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Best of the Book Nook: President Nixon - Alone in the White House, by Richard Reeves

If you have been listening to the show for a number of years you might have observed that I am intrigued by our former president Richard M. Nixon. I collect Nixon stuff. People who know me understand that if they possess memorabilia related to Nixon, material I refer to as Nixonia, then they have found a guaranteed way to impress me.

On this program I have been able to invent some unusual techniques for adding to my Nixonia archive by hosting interviews that are related to that disgraced politician. I did a couple of interviews with the late George McGovern who lost the 1972 presidential election to Nixon in what was one of the greatest landslide election losses in American history. The Watergate scandal ended Nixon's presidency just a few years after that momentous victory and one of the key figures in Nixon's downfall was John Dean, Nixon's former White House counsel. John Dean has also made a couple of appearances on the show.

People will often ask me; what's a good way to get a book featured on the program? I would have to say if it was a really good book about Dick Nixon that would certainly attract my notice. In 2002 Richard Reeves published such a book; "President Nixon-Alone in the White House," and I was delighted to score an interview so we could talk about the man I consider to be the most fascinating American political figure of the 20th century, Richard Milhous Nixon.

The Book Nook on WYSO is presented by the Greene County Public Library with additional support from Washington-Centerville Public Library,  Clark County Public LibraryDayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.

Vick Mickunas introduced the Book Nook author interview program for WYSO in 1994. Over the years he has produced more than 1500 interviews with writers, musicians, poets, politicians, and celebrities. Listen to the Book Nook with Vick Mickunas for intimate conversations about books with the writers who create them. Vick Mickunas reviews books for the Dayton Daily News and the Springfield News Sun.