On His Own Terms

A Life of Nelson Rockefeller

De: Richard Norton Smith

Narrado por: Paul Michael

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE BOSTON GLOBE, BOOKLIST, AND KIRKUS REVIEWS • From acclaimed historian Richard Norton Smith comes the definitive life of an American icon: Nelson Rockefeller—one of the most complex and compelling figures of the twentieth century.

Fourteen years in the making, this magisterial biography of the original Rockefeller Republican draws on thousands of newly available documents and over two hundred interviews, including Rockefeller’s own unpublished reminiscences.

Grandson of oil magnate John D. Rockefeller, Nelson coveted the White House from childhood. “When you think of what I had,” he once remarked, “what else was there to aspire to?” Before he was thirty he had helped his father develop Rockefeller Center and his mother establish the Museum of Modern Art. At thirty-two he was Franklin Roosevelt’s wartime coordinator for Latin America. As New York’s four-term governor he set national standards in education, the environment, and urban policy. The charismatic face of liberal Republicanism, Rockefeller championed civil rights and health insurance for all. Three times he sought the presidency—arguably in the wrong party. At the Republican National Convention in San Francisco in 1964, locked in an epic battle with Barry Goldwater, Rockefeller denounced extremist elements in the GOP, a moment that changed the party forever. But he could not wrest the nomination from the Arizona conservative, or from Richard Nixon four years later. In the end, he had to settle for two dispiriting years as vice president under Gerald Ford.

In On His Own Terms, Richard Norton Smith re-creates Rockefeller’s improbable rise to the governor’s mansion, his politically disastrous divorce and remarriage, and his often surprising relationships with presidents and political leaders from FDR to Henry Kissinger. A frustrated architect turned master builder, an avid collector of art and an unabashed ladies’ man, “Rocky” promoted fallout shelters and affordable housing with equal enthusiasm. From the deadly 1971 prison uprising at Attica and unceasing battles with New York City mayor John Lindsay to his son’s unsolved disappearance (and the grisly theories it spawned), the punitive drug laws that bear his name, and the much-gossiped-about circumstances of his death, Nelson Rockefeller’s was a life of astonishing color, range, and relevance. On His Own Terms, a masterpiece of the biographer’s art, vividly captures the soaring optimism, polarizing politics, and inner turmoil of this American Original.

Praise for On His Own Terms

“[An] enthralling biography . . . Richard Norton Smith has written what will probably stand as a definitive Life. . . . On His Own Terms succeeds as an absorbing, deeply informative portrait of an important, complicated, semi-heroic figure who, in his approach to the limits of government and to government’s relation to the governed, belonged in every sense to another century.”—The New Yorker

“[A] splendid biography . . . a clear-eyed, exhaustively researched account of a significant and fascinating American life.”—The Wall Street Journal

“A compelling read . . . What makes the book fascinating for a contemporary professional is not so much any one thing that Rockefeller achieved, but the portrait of the world he inhabited not so very long ago.”—The New York Times

“[On His Own Terms] has perception and scholarly authority and is immensely readable.”—The Economist

A misunderstood man

I really enjoyed this title. The book helped shine a light on the most influential Americans of the second half of the twentieth century to never achieve the Presidency. His service as governor is admirable, and his defense of moderate Republicanism is a product of a bygone era. Rockefeller never tried to play down his wealth, but he also didn’t make it his whole personality.

Definitive biography of a fascinating individual

What did you love best about On His Own Terms?

The authors recounting of the Attica Riot and Rockefeller's role and the subsequent impact. Was absolutely wonderful and yet poignant.

What was one of the most memorable moments of On His Own Terms?

The above mentioned chapter, also the retelling of the 1964 GOP convention.

What about Paul Michael’s performance did you like?

It was not flashy but evoked Rockefeller and the other figures of the era.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

No extreme reactions, just a deeper appreciation of a complex man who can be too easily overlooked.

Very good, really enjoyed it.

This bridges the many books on historical figures that I’ve enjoyed. It was very well done and thorough.

excellent biography of an important figure in mid 20th century politics

interesting and thorough biography of a man who left a big imprint on New York state and the country ...

Awesome Biography About A Forgotten Man

As a student of history and as a former New Yorker who grew up in NY at the end of Rockefeller's tenure as governor, I thought that the author of this book penned an extremely well written thorough and very fair biography about a wealthy man who led the liberal wing of the Republican Party before the GOP became the conservative party of Reagan and Goldwater that it remains to this day. I must admit that I did not know how complex an individual Nelson Rockefeller truly was nor that he actually served in the presidential administrations of FDR, Truman and Eisenhower before launching himself into his own political career as governor of the Empire State. It is hard to believe that Rockefeller's wing of the GOP (Rockefeller Republicans) stood for government regulation and intervention in almost all key aspects of the economy based on the belief that government spending and involvement brings the most good to the public. The author did a superb job in describing how while this vision initially worked, it began to weaken with Rockefeller's defeat by Goldwater at the 1964 Republican National Convention in San Francisco (great description of Rockefeller's speech to the convention and the jeering reaction he received) and it came crashing to earth with the huge deficits in the NY State budget in the early 1970's when revenue sharing with the federal government began to ebb. Perhaps the most interesting part of the book focused on the Attica prison riot and Rockefeller's conduct during all phases of the revolt- including its brutal suppression of the prisoners and the slaughter of some of the hostages. The author also did a great job weaving in some of the great historical figures of Rockefeller's life including his grandfather (the original John D. Rockefeller), Henry Kissinger (whom Rockefeller developed and promoted), FDR, Eisenhower, Cordell Hull, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford (Rockefeller was his VP) and Donald Rumsfeld (with whom he feuded). The narration was very good. The only drawback to the book is that one feels overwhelmed by the number of different people who played a part in Rockefeller's life and career. Otherwise it is a phenomenal book and well worth the listen.