Was Richard Nixon an idealistic dreamer seeking to build a better world? Arguably yes, in his early years in politics—but then things changed. Biographer John Farrell examines Nixon’s personal and political journey from naval lieutenant to disgraced president.

Tracing his meteoric rise on the national political scene, his embrace of health, civil rights and environmental reforms, his opening to China, his racially charged campaigns, polarizing Vietnam war policies, and the intrigue and scandal of Watergate, Farrell highlights how Nixon’s rise was swift but his fall was inevitable. This ruthless and unapologetic president who embodied postwar division and resentment became the only president to resign in disgrace. What happened?

Farrell’s book Richard Nixon: The Life (Vintage Books) is available for sale and signing.