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31 Days (Abridged): The Crisis that Gave Us the Government We Have Today Audiobook
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(3.12) - 98 listener ratings
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In 31 Days, Barry Werth takes readers inside the White House during the tumultuous days following Nixon’s resignation and the swearing-in of America’s “accidental president,” Gerald Ford. The congressional hearings, Nixon’s increasing paranoia, and, finally, the devastating revelations of the White House tapes had torn the country apart. Within the White House and the Republican Party, Nixon’s resignation produced new fissures and battle lines—and new opportunities for political advancement. Ford had to reassure the nation and the world that he would attend to the pressing issues of the day, from resolving the legal questions surrounding Nixon’s role in Watergate, to dealing with the wind down of the Vietnam War, the precarious state of détente with the Soviet Union, and the ongoing attempts to stabilize the Middle East. Within hours of Nixon’s departure from Washington, Ford began the all-important task of forming an inner circle of trusted advisers. In richly detailed scenes, Werth describes the often vicious sparring among two mutually distrustful staffs—Nixon’s and Ford’s vice presidential holdovers—and a transition team that included Donald Rumsfeld (then Nixon’s ambassador to NATO) and Rumsfeld’s former deputy, the thirty-three-year-old coolly efficient Richard Cheney. The first detailed account of the ruthless maneuvering and day-to-day politicking behind everything from the pardon of Nixon to why George H. W. Bush was passed over for the vice presidency, to the rise of a new cadre of Republican movers and shakers, 31 Days offers a compelling perspective on a fascinating but relatively unexamined period in American history and its impact on the present.
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"A fascinating look at the historic month following the resignation of Richard Nixon. In addition to Gerald Ford, also featured are Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Fords story also overlaps with the Watergate scandal. A must read for all voters - especially those under 60. "
— Nicole (5 out of 5 stars)
31 Days Listener Reviews
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" Provides more in the way of biographical background on the Cheney-era GOP than insight on how and why it functions today, but more engrossing than I expected it to be. "
— Thomas, 4/17/2012 -
" A fascinating look at the historic month following the resignation of Richard Nixon. In addition to Gerald Ford, also featured are Donald Rumsfeld and Dick Cheney. Fords story also overlaps with the Watergate scandal. A must read for all voters - especially those under 60. "
— Nicole, 1/9/2012 -
" I became interetsed in Ford after his public viewing at the Capitol building last January. He is/was an interesting guy that was in a no-win situation. It is also interesting to read about the retreads when they were young and less scary. "
— Kyra, 6/9/2011 -
" The 31 days between Nixon's resignation and pardon. If I had any doubts about the negative influences that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld had/have on our country, this book quickly dispelled them. Dick Cheney scares the daylights out of me. "
— Cheryl, 4/29/2011 -
" You may not have thought you cared about Gerald Ford's short time in office, but this book teaches how precarious it all was during the August/September time period of 1974. It's also a time that gave rise to some of the most important (good and bad) politicians and policymakers of today. "
— Matthew, 10/10/2008 -
" You may not have thought you cared about Gerald Ford's short time in office, but this book teaches how precarious it all was during the August/September time period of 1974. It's also a time that gave rise to some of the most important (good and bad) politicians and policymakers of today. "
— Matthew, 9/15/2008 -
" The 31 days between Nixon's resignation and pardon. If I had any doubts about the negative influences that Dick Cheney and Donald Rumsfeld had/have on our country, this book quickly dispelled them. Dick Cheney scares the daylights out of me. "
— Cheryl, 5/28/2008 -
" Provides more in the way of biographical background on the Cheney-era GOP than insight on how and why it functions today, but more engrossing than I expected it to be. "
— Thomas, 11/18/2007 -
" I became interetsed in Ford after his public viewing at the Capitol building last January. He is/was an interesting guy that was in a no-win situation. It is also interesting to read about the retreads when they were young and less scary. "
— Kyra, 11/13/2007
About Barry Werth
Barry Werth is the author of The Scarlet Professor, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is also the author of The Billion Dollar Molecule and Damages, and wrote the text for Alexander Tsiaras’ Architecture and Design of Man and Woman and From Conception to Birth. He lives in Northampton, Massachusetts.
About J. R. Horne
J. R. Horne is an actor, known for O Brother, Where Art Thou?, Burn after Reading, and Die Hard: With a Vengeance. His audiobook narrations have earned two AudioFile Earphones Awards.