ms. Lee biography of Pat Nixon is an outstanding read regardless of political leanings. The book was thoroughly researched to reinforce the genuine Pat Nixon and not the one painted by a bias press. Pat Nixon was the first First Lady to wear pant suits in The White House. Mrs. Nixon successfully persuaded her husband to employ more women in higher positions within the Federal Government. On numerous occasions Pat strongly recommended a woman on the SCOTUS. On Two different occasions President Nixon heeded her counsel and was determined to nominate a woman to the SCOTUS, but the American Bar Association refused to endorse those nominations.
Pat Nixon, much to my surprise, was pro choice. She favored the Equal Rights Amendment as First Lady.
The difference between the two iconic First Ladies is that the press fawned over Mrs. Kennedy but mocked Mrs. Nixon by referring to her as "Plastic Pat."
Ms. Lee biography of Pat Nixon is an outstanding read regardless of political leanings. The book was thoroughly researched to reinforce the genuine Pat Nixon and not the one painted by a bias press. Pat Nixon was the first First Lady to wear pant suits in The White House. Mrs. Nixon successfully persuaded her husband to employ more women in higher positions within the Federal Government. On numerous occasions Pat strongly recommended a woman on the SCOTUS. On Two different occasions President Nixon heeded her counsel and was determined to nominate a woman to the SCOTUS, but the American Bar Association refused to endorse those nominations.
Pat Nixon, much to my surprise, was pro choice. She favored the Equal Rights Amendment as First Lady.
September 11, 2024
I'm not sure that "mysterious" is the right adjective to describe Pat Nixon. Pat Nixon: The Untold Story was published almost 40 years ago. Also, unless my math is off, I don't think Heath Hardage Lee is old enough to have conducted all of the interviews with Pat Nixon's friends herself. (I may be at a disadvantage here, having listened to the audiobook, which does not have a bibliography.) That means that pretty much the entirety of The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady was culled from existing sources. Maybe "mysterious" in that Pat didn't really like the whole country being up in her private business. Maybe "mysterious" in that what so many believed about her "plastic Pat" persona was untrue. Certainly not "mysterious" in terms of being difficult or impossible to understand, explain, or identify. You just had to take the time to look at the already available sources.
I won't quibble any more over the title. Heath Hardage Lee did a fine job of expanding Julie Nixon Eisenhower's earlier work with the benefit of being a neutral party (i.e., not a member of the family). Also, any new release will re-focus a long absent spotlight. Without getting too political, it really is amazing to read, in 2024, about the 1972 Republican Convention in contrast to today.
Jane Oppenheimer's narration was excellent. Her tone of voice was absolutely perfect for the subject material: warm and maturely feminine, a classy voice.
Now, my two quibbles. One is the inescapable: Dick's failings. I'm not just talking about Watergate, either. I've read The Mafia's President: Nixon and the Mob, and I kept waiting for Heath Hardage Lee to make some allusion to what Pat knew/suspected. Maybe the historical record is void to the point where Heath Hardage Lee didn't feel comfortable bringing it up. But, come on, you don't go from the "we're no richer than anyone else" Checkers speech to redecorating a swanky New York co-op in just a handful of years without pausing to double-check where the money is coming from!
"Dick, honey," Pat calls from the other room.
"Yes, darling?"
"Are you sure we can afford this?"
Dick coughs, mumbling slightly, "yes-- yes. We're good."
Pat pauses. Silent, her eyes move as she makes the mental calculations. "Well," she answers briskly, "all righty, then!"
Surely, something at least akin to this must have gone down. With Watergate, Heath Hardage Lee states that Pat had learned not to press Dick too much on certain issues, to just quietly accept that he had it all under control on his end. I'm certain that her knowledge of his Mafia ties was at least similar. It was worthy of a passing reference at least is all I'm saying.
My second quibble is more personal. It pertains to the widely circulated rumor that Pat drank greater than her usual amounts of alcohol during Watergate. So there is ample evidence that she didn't-- that's super! Bully for her! But, speaking on behalf of the millions of Americans with alcohol use disorder, there would be no shame if she had. In fact, Heath Hardage Lee's pounding insistence of Pat's sobriety, along with such comments about how Pat didn't need "crutches," is actually detrimental to the health of those with alcohol use disorder. I would like to take a moment to reference the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's work. Please familiarize yourself with Stigma: Overcoming a Pervasive Barrier to Optimal Care https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-prof... It would've been far kinder to simply state something along the lines of "There were widely circulated rumors that Pat drank greater than her usual amounts of alcohol during Watergate. There is ample evidence that these rumors are simply that." Based on what I learned about Pat from The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady, I don't think she would want anyone to feel bad about themselves to the point where they delay healthcare.
I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.
I won't quibble any more over the title. Heath Hardage Lee did a fine job of expanding Julie Nixon Eisenhower's earlier work with the benefit of being a neutral party (i.e., not a member of the family). Also, any new release will re-focus a long absent spotlight. Without getting too political, it really is amazing to read, in 2024, about the 1972 Republican Convention in contrast to today.
Jane Oppenheimer's narration was excellent. Her tone of voice was absolutely perfect for the subject material: warm and maturely feminine, a classy voice.
Now, my two quibbles. One is the inescapable: Dick's failings. I'm not just talking about Watergate, either. I've read The Mafia's President: Nixon and the Mob, and I kept waiting for Heath Hardage Lee to make some allusion to what Pat knew/suspected. Maybe the historical record is void to the point where Heath Hardage Lee didn't feel comfortable bringing it up. But, come on, you don't go from the "we're no richer than anyone else" Checkers speech to redecorating a swanky New York co-op in just a handful of years without pausing to double-check where the money is coming from!
"Dick, honey," Pat calls from the other room.
"Yes, darling?"
"Are you sure we can afford this?"
Dick coughs, mumbling slightly, "yes-- yes. We're good."
Pat pauses. Silent, her eyes move as she makes the mental calculations. "Well," she answers briskly, "all righty, then!"
Surely, something at least akin to this must have gone down. With Watergate, Heath Hardage Lee states that Pat had learned not to press Dick too much on certain issues, to just quietly accept that he had it all under control on his end. I'm certain that her knowledge of his Mafia ties was at least similar. It was worthy of a passing reference at least is all I'm saying.
My second quibble is more personal. It pertains to the widely circulated rumor that Pat drank greater than her usual amounts of alcohol during Watergate. So there is ample evidence that she didn't-- that's super! Bully for her! But, speaking on behalf of the millions of Americans with alcohol use disorder, there would be no shame if she had. In fact, Heath Hardage Lee's pounding insistence of Pat's sobriety, along with such comments about how Pat didn't need "crutches," is actually detrimental to the health of those with alcohol use disorder. I would like to take a moment to reference the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism's work. Please familiarize yourself with Stigma: Overcoming a Pervasive Barrier to Optimal Care https://www.niaaa.nih.gov/health-prof... It would've been far kinder to simply state something along the lines of "There were widely circulated rumors that Pat drank greater than her usual amounts of alcohol during Watergate. There is ample evidence that these rumors are simply that." Based on what I learned about Pat from The Mysterious Mrs. Nixon: The Life and Times of Washington’s Most Private First Lady, I don't think she would want anyone to feel bad about themselves to the point where they delay healthcare.
I would like to thank Macmillan Audio for allowing me to experience this NetGalley audiobook.
July 24, 2024
I cannot, for the life of me, understand why the word “mysterious” was used in the title. It’s misleading seeing as how there’s nothing mysterious about this lady.
There are definitely points of interest; Pat Dixon’s contrast with Jackie Kennedy, her adamantly pro-woman stance, her then-innovative approach to being a productive First Lady opposed to performative like Mrs. Eisenhower. However, outside of key moments in history there really was no there there. Without Richard Nixon this book would have been a lot shorter.
Thank you for the ARC NetGalley.
There are definitely points of interest; Pat Dixon’s contrast with Jackie Kennedy, her adamantly pro-woman stance, her then-innovative approach to being a productive First Lady opposed to performative like Mrs. Eisenhower. However, outside of key moments in history there really was no there there. Without Richard Nixon this book would have been a lot shorter.
Thank you for the ARC NetGalley.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews