The History Book Club discussion

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by Tim Weiner

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I made a fatal mistake when I picked up this book....I read the first chapter and couldn't quit!!! What a well-written fascinating telling of the Nixon administration and the amazing things that were happening right under the noses of the public and some of Nixon's chief "advisors". Has there been a more corrupt administration?....probably (Warren Harding comes to mind), but the back stair machinations of Nixon and his cronies were not achieved by an incompetent as in Harding's case, but by a man who mistook the office of POTUS for that of an absolute monarchy.

The author cuts to the chase and doesn't take up a lot of pages discussing the childhood, etc. of Nixon. Even in its thoroughness, there are still unanswered questions......why did Nixon's inner circle support his illegal activities and continue to support him when the threat (and in some cases, reality) of prison hung over their heads. I think the tactics regarding the Vietnam War probably trump Watergate since it could have brought us to nuclear destruction if Nixon had his way. This is an excellent and often very disturbing book.

I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Goodreads

"One Man Against the World by Tim Weiner was an eye opening book of the life of Richard Nixon. The book provided a look at his life from his youth through his resignation from the Presidency. While most have an idea of the Watergate cover-ups, I have never read about some of the many episodes of downright corruption and recklessness during his presidency. I shudder to think that this man not only had a massive nuclear weapons arsenal at his disposal, but seriously considered using this during the Vietnam War. His paranoia ran deep from any Communist regime to the Democratic Party. If you've never read any kind of history on Nixon, this one would be a good place to start.

I received this book through the History Club on Goodreads and would like to thank them for the opportunity to read this book with the club.

Here's my review:

I read this book with the History Book Club, and for once, I actually stuck to their syllabus, which means I read the book gradually over two months while tandem-reading other books. The trouble with switching between books in this way is that it becomes hard to remember the details, especially in a book like this, which is full of military strategy, hardly my forte. I understood the Watergate sections better, but probably only because I’d seen “All the President’s Men.” Neither subject makes for particularly easy reading.

The main lesson I got out of the book was how ruthless Nixon was. His whole policy in Vietnam was “bomb ‘em till they surrender,” which killed thousands of people and didn’t work anyway. At the same time, he was emotionally unstable and quite likely alcoholic. His immediate predecessor, LBJ, also came across as emotionally unstable in Richard Goodwin's memoir, Remembering America, and I don’t think it’s a coincidence. The Vietnam War did not just destroy the young men who fought in it; it undid two presidents. The book makes clear that without Vietnam, there would have been no Watergate.

The book was published now because Nixon’s tapes have finally been released for public use, and they are full of so many scathing revelations, I can’t understand why he didn’t destroy them. At the same time, I was impressed that our justice system didn’t let his attempted cover-up get past the American people. The inconsistencies in the defendants’ stories were dissected until the truth came out. I’m afraid that wouldn’t happen today.

If you already dislike Nixon, you’ll detest him at the end of this book. And yet in spite of that, you will see his human side. He did many terrible things and he deserved to lose power, but now that I know a little of what motivated him, I can’t help but to also feel sorry for him.

I received this book as a free review copy from the publisher to members of the History Book Club.

Citation: by Richard N. Goodwin

Thanks, Jill, David, and Kressel for your reviews.

Here is my final review of the book.

I received this book for free in a give away by the publisher in support of a group discussion in the Goodreads group History Book Club. I am appreciative of the fact that various publishers are so willing to support not only the promotion of a book but serious discussion and study of the book and subject as well.

I was fairly young at the time that Nixon was President of the United States. I was five when he was elected for his first time and nine when he won his second term. I do remember the newscast of him waving his peace sign from Marine One. After that the memories I have are of discussion of Watergate and comments made about Nixon.

Having said this much in this book was new to me. The premise of the book is to bring out new details revolving around Nixon's presidency and particularly Watergate that are now available as a result of a new release date for Nixon tapes. I had basically come to consider Nixon in my limited knowledge as one of our more effective presidents regardless of the Watergate scandal. I feel that Weiner's personal opinions of Nixon come through in this book and they are not favorable and yet it is an author's prerogative to draw conclusions from the evidence if they so desire. Perhaps my biggest disappointment in reading this book is learning that Nixon actively worked to sabotage peace talks between North Vietnam and the Johnson administration just so he [Nixon] could be the one to bring "peace with honor." Had Johnson just packed the boys up and brought them home before leaving office there would have been more honor in it than Nixon brought us after his efforts resulted in extending the war with no better result then could have been gained in '68.

This was the thing that was the most revealing to me personally. The book is and excellent survey of the material available much of it in Nixon's own words that detail an administration that was into things and did things, that one would think only Hollywood could show us a President and his men doing. There are scary moments when for all intents and purposes there is no Commander-In-Chief on duty.

This book brought me through a range of emotions; sadness, disgust, disappointment, disillusionment, pride, hopefulness and disbelief. I strongly recommend the book to anyone interested in the Nixon era.

One Man Against the World should perhaps be subtitled The Tragedy of America. The affects of Nixon's actions throughout his political career, left an indelible mark on the nation. Tim Weiner pulls information from newly released audio tapes and written documents to present the true character of Nixon during his administration from Vietnam to Watergate to his impeachment. Most people have an idea of who Nixon was, but Weiner shows the reader that there is much more than the public ever knew. All of the deceit and concealment is clearly laid out in shocking detail. The reader will also learn just how many people surrounded Nixon and helped to cover up his shenanigans and participate willing in his plans.

I think this is a must read for anyone remotely interested in politics and current events. It is chilling to know how easily a person in charge of a nation can abuse their authority the way Nixon did. Vietnam could have likely ended at the end of Johnson's term if not for Nixon. Nixon betrayed the nation and the affects are still felt today.

I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Goodreads

Tim Weiner's One Man Against the World was a riveting look at the Nixon presidency and the tortured man that he had become. The author's note at the beginning of the book is profound and a foreshadowing of what was to come. Mr. Weiner writes, "Richard Nixon led the United States through a time of unbearable turmoil. He made war in pursuit of peace. He committed crimes in the name of the law. He tore the country apart while trying to unite it. He sabotaged the presidency by violating the Constitution. He destroyed himself and damaged the nation through deliberate acts of folly."

This book was largely based on documents from the Nixon White House, his National Security Council, the CIA, the FBI, the State Department and the Pentagon that were declassified between 2007 and 2014. In addition, there was the recent release of Nixon's grand jury testimony, the Nixon tapes and the diaries of his close aide, H.R. Haldeman. This information was detailed chronologically throughout the book and synthesized within the historical context from many varying perspectives. The author's wide use of quotes from key individuals along with extensive footnotes added to the richness of the book.

Richard Nixon's background and early days in politics are discussed briefly as the book moves to the presidential campaign of 1968 where one learns the depths to which Nixon would go in order to win the presidency. As Weiner delves into the troubled six years of the Nixon presidency, it examines his conduct of the war in Vietnam, opening relations with China, his meetings with the Soviet Union and his troubled relationships with the FBI, the CIA, his cabinet members and the evolving saga of the Watergate break-in and subsequent cover-up. It was also a disturbing look at how compromised Nixon had become from his paranoia, insomnia and abuse of alcohol. As the Watergate hearings and senate investigations moved forward, the obstruction of justice was escalated. As late as July 1974, when it became apparent that the articles of impeachment would pass in Congress, Nixon was vacillating as to whether he should resign or fight. Eventually, he did resign in August 1974, and Gerald Ford became president of the United States. This book is recommended for those interested in presidential history and particularly if you lived through these years.

It should be noted that I received a copy of this book from the publisher Henry Holt and Company as part of a group read with the History Book Club.

My final thoughts on the book:

It was a solid effort for Weiner, once again. His writing style really comes out well. Fast-paced and interesting.

I have to admit, I didn't learn much new here, but I think this is a good book for people who don't know much about Nixon.

I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Goodreads

Teri: a round of applause for your great group moderation. Well done.

Bryan wrote: "Teri: a round of applause for your great group moderation. Well done."

Bryan, may I join in your applause. Thank you Teri for a great job!

Thank you guys for being a great group. This book made for a lively discussion.

Review

One Man Against the World - The Tragedy of Richard Nixon -
by Tim Weiner

This is an updated biography of the Nixon Presidency utilizing new information released and available from 2007 to 2014 and it is written with a leaning towards trying to understand the emotions of Richard Nixon during this period - not just the physical facts.

For those of us who lived through the trauma of the Nixon Presidency unraveling it is adding new information and putting all information into a perspective that can only be accomplished by a talented man like Tim Weiner organizing, analyzing, and carefully laying out the progressions.

All the major characters are included and pretty much weighted based upon their importance. None of the "dirty dogs", in my memory, are omitted.

All of the, or many if not all, of the incredulity of the actions made are documented thru tapes or diaries etc. and the bad taste in one's mouth stays - but better understanding comes also to the reader.

For those who did not live through this period it is an exposure of such dishonesty at the top of our government as to be disturbing. The lying seems, to me, to be beyond what goes on these days (maybe only because Nixon got caught).

The fragility of our government is scary until one sees the underlying strength in the rule of law and in the end all parties ready to accept and follow that.

It will be a good Christmas, or other time, gift to aspiring politicians and political science students be they in a program or amateur.

I got this book from the publisher - Henry Holt & Company - free of charge to let me read it together with the History Book Club of the on-ling goodreads website.

My Review:
One Man Against the World-The Tragedy of Richard Nixon-by Tim Weiner

This was a gripping book that was not easy to put down. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and read it for the History Book Club and rate it 5 stars. I read this book following the syllabus and tried not to read too far ahead. This book gives us new information from the newly released audios and diaries/communications. It therefore backs rumors and assumptions from the past and we have learned new revelations from that time period.

I found it impressive and justifying that our justice system actually caught Nixon and was captivated in how they actually caught him. I never liked Nixon before reading this book and after reading it liked him even less. I did see some moments of humanity but most often saw him as a tragic person of his own making due to his deception, manipulation and need for power. I highly recommend this book to readers.

I received this book gratis through the History Book Club from the publisher.

Thank you all for participating in this group read. I enjoyed reading all your thoughts on the book as we read together. I fell a little behind, the last 2 weeks, but I finally had time to finish last night. I really enjoyed the book. I had two specific goals for this book: learn more about Nixon's presidency and specifically the Watergate scandal. The book answered my questions and then some. Mr. Weiner's writing was great as expected (I have read some of this other works).

Big thank you to the publisher and Mr. Weiner for sharing this book with our group!

I finished this book yesterday. I very much enjoyed it and it spurred some distant memories. It was great also reading everyone's thoughts during the weeks as I read. Wish I could have participated more. Here is my review:

I finished this excellent, if depressing, book yesterday. I received this book for free as part of a promotion from Holt via the Goodreads History book club. I read a previous excellent book by the author
by Tim Weiner
and was excited to read this one. I was a teenager when Nixon was president and I remember vaguely some of the drama happening at the time but never realized the depth of deception that went on during this period. There were many hidden things that the author has researched and revealed with the latest unclassified materials from this time period. Nixon was a very power hungry and troubled person, and he surrounded himself with other like-minded individuals that the author delves deeply into. Highly recommended for people who wish to understand more deeply the political events that took place during the Nixon years, and how those events have changed our world today.

Thanks for including me in this great readalong.

I received this book for free in a give away by the publisher in support of a group discussion in the Goodreads group History Book Club.

I am a big fan of Presidential history and I find Richard Nixon to be one of the more interesting and enigmatic presidents. While I was reading this book, Tim Weiner utlized a very interesting set of recently declassified resources to explore the actual conversations that led to the decision making process throughout Nixon's doomed presidency. My only complaint is that there are times throughout the book where I (and I imagine most other readers who weren't alive during Nixon's presidency) fail to see the impact of the events Weiner is detailing (for example, I had to research what lead to the bombings in Camobia/Laos). Overall, interesting read and a great supplement to any reader who is learning about Nixon's presidency.

Thank you guys - all book recipients signed up for the t's and c's and need to post their review here.

Remember when you post your review here you must add the disclaimer of how you received the book and that you got it for free.

I received this book gratis through the History Book Club on Goodreads

Kressel wrote: "Here's my review:

I read this book with the History Book Club, and for once, I actually stuck to their syllabus, which means I read the book gradually over two months while tandem-reading other b..."

Just a quick thought on Nixon's "bomb until they surrender" policy - in today's paper an editorial cartoon by Bennett showed a Christmas card saying "Peace on Earth" on the front and "or bomb the ... out of them." The more things change, the more they stay the same...

I was a little slow on this one, both in reading and thinking!

One Man Against the World is a perfect title for this book as it personifies a mentally disturbed, alcoholic, paranoid man whose dreams of being a great and powerful wizard...oops, I mean president...were broken by an ill-fated war, a host of corrupt, greedy sycophants, and a lack of personal integrity. I once thought that Nixon would be treated more kindly by history. After all, he opened relations with China, traveled the world to meet with other political leaders, and brokered a peace that led to the end of our involvement with Vietnam. So what if men who worked for him tried to steal a political party's secrets?

What i didn't know was that:
1) In opening relations with China, Nixon's use of Pakistan as an intermediary led to support of the killing side in Pakistan's war against the Bengalis that led to the creation of Bangladesh.
2) In his world travels, Nixon lied and manipulated to get what he wanted.
3) To bring peace in Vietnam, Nixon ordered heavy bombing and incursions into Cambodia and Laos. Now, personally, I wouldn't call either Cambodia or Laos neutral countries since North Vietnam used them as military bases...but the secretive method that Nixon used only led to more public outcry against the USA at home and abroad. And it should have been obvious that North Virtnam was not going to agree to our terms, no matter what we did. Perhaps a less paranoid president would have seen that and gotten us out faster. Peace with honor means nothing to the dead, especially when Nixon doesn't know what honor is.

I was amazed at just how corrupt Nixon was. Those around him were just as bad, or they were too intent on keeping their own positions to challenge him. And Kissinger? The man I thought was a great statesman was equally corrupt!

That "little break-in" was only one in a series of illegal events committed by Nixon and his staff. If he didn't order it done, he knew about it. He micro-managed every project; Watergate would have been no exception. (And to think I believed Rose Mary Woods!)

This book also reveals a side of Nixon that I don't think many people ever saw - he was definitely more than a little off mentally and was a heavy drinker, to the point that I would call him an alcoholic. At the point when we went to DEFCON IV, he was drunk and unelected officials were running things.

Tim Weiner has written an eye-opening book that has sent me off to read more about Nixon. Thanks to him, to Goodreads for sponsoring this discussion, and to Teri for moderating it.

I received this book for free as part of the History Book Club discussion on Goodreads.

Being born in the late 1970's I didn't really remember hearing about Nixon until I was around 10 from my father. He would refer to him as Tricky Dick and call him a crook. So after that I just assumed he was without doing much reading on Nixon myself. I thought this book from Tim Weiner gave a very good overview of what was going on in the Nixon White house during his two terms. From all of the spying they performed on their "enemies" to his efforts to form better relations with China. These were definitely some scary times in the US and T. Weiner talks about some of these instances were Nixon was out of pocket (usually for drinking too much). Even thought I though T. Weiner was a little biased towards the negative on Nixon, I think this book is valuable for someone who wants to learn more about the going on's in the Nixon White House.

I received this book for free as part of the History Book Club discussion on Goodreads.

Disclaimer: I received the book from the publisher for free through the History Book Club on Goodreads

This was a 5 star book for me. Tim Weiner, the author, has a real flare for narrative history. I found that I was compelled to keep reading past the scheduled discussion pages. When I can’t book a book down, I want to read more from the author.

This was also an excellent discussion on the History Book Club site and I especially want to thank Teri for keeping the ball rolling with her thought-provoking questions and encouraging responses to us all. As always, I benefited from reading different points of view, expressed in very civil terms.

Although I lived through this era and had a vague knowledge of Watergate, there was a great deal of new information for me. Weiner makes extensive use of the White House recordings, some of which have only recently been released. Among the things that particularly struck me were Nixon’s efforts to interfere with Johnson’s peace negotiations prior to his own election, the extent of all the dirty tricks that were an integral part of Nixon’s modus operandi, his ghoulish enthusiasm for bombing the North Vietnamese to oblivion, and the growth of Richard Nixon’s paranoia, drinking, and overall loss of control as the Watergate story unwound.

There were a few times when I almost felt sorry for Nixon, but his own words, quoted extensively from his own taping system, condemned him and showed what a flawed leader he was.

I respect Weiner’s decision to limit the book to Nixon’s presidency. However, I personally would have appreciated a longer introduction and some discussion of how and why Nixon’s paranoia and willingness to subvert the law developed before his presidency. In addition, I would have liked more analysis of the long term effects of Nixon’s presidency in the short epilogue.

All in all, however, I would highly recommend this very readable book.

Review: One Man Against the World-The Tragedy of Richard Nixon-by Tim Weiner

I perhaps had a somewhat different experience reading this book than some others. When I first picked it up, our town was hit by the largest rainfall in 100s of years in one day- almost 2 feet in several hours. Columbia, SC became flooded with what our Governor called "a 1000 year flood". My family was definitely blessed as our home was fine, but neighbors and friends and family members were not in the same shape. For a week we were without running water and electricity for a couple of days, but that was the most of it for us. Others were not so lucky. So for the next two months, our town- our neighborhood- was not operating normally. 1000s of roads were out. We spent our weekends helping relief efforts and as I work for the government, my weekdays were the same.

I add this disclaimer as it definitely colored my reading experience. Rather than being fully engaged with the conversation online and reading every minute I could, it was more haphazard and sometimes my mind was elsewhere. What is normally an escape for me, turned into an assignment. And adding to that was the fact that I was finishing teaching a class (I teach History in the evening at a local campus) on American History and somewhere during the reading I was grading 25 papers on Nixon. I

Despite all of that- I appreciated Tim Weiner's writing ability and research. None of the above has anything to do with the book, so I have been trying to filter it out as I think about the book as a whole. Even though the topic was not as engaging to me, it should not reflect the book overall. I was overwhelmed and perhaps had too much of Nixon before diving in to his narrative. But Weiner's book is in safe and capable hands and I always appreciate a knowledgeable and gifted writer. I don't think there was a whole lot of new revelations here- with on or two exceptions, but I think the strength of the book relied on Weiner's writing style and placing his subject in the larger context of the times. Nixon's 1st and 2nd terms are different and interesting to compare. Watergate, of course, dominates the discussion and story of the 2nd term and overshadows anything from the 1st term.

To be honest, there are tons of books out there on Nixon, and so many of them reach the same conclusion: Nixon was a paranoid, corrupt President who did everything he could to subvert the law and cover up the Watergate fiasco. How could anyone arrive at any other conclusion if they have examined the evidence and the record? So what could be original in a new book? I think in Weiner's case he provided a much larger context for the Watergate situation and Nixon's presidency. Not all author's do that. But there is a bit of a feeling sometimes that it's an opportunity to jump in and get a few licks at everyone's favorite punching bag. Don't get me wrong, I'm no Nixon apologist by any stretch, but at the same time, he wasn't the only corrupt political figure in our history and he won't be the last. For many in the political activist wing of the baby boom generation, Nixon's head on a platter is a trophy of sorts and is imperative to their identity and narrative. The question becomes, 50 years from now, will it still maintain the same importance, or will someone else have reset the bar? So, the tone in the book became strained at times with the negative, and heavy.

While I rate this 4 stars, it is mostly because of the author and his talents- and I tried to think long and hard about it and filter out my "environment" while reading. I honestly think I would reach some of the same conclusions. I would recommend it to others as it has a more contextual approach to Nixon's Presidency.

Disclaimer: The book was provided from the publisher for free through the History Book Club on Goodreads, in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the Publisher, the HBC and the author.

Thanks for your comments / maybe the negative was in the content and not the writing I think.

I probably should clarify- the reason I gave it 4 stats instead of lower was because the author is an excellent and engaging writer. His talents were a plus.

One Man Against The World: The Tragedy of Richard Nixon, is an aptly titled examination of the events that led to the public unraveling of the 37th President of The United States. I admit coming into this book with the firm view that Richard Nixon was the most disastrous President in United States history for the sheer fact of bringing the country to its knees during the Watergate scandal and leaving us teetering on the brink of a Constitutional crisis. My views were not dissuaded by this book, as the story confirms the assertion that Richard Nixon corrupted the Presidency with his arrogance and blind deceit of the American people. What comes to light here, a well crafted work by the author, is much of the detail behind it all. The bulk of the book centers on Nixon's presidency therefore it was heavy on the Vietnam War, international relations (such as they were), and Watergate. It fell a little short for me on the influences and behaviors in Nixon's early life that set the foundation for his tragic demise and very little about his personal/family relations. (I kept wondering where Pat Nixon was in all this? I have new sympathy for what she must have endured.) Maybe that level of examination is best left for deep psychoanalysis that would still never truly identify the root cause of how his thinking could have gone so horribly wrong. And then there is the equally sad reality that Nixon managed to lead astray what were otherwise reasonably smart men into believing that what they were doing was in the best interest of the country when what they were really doing was committing obvious crimes by following a delusional leader. Gack! At points during this book I wondered where the madness was going to end! It could be hard to read for that reason alone. More than once I had to put it down in disgust and frustration. There is a lot here to sink into - the subterranean move to subvert the peace talks while he was running for his first term, the puzzling and inconsistent (bordering on irrational) behavior of Henry Kissinger, the paranoia that Nixon seemed to harbor of everyone around him, his freakish ability to manipulate, and the eventual tailspin he went into in the days leading up to his resignation from office. Not all the information may be new to the reader, depending on your knowledge of presidential history or how close attention you were paying if you lived during this tumultuous time. Some of the new information may well be things you wish you didn't know (who is minding the store when the President is drunk, and the ruthless disregard for others laid bare by some of the dialogue was jaw dropping.) The facts are disturbing and the realization of what *could* have been is sometimes even more frightening than how it all ended up. In the end, it becomes painfully clear that Nixon was a victim of his own delusional thinking. The real tragedy is that so many people, the country, the American people, and the office of the President, paid dearly.

Tim Weiner's writing is well researched and clear in its point of view. He keeps the story moving at a fast pace yet manages to weave in a lot of pertinent detail without getting bogged down. I have read his other works on the FBI and CIA and found this no less engaging.

I received the book for free through the History Book Club on Goodreads. I thank the publisher for their generosity, The History Book Club for another great discussion series, and the opportunity to read the book in exchange for an open and fair review.

Thank you everyone who participated. For future books, remember that a review in the Book of the Whole thread is required as part of the t's and c's.

Hi Bentley
We are hiking in New Zealand & I do not have access to a full computer but I am 99% sure I did that

Best

Vince

Yup I did it I see it above

Thanks Vincent and what a great trip you are on - wish I were there.