In the Arena

A Memoir of Victory, Defeat and Renewal

By: Richard Nixon

Narrated by: Richard Nixon

Length: 3 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

Former U.S. President Richard Nixon candidly reflects on his career and discusses such topics as the USSR., Mikhail Gorbachev, secrecy, Watergate, and more.

©1994 Richard Nixon (P)2008 Simon and Schuster

Interesting to hear his prospective

This is a good book if you don't know a lot about Richard Nixon. The first half is better than the last half.

An abridged look into RN

An intimate and abridged look into one of the United States' most controversial President at the time.

Loved everything about this

I have been reading quite a bit about Richard Nixon and Pat Nixon. I was so happy to find this! Nixon has a terrific reading voice. He narrates very well. It’s just wonderful to hear him read his own book! I will be listening to this many times. I wish he had narrated more of his books. :-)

Excellent

Very interesting to hear his perspectives on foreign policy, people, other world leaders and the “ bureaucrats” (administrative / deep state) in Washington. Very interesting now some 30 years after these thoughts were first recorded to reflect back and compare them to how the turned out since his passing. Anyone interested in politics must listen to this.

Nixon the man.

Too often, people assume to know celebrities and political figures based on the picture of them the media has presented you. We, being the busy folks we are, might benefit from taking the time to meet our leaders and learn who they are. Leaders are often condemned for making the decisions we insist they make. Hearing Richard M. Nixon tell his own story makes the experience akin to listening to your grandfather spin a yarn about the old days. His deep timbre and disciplined meter make for a peaceful and pleasing listen. If you've ever been curious about the real story of Nixon, for once, hear his side uninterrupted, undistorted, and unforgettable.

The Wisdom of A Disgraced Man

I found these Nixon memoirs fascinating and moving in terms of his journey from the greatest heights to complete disgrace and his ability to build back a productive meaningful life after leaving the White House. There is plenty of regrets and contrition over his role in Watergate, but it’s mostly of the type I should have been firmer, there is some of the I never ordered this or that, my predecessors did worse, I didn’t know and the media this and that. Only once there was a clear cut acceptance of the blame of not having set the right moral tone. I felt some sympathy especially comparing him to Donald Trump.

After few early chapters on Watergate and some interesting history of his “wilderness” years, following loss to JFK in 1960 and loss of California governor race in 1962, the book is mainly made of short chapters on various fascinating topics ranging from his views on religion, to stories about his wife and parents, to stories about his rise in Congress, winning the Senate in 1950 and fascinating stories of his meetings with Mao and Li and later following Tienman Square with Deng Chao Peng.

There is plenty of wisdom from Nixon’s life and those he admired the most like Churchill, DeGaul and others. I especially enjoyed some of his saying on various topics. These include: you may not lose what you have if you don’t risk, you certainly can’t win more without risk, “
small people seek office to make something out of themselves while great people seek office to achieve something and of course several sayings on failure and not defining oneself by failure. Several of the sayings may come across as cliché, but from Richard Nixon, they came across as wisdom gained from an incredible lifetime of trials, successes, failures, or as he learnt from a friend life is made up of 99 chapters.

Great listen

In order to understand history, listen to the words of the people who lived it. Nixon tells his own story, explaining his controversial decisions and providing interesting insights into his personal thoughts and life. I would also listen to an unabridged recording of In the Arena if Audible were to offer one, although I enjoyed this one as Nixon read it aloud himself.

History with advice

The book is a smart analysis of his time in office. In addition, it includes advice that a non-politician can use. He says the best leaders are “pragmatic idealists“, and I think that describes himself. Anyone who has achieved what he achieved and suffered the Shakespearean tragedies
he did has a story worth hearing.

Great insight

What made the experience of listening to In the Arena the most enjoyable?

The fact that the audio book was narrated by Nixon himself made listening to this story much more intimate. It felt like he was personally telling me this story.

What other book might you compare In the Arena to and why?

I would recommend his first memoir. 'In the Arena' is the sequel to his first original memoir.

What does Richard Nixon bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Nixon brings to the story all the weight of his experiences via his voice. You can hear a man who is genuine in his sorrow for the mistakes he has made, but also proud of his accomplishments.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The parts of the book where he was saying that he was reluctant to get life-saving surgery after his resignation goes to show you that Nixon was truly sorry for what he did or didn't do regarding Watergate and the emotional trauma he suffered through the harassment by people and press after he resigned the presidency.

Any additional comments?

Richard Nixon is America's tragic hero. Easily the most misunderstood president in this nations history. It is unfortunate that people will only ever remember Nixon for Watergate and not the many other accomplishments he achieved in his political career.

Nixon Vindicated

What a privilege to hear the words of one of our most intelligent Presidents in his own voice. The clarity and sense of his words is a good reminder that the contrived Watergate controversy was fraudulent at best and probably treasonous.