The Last of the President's Men - Hardcover

Bob Woodward

3.9

2,755 ratings by Goodreads

9781471156502: The Last of the President's Men

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1471156508 ISBN 13: 9781471156502

Publisher: Simon & Schuster UK, 2015

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Bob Woodward exposes one of the final pieces of the Richard Nixon puzzle in his new book The Last of the President's Men. Woodward reveals the untold story of Alexander Butterfield, the Nixon aide who disclosed the secret White House taping system that changed history and led to Nixon's resignation. In 46 hours of interviews with Butterfield, supported by thousands of documents, many of them original and not in the presidential archives and libraries, Woodward has uncovered new dimensions of Nixon's secrets, obsessions and deceptions. Butterfield provides the intimate details of what it was like working and living just feet from the most powerful man in the world as he sought to navigate the obligations to his president and the truth of Nixon's obsessions and deceptions. The Last of the President's Men could not be more timely and relevant as voters question how much do we know about those who are now seeking the presidency in 2016-what really drives them, how do they really make decisions, who do they surround themselves with, and what are their true political and personal values?

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Review:

This volume . . . amplifies (rather than revises) the familiar, almost Miltonian portrait of the 37th president . . . as a brooding, duplicitous despot, obsessed with enemies and score-settling and not the least bit hesitant about lying to the public and breaking the law. --Michiko Kakutani "The New York Times ""

Watergate junkies may think they know all there is to know about Richard Nixon and the inner circle behind Watergate and its aftermath, but journalist Bob Woodward one half of the team that made that whole sorry business public in the first place has one more Watergate card to play: "The Last of the President s Men" is a short and riveting look into the files and memory of Alexander Butterfield, who was Chief of Staff H.R. Haldeman s deputy during that time. Probably best known to political junkies as the one who revealed that Nixon taped all conversations in the Oval Office, here Butterfield gives Woodward access to files and photos even the seasoned journalist had never seen before; while the resulting book doesn t necessarily tell us anything we didn t know about the foul mouthed, paranoid 37th president, it recalls his behavior with such specificity you can t help but be upset all over again. This is more engaging, in its disturbing way (Nixon s vulgarities and general ugliness of manner somehow shocked this usually unshockable reader), than the more wonky of Woodward s recent tomes and it s plenty enlightening about an era we thought we already knew.--Sara Nelson "An Amazon Best Book of October 2015 ""

Woodward puts the petty Nixon on vivid display. --Evan Thomas "The Washington Post ""

A whole new Richard Nixon emerges . . . An extraordinary story. --Judy Woodruff, PBS NewsHour"

A head-shaker . . . a great read. --John W. Dean, former White House counsel to President Nixon "Verdict ""

Full of new insights for the public and scholars . . . [A] largely overlooked window into the Nixon personality . . . a service to history. --Tim Naftali, former director of the Nixon Presidential Library"

The best reporter in town at getting top government officials to spill their secrets . . . a cringe-worthy portrayal of the 37th president . . . Woodward puts the petty Nixon on vivid display. --Evan Thomas "The Washington Post ""

Brisk, provocative . . . Woodward's engrossing volume gives us an Alexander Butterfield of enormous complexity. --Stephen L. Carter "BloombergView ""

"This volume . . . amplifies (rather than revises) the familiar, almost Miltonian portrait of the 37th president . . . as a brooding, duplicitous despot, obsessed with enemies and score-settling and not the least bit hesitant about lying to the public and breaking the law."--Michiko Kakutani "The New York Times "

"Brisk, provocative . . . Woodward's engrossing volume gives us an Alexander Butterfield of enormous complexity."--Stephen L. Carter "BloombergView "

About the Author:

Bob Woodward is an associate editor at The Washington Post, where he has worked for forty-four years. He has shared in two Pulitzer Prizes, first for the Post's coverage of the Watergate scandal, and later for coverage of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. He has authored or co-authored twelve #1 national non-fiction bestsellers. He is the author of Obama's Wars, The War Within, Bush at War, Plan of Attack, and State of Denial, among others.

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