Book Birthdays celebrate one year of a book’s life in social media posts, reviews, and more. This month we’re saying Happy First Book Birthday to Richard Nixon: California’s Native Son (Potomac Books, 2023) by Paul Carter.
About the Book:
Modern biographies of Richard Nixon have been consumed with Watergate. All have missed arguably the most important perspective on Nixon as California’s native son, the only U.S. president born and raised in California. In addition, Nixon was also a son, brother, friend, husband, father, uncle, and grandfather. By shifting the focus from Watergate and Washington to Nixon’s deep, defining roots in California, Paul Carter boldly challenges common conceptions of the thirty-seventh president of the United States.
A Word from the Author:
Being a first-time author is truly an amazing experience. As I reflect on this past year, I am awestruck at the opportunities I enjoyed.
Years ago, Richard Nixon piqued my interest, and, almost on a lark, I decided to research his Southern California life. I was familiar with the generally accepted version of his upbringing in southern California as I had read numerous books on Nixon since my college years when I was a docent at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library over 30 years ago.
Once I began my research in 2009, I was stunned to discover that the reality of Nixon’s youth and private life was so different from the generally accepted version that prior authors had presented. I was hooked on the research and I realized this was a book screaming to be written.
The writing process was time-consuming, frustrating, and emotionally taxing yet at the same time incredibly rewarding. I researched archival records and developed relationships with interviewees and other Nixon authors. There were years of writing, researching, interviewing, analyzing, writing more, researching more, then editing, revising, and rewriting the manuscript. Then more research, interviewing, analyzing, and writing. The process was deliberative, lengthy, and painful. In some ways, I didn’t want anyone to read what I had crafted because the research becomes all-consuming where everything about the subject is fascinating. As a first-time author, I didn’t know if what I created was worth reading and was afraid to release my project. Like anyone else, I am not a fan of criticism, and I expected a great deal of it. Yet I knew that the material I was setting forth had never been reviewed and that my analysis contradicted nearly everything previously written on Richard Nixon.
As a writer, I had to come to terms with the idea that I assembled a life story that should be told and made public. My agents Jacquelyn Flynn and Joelle Del Borgo convinced Potomac Books to take a chance on me and I am forever so grateful. This past year has been incredible between appearances at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and on television, re-broadcasts of those appearances, and countless book talks and podcasts. The entire process has lit a fire within me to continue writing, and I strongly encourage anyone with such an interest to pursue their passion for writing.
Reviews:
“When one thinks of President Richard Nixon, the Watergate scandal is usually the first thing that comes to mind. However, in this biography, award-winning author Paul Carter works relentlessly to bring the true essence of Richard Nixon to the forefront, a feat which he performs masterfully and with grace and simplicity. . . . What’s more, though, is that Carter truly shines a light on the kind of person Nixon was. The premise is that, for all intents and purposes, while the former president was a superb tactician, he transcended that and was a giant of a man.” —Mihir Shaw, The US Review of Books
“After decades of pretentious psychobiographies of Richard Nixon’s ‘darkest side,’ Paul Carter has produced a tour de force that is the definitive portrait of Nixon’s life from his childhood until the end of his career.”—Irwin Gellman, author of Campaign of the Century: Kennedy, Nixon, and the Election of 1960
“This biography takes an in-depth look at Richard Nixon’s formative years in Southern California, sharing what Carter describes as ‘the All-American story you have never heard before.’ . . . Whether you have studied President Nixon or are just learning about his legacy, this biography offers fresh insight and covers unexplored facets of Nixon’s formative years.” —Richard Nixon Foundation
“A favorable, felicitously fashioned retrospective that helps readers see that Nixon led a substantial and transformative life. This book offers a key to comprehending the relational, emotional, and social contexts that led to his political and psychological formation.”—Frederick J. Augustyn, Library Journal
Awards
Interviews:
On X:
This is a must read…. https://t.co/b9KLQpV4oB
— Randal Wallace 🎙 (@randal_wallace) December 21, 2023
Looking forward to reading this. I grew up next door to Whittier Ca. in the 50s and 60s. I recall that the Whittier Library used to have a Nixon Room with momentos about him
— Sfish55 (@sfish55) March 22, 2023
It looks great Paul! September 1st seems sooooo far away!
— Jacquie Flynn 📚❤️ 🏳️🌈🏳️⚧️🙏🌍☮️ (@BookJacquie) March 22, 2023
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