After the Fall: The Remarkable Comeback of Richard Nixon Hardcover – July 23, 2019

Well written and well constructed. Filled w some interesting nuggets esp re Nixon's attitudes toward Jim Baker and the Bush 41 team.

In 2022, Kasey S. Pipes’ 2019 book, After the Fall, the Remarkable Comeback of Richard Nixon, adds a new level of critical insight and relevance to the man who fifty years ago became the only US President to resign. Pipes’ primary-source book gives rare insight into the most powerful person in the world who caused his own political self-destruction. Today, Pipes’ book gains relevance as a comparison with the current past president’s issues. Fifty years ago, June 17, 1972, police arrested burglars in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Evidence linked the break in to President Nixon’s re-election campaign. Two new Nixon documentaries have garnered interest in Pipes’ book that digs deep into Nixon’s mind and actions in the twenty years following his resignation. These twenty years are the most compelling. Nixon overcame near death, bankruptcy, disbarment as an attorney, effects on his wife Pat to achieve at his death, April 22,1994, a National Day of Mourning and recognition as a statesman of foreign policy. Pipes’ diversity of political-related careers, as an author, and as a public affairs business partner led to the Nixon family granting him access to the Nixon post-presidential papers that had never been opened to researchers. Pipes’ readable book also used interviews with Nixon’s associates. Pipes’ book, also, offers a rare opportunity to review, to analyze, and to reflect on human nature, another reason that I added it to my political history library.

Kasey Pipes offers a good overview of President Nixon's life after his presidency, although I wish he would have included more information about the personal side of the president. Other books I read but did not go into detail, mentioned how Nixon and his grandson would talk frequently on the phone, while watching a baseball game. Supposedly, the Halloween gatherings the Nixon's held for neighborhood children in Saddle River were legendary. Reagan, after his presidency, visited Nixon in New Jersey. I would have preferred more detail on that meeting. Nixon also got involved in an arbitration case involving Major League baseball umpires, I wish the book had covered. Overall it was a good overview of Nixon after his presidency that could have used an added personal touch .

Enjoyed this read -- was a quick one for me. I have read most (not all ) of the books about and the ones written by Nixon . Clearly a complicated, perplexing personality and a keen political strategist (the only modern era president that comes close in that context is Bill Clinton - who - unlike Nixon - had the inter-personal skills as a campaigner to match his political acumen -- I think Clinton is the president most people would rank as number one in terms of - " who would you like to have a beer with and watch a ballgame with"). The best aspect of this book is that it covers the post-Presidential Nixon which, for the most part, has not been extensively written about and provides an up close personal view which reveals Nixon's personal side once his political battles (for the most part) were over. Nixon was active in foreign travels meeting with world leaders right to the end. It's easy for folks to belittle Nixon / Watergate etc. it's more complicated (and accurate) to note his accomplishments and his significant post-Presidential role as a seasoned, sought-after for advice statesman.

Very straight forward account of RN post 1974- Interesting how many trips he took to China and Russia- and how he stayed in the “Arena”-Much more relevant than his other fraternity members

An excellent well researched book covering ground that hasn’t been available till now.The author has empathy and clarity about President Nixon and I highly recommend it!

While it was interesting, I felt it was somewhat a fluff piece. Still it was worth the time and I'd like to see more on this subject.

A well written and readable book.i couldn’t put it down.

ormer presidential adviser Kasey Pipes tells the story of how President Richard Milhous Nixon left the office of the Presidency in disgrace, vilified and mocked by virtually everyone, and how, over the next two decades, the former political pariah was able to transition himself into becoming a respected and admired elder statesman, eulogized by former friends and foes alike. At Nixon's funeral, then incumbent President Bill Clinton told his audience, "may the day of judging President Nixon on anything less than his entire life and career come to a close." Pipes describes how Nixon transformed himself and his image from a the emotionally and physically fragile man who resigned from the Presidency in disgrace, into becoming the most respected foreign policy analyst of his time, one that every president from Gerald Ford to Bill Clinton turned to for advice on how to conduct themselves on the world stage.Pipes enjoyed unprecedented access to Nixon's post-presidential papers and records in the preparation of this book, with permission granted by the Nixon family. Undoubtedly, Pipes is sympathetic towards Nixon and displays great admiration for his subject. This is not to suggest that the picture presented of the former president is entirely a positive one. Pipes' description of Nixon immediately following his resignation paints a portrait of a broken, despondent, depressed and pathetic figure, consumed by the hopelessness of his situation, painfully aware of the magnitude of his fall from grace. He is also not hesitant to describe Nixon's latter years when his mind began to lose some of its former sharpness. For the most part however, the book present an image of Richard Nixon as the smartest guy in the room when it comes to all matter concerning foreign affairs.The book describes how Nixon was incrementally able to recover and restore his reputation as a major player in American politics and on the world stage, especially as a leading authority on relations with the Soviet Union and with China. Pipes describes all of the major events of Nixon's retirement from the former President's perspective. These include Nixon's pardon granted by President Gerald Ford (as well as Nixon's unwillingness to directly admit any personal wrongdoing), Nixon's interviews with David Frost, his authorship of nine books including an autobiography, his diplomatic missions to China, the Soviet Union and to the Middle East, and the advice sought from and given by him to all of the subsequent presidents in his lifetime. The author also tells of Nixon's reconciliation with the two men he defeated for the presidency: Hubert Humphrey and George McGovern. The former called Nixon from his hospital bed near the end of his life, and the latter attended Nixon's funeral and spoke kindly of his former adversary. Pipes describes how Nixon methodically planned his "comeback", to the point where even his former enemies in the media declared that Nixon was "back".It is difficult to discern to what degree Pipes' conservative pedigree influences his objectivity in telling the story of Nixon's post-presidency, though there are certainly elements of this. For example, in describing the Nixon-Frost interviews, Pipes avoids any mention or comment of Nixon's most famous utterance that "when the President does it, it's not illegal." He also makes the observation several times that historians tend to have a liberal bias, but it is unclear whether he is doing so to suggest himself as an objective exception, or to justify tipping the scales to the right to offset this bias. Regardless, Pipes references an impressive collection of source material to tell the story of Nixon's careful and well thought out plan to make his opinions on foreign relations relevant again. He also does a very good job in following the advice given to him by iconic biographer David McCullough that "it does no injury to history to make it readable." The book is enjoyable to read both for the story it tells and the engaging style in which that story is told. It is a fascinating read that will be enjoyable to all but those incapable of suppressing their contempt for the 37th President.

President Nixon has fascinated me for years, and I have a read several biographies about him however this book offers the definitive Post Presidential Biography of Nixon and recounts his redemption and re-emerging back into public life.The book is exceptionally readable and informative it offers readers a fresh objective into one of the most complicated and controversial men to ever hold the office of President.I found the book to be fair and balanced as well as meticulously researched and would highly recommend.