All the President’s Men
Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein

I’m as surprised as you are that I never read this book before. Sure, I’ve seen the movie, and know the story, but reading this play by play of how Woodward and Bernstein uncovered the levels of deceit and criminality in the Nixon White House is fascinating, and sobering.

Especially in days like these.

Much of it is eerily prescient. The initial impression that the crimes were by underlings or those only tangentially related to the campaign, followed by more and more revelations of how high up it went, and all the while with the White House disparaging the press and claiming, essentially, “fake news” every time Woodward and Bernstein dropped another bombshell.

Sound familiar?

There’s more here as well, the deep concerns the Washington Post had about not going farther than the facts substantiated. The times they got it wrong, and the way those errors hurt innocent people. The courage of Katherine Graham to stick with the story, and the cowardice of many in Nixon’s white house who tried to silence whistle blowers and lied to the public. It’s a fascinating read, told in a staccato reportage style I love. I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t want to read it.

Recommended.