Conspiracy: Nixon, Watergate, and Democracy's Defenders by P. O'Connell Pearson

Abstract

Reviewed by: Conspiracy: Nixon, Watergate, and Democracy's Defenders by P. O'Connell Pearson Elizabeth Bush Pearson, P. O'Connell Conspiracy: Nixon, Watergate, and Democracy's Defenders. Simon, 2020 [288p] illus. with photographs Trade ed. ISBN 9781534480032 $17.99 E-book ed. ISBN 9781534480056 $10.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 5-8 A bungled break-in at Democratic Party offices in the toney D.C. Watergate complex hardly sounded like Washington Post reporter Bob Woodward's dream assignment, but by the time the initial late-night hearing of the perpetrators was underway, he knew this was no ordinary burglary. What he and other investigators would discover as they tracked evidence from 1972 through 1974 was a laundry list of illegal activities in which President Richard Nixon was involved, and for which he would be almost impeached. This is multi-tentacled beast of a story, but Pearson skillfully tames it for middle grade accessibility—paring down the list of named players in the drama, using bracketed in-text definitions of legal terms to keep vocabulary under control, providing themed dramatis personae lists, and maintaining effective pacing via short sentences and fragments. Pearson also takes the problem of strategizing sidebar reading out of readers' hands, switching to bold font and beginning each necessary diversion with a chatty sort of call for time out. This is inarguably an introductory runthrough, and readers with prior knowledge may spot some significant omissions; however, Pearson agilely walks the line between textbook history and popular true crime, and readers with a taste for political scandal may find this a rewarding precursor to Sheinkin's Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War (BCCB 11/15). Timeline, endnotes, and period photographs are included. Copyright © 2020 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois