All the President's Men - Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward

Because variety is the spice of life …or so the saying goes anyway, I have opted for a book that is altogether different from the light-hearted comedy of the last post.  Always interested in a spot of scandal, particularly of the political variety, this one proved quite the thriller!

On June 17^th 1972, the Washington post ran a headline that went as follows:

‘Five men, one of whom said he is a former employee of the CIA, were arrested yesterday in what authorities described as an elaborate plot to bug the offices of the Democratic National Committee."

This was the beginning of a journalistic storm as the Watergate Scandal began to be uncovered. What started out as a routine report on a burglary turned out to be one which would unearth the complicity of the Republican Party in breaking into and bugging the Democratic National Committee headquarters. While few at the time believed the government had a hand in these events this investigation unearthed the corruption at the heart of the president's administration, and led to the eventual resignation of Nixon and the disgrace of the Republican party at large. This gripping account stands as a collaborative effort from Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward, the two reporters who broke and uncovered the story.  

The book is penned in the third person allowing an outsider’s look in on events which makes for some gripping moments. At all times the reader feels privy to inside information - a prime position as this shocking tale unravels. We hear much of the back and forth fervor of the newsroom and of the brokering, cunning, and strategy which made this investigative piece possible. With a fast pace plot the reader is kept absolutely on edge wondering who will be the next conspirator found complicit amid the turmoil. We follow along as the pair follow up on leads and search for the facts as they unknowingly piece together what was to become one of the biggest political scandals in American history.

While this may not instantly sound like everyone’s book of choice, a gripping and fast pace account lies within these pages; an account muddled with mystery, secrecy, deception and lies. Here stands an insight into the messy and darker side of political power. It is definitely worth giving this one a chance!

http://www.amazon.co.uk/All-Presidents-Bloomsbury-Film-Classics