Just Plain Dick: Richard Nixon's Checkers Speech and the "Rocking, Socking" Election of 1952

Kevin Mattson.  Nixon's September 1952 "Checkers Speech"--so called because he referred to his family's dog in an effort to prove his credentials as a common man--was watched by 60 million people. Mattson offers a detailed, behind-the-scenes account of the political maneuvering leading up to that speech, in which Nixon decided to come clean about a slush fund scandal while maligning his political opponents for a "cover-up" of similar transgressions. Mattson's excellent book is a timely companion to the current election season.--Library Journal and Kirkus

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War on the Waters: The Union and Confederate Navies, 1861-1865

James M. McPherson. Pulitzer and Lincoln Prize winner McPherson displays his massive knowledge of the Civil War, this time specifically concerning the naval battles. The Union Navy far outnumbered the Confederate, but it was still much too small to effectively blockade the coastline from Chesapeake Bay to Texas. In addition, the forces were required to patrol in the rivers, which were so vital to transportation. While the navies may not be on the top of the list for most Civil War enthusiasts, this is a solid contribution to Civil War scholarship.--Kirkus

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Who Stole the American Dream?

Hedrick Smith. Remarkably comprehensive and coherent analysis of and prescriptions for America's contemporary economic malaise by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Smith. "Over the past three decades," writes the author, "we have become Two Americas." We have arrived at a new Gilded Age, where "gross inequality of income and wealth" have become endemic. Not flawless, but one of the best recent analyses of the contemporary woes of American economics and politics.--Kirkus

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Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam

Fredrik Logevall. Placing the Vietnam War in a global context, Logevall concludes that it was not an unavoidable quagmire. This deeply researched narrative by arguably the leading authority on Vietnam diplomacy untangles four decades of complicated foreign policy and includes fascinating stories of the U.S., Vietnamese, French, and British leaders who held conferences, forged treaties, and endured the consequences. Highly recommended for all serious readers of the Vietnam War; essential for scholars of the era.--Library Journal

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