Inspiration for Reagan
358109
Amity Shlaes does a wonderful job pulling back the onion on a president who has always been obscure to me.  I was particularly fascinated with his handling of the Boston Police strike in 1919, and its foreshadowing of how Ronald Reagan handled the Air Traffic Controllers in 1981.  In today's twitter and social media world, today's politicians could learn much from Coolidge's understated style, not to mention his disciplined approach to the federal budget.  We could only be so lucky for a Coolidge to reemerge in the 21st Century!
1715939
This book commemorates the 75th anniversary of the New Deal, the series of programs initialed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt to help Americans recover during the Great Depression. The various programs gave hope, support and encouragement to millions of Americans. Social Security, which was started then, continues to enrich our lives today. Also the Federal Writers Project offered support to writers John Steinbeck, Studs Terkel and Eudora Welty. This coffee table style book is filled with photos, posters, charts and art from the New Deal era.  Depending on your age, this book will let you remember or imagine one of America's most pivotal moments.

Granddaughter to the former president, Anna Eleanor Roosevelt writes in the forward, "I am delighted that [this book] will make the story of the New Deal easily accessible..." Her hope is it will inspire leaders to address today's problems with a spirit of innovation. It's a book that anyone can leaf through and find nuggets of a past that will hold attention for long moments. Symphonies, housing and restoration programs and art projects studded this by-gone time. This book chronicles a time we can still learn from.
3535598
Although I remember much about the years President Reagan lead our great country, this book went into great detail about his entire life which I found to be very interesting and fascinating.  This is one of the best books I have read in many years.
1792238
It is a book that refreshes our understanding of the greatness of Ronald Reagan.  A leader that can demonstrate people skills dealing with even the most difficult personalities is what we must strive for in excellence of leadership for our country.
2304735
Extremely interesting to read the  presidents thoughts over the eight years . I remember  many of the incidents Reagan mentioned .
3449075
Reagan was America's fortieth president and perhaps the greatest President of the 20th century. D'Souza chronicles his ascendency to the President as he climbs from his youth to his career as an actor to state politics in California. This is a unique biography since it offers a window into the thoughts and perspectives of Reagan on leadership and policy. His foreign policy ideas and Cold War actions are magnified in 'Confronting the Evil Empire.' Reagan stood in the face of communist tyranny and led the free world. He boldly and rightly declared that the Soviet system was EVIL! The chapter 'A Walk on the Supply Side' is an insightful look to Reagan's bold opposition to the tried and failed Keynesian policies of the Left, which was discredited with the stagflation of the 1970's. He embraced the ideas of free-market economists and sought to roll back the Welfare State. Though, in all reality, the needs of defense and a Democratic Congress that wouldn't budge too much on social spending perhaps compromised his agenda. With respect to Reagan's legacy, perhaps it would be a mistake to say that the 'Reagan Revolution' was fulfilled in the meaningful sense of being commensurate with its original conception. Compromise after compromise was made! His economic advisor, David Stockman, points to some of the failures and realities that stopped or at the very least skewed it from its free-market, limited government principles in his book 'The Triumph of Politics.' Perhaps, wrestling the Beltway Machine was a formidable task that perhaps no President can tackle alone with a supportive Congress. All things considered, this is a monumental work in the Reagan biography collection just despite it's brevity.
4906284
A very good read. It tells more about Reagan than the media stories tell us. My husband and I both like the book.
1460855
This book is not only for those who seek words to express their love to his/her dear person. Nor this is for the historians to check some facts about the couple. The book is for every generation and most especially for the future generation who have become very indifferent to real love and affection. You will find Mrs. Ronald Reagan's comments in between the President's letters. I read the book now for several times and everytime I get tired and bored, I go to this book and the other one - "Reagan: In His Own Hand." I truly suggest to get these two books and you will have a wonderful set. The First Couple are shown here at full length - how they advocated the principles of the genuine family and American ideals. Do not hesitate - go and get this book!!!!! I also would recommend some video titles "Reagan" and "Tribute to Ronald Reagan." If your budget allows you, get "RONALD REAGAN, A GREAT COMMUNICATOR" as well!!! You will have a wonderful present for the 21st century American generation. They should know all about the Man, the Leader, the President and the Lifeguard who saved the lives of billions. So sad that many liberals take his merits and efforts and the results of them for granted, but so great that He is still so well-remembered around the world as we are in debt before Him. God Bless Mr. and Mrs. Ronald Reagan and God Bless the United States of America, the Proud Nation!
3038772
[It is the role of conservatism to] stand athwart history, yelling Stop, at a time when no one is  inclined to do so, or to have much patience with those who do.  -William F. Buckley, Jr., (National Review, 1955, First Issue)
Ronald Reagan recently turned 90 (2/06/01) and the outpouring of praise from nearly every pundit and politician was downright stunning, even coming, as it did, in the midst of Bill Clinton's typically disgraceful departure from a sordid presidency.  Granted, the encomiums from even his ideological enemies must have been attributable in part to just Reagan's personal character, which benefits so greatly by comparison to Bill Clinton's, but not entirely.  Some of the praise of his opponents, and most of the hosannas from his supporters, were for the ideas that Reagan represented, and which still dominate our politics today.
To see how colossal a figure Reagan remains on the political landscape, we need only look at what George W. Bush is proposing to do as president in the first years of the 21st Century :  cut taxes, build Star Wars, balance the budget, privatize Social Security and education, limit abortion, allow religious groups to deliver social services, and restore dignity to the Oval Office.  Thirty six years after his first major national speech (for Goldwater in 1964), and twenty four years after his first all out bid for the presidency (against President Gerald Ford in the 1976 Republican primaries), the national dialogue today is squarely centered on the ideas that Ronald Reagan introduced or advocated.  The only major elements that are missing are winning the Cold War, which he already won for us, and Welfare reform, which was enacted by the GOP class of '94 (his ideological children).  And what of the Party that he led ?  Ronald Reagan, it must be remembered, ran in the aftermath of Watergate, when the badly battered Republicans were a semi-permanent minority in Congress and on the state level.  Now the party controls both houses of Congress, and has for four consecutive elections, completely dominates the governorships and has achieved parity with Democrats in controlling state legislatures.  Regardless of what you think of him personally, or of his politics, the United States today is very much Ronald Reagan's America, and to a remarkable degree, we live in a world that he, nearly alone, envisioned.  The question for historians is why ?
...
The strengths of the book then, and they are considerable, lie in D'Souza's generous reassessment of the Reagan legacy, particularly coming, as it did, before the current lovefest with Reagan began.  The weakness, and it too is significant, lies in his failure to adopt the Reagan model in writing the book.  If D'Souza had structured the book around the larger theme of Reagan's emphasis on freedom, and then stooped to answer specific criticisms only in this context, it would have helped greatly, would have given it a unity that it sadly lacks.  The book is instead a defense of Ronald Reagan as Jimmy Carter or Bill Clinton might have written it, absorbed by tiny matters to the detriment of great ones.  Ronald Reagan deserves, and hopefully will one day get, a biographer who is himself Reaganesque, who understands that it was the restoration of freedom that mattered, and that everything else--Iran Contra, tax hikes, budget deficits, etc.--important as each controversy may have appeared for a time, was just background noise.  But that book, unfortunately, remains to be written.
GRADE : B-
1946477
As a progressive Democrat, I wasn't interested in any accolades for Ronnie. But I was curious: Why was he so well-liked by all sides of the political and personal spectrum?
700 pages later, I know more about  Reagan than I wanted to know. I understand what made him work so  hard...albeit from 9 to the stroke of 5. He was a Presidential  clock-watcher.
The book works. It is an good and at times, exciting,  glimpse into his quirky personality. Why he needed trusted advisors on  every issue...advisors who misused their position and his trust. Who knew  he was short on detail but long on oratory. A man with the attention span  of a fruit fly, but the determination to better America by ridding the  world of our 'enemies' for all posterity and at any financial or budgetary  cost to that same posterity. A rich man with little empathy for the poor or  disadvanataged...he believed they were where they wanted to be.
Reagan  was not a man of great vision...more a man of tunnel vision with ideas set  in concrete. He was not a man who could change his mind, yet he had a gut  feeling for what the country needed. What 'was working' in his intellect  brought the Russians to the bargaining table so that Bush, obviously a  lightweight in the pages of history, could steal the credit after the  'Wall' came down. It becomes apparent that any results Vice President Bush  obtained in his own presidency were the overflow left from Reagan. And when  Reagan's shadow fell off of Bush, Bush dropped off the electorate's short  radar. Without a Reagan, we would not have had a Bush  presidency.
Reagan's controversial scandals which permeated and damaged  his legacy are detailed as I haven't seen anywhere else, as were his lack  of their understanding and shameful loss of control over his power-hungry  staff.
There were no viable Democratic candidates to run against the  Gipper... Americans were not going to put another Democrat in office after  the Jimmy Carter debacle. Reagan was lucky again. More Americans died in  foriegn countries when Reagan was president, and his scandals ended his  popularity and drove him into depression. Did he really know what was going  on? Probably during the last part of is presidency, no.
The presence of  Edmund Morris' character does not detract in any way...perhaps there was no  other way to detail the life of the 'Acting President.' As hard as it was  for Morris to work with Reagan, this same difficulty enters into a  description of the conclusions of this reader in summation.
Maybe we can  only understand Reagan or his politics when viewed as part of the big  picture...his childhood, his vision, his close brush with communism. And  Morris captures the big picture for me. I would never have stayed with this  tome so long unless the biography was as this sincere and loving.
Reagan  was not cannonized...deified, vilified or demeaned herein. He became the  man ... Ronald Reagan. Past and present.
I find myself missing him, and  sending my love to Nancy and his family, as the giant shadow he cast on  American politics becomes a lost memory.
1087842
I enjoyed this book so much!! I had a warm feeling throughout the whole book. I read the whole thing in one sitting. Ron, Jr. revisiting his father's footsteps of his youth made Pres. Reagan's story feel like I was living it. Thank you for such a wonderful book!
1846235
Great image  of President  Reagan in his Demin. Joyful smile. Leather band ok
817998
When I started to read "When Character Was King" by former White House speechwriter, Peggy Noonan I thought how apropos then candidate Reagan's quote from his debate with then President  Jimmy Carter "there you go again" would be to this work.  No book written about Ronald Reagan escapes the broadsides hurled from the liberals and intelligentsia who hate to admit they had it wrong in the 80's. Then again, there are the supply-siders, conservatives and exiled pundits who close their eyes to the cracks in the myth of the Reagan presidency. So I wondered, what could this book contribute to the debate over the Reagan legacy?  Instead of trying to convince the reader that those were the "good ol' days," Ms. Noonan  attempts  a different slant  - what about the "character" of the person occupying the Oval Office - does it count for anything? Does it affect the way history will record that presidency?  With a deft pen and quick moving account of the life of the former actor, governor and President, Ms. Noonan delivers a knockout blow to the fallacy that history doesn't care about the character of the person in the highest elected office. Ms. Noonan makes the case well that the "something" that distinguishes presidencies and makes some great is the `character' of the man in the Oval Office. As Noonan says, "No one is ever trained to be president, and usually a president either walks in getting it or he doesn't. Some learn the role along the way, some never do. Reagan always comported himself as if he got it so easily, so effortlessly, that he didn't even notice that he had it."
Noonan traces Reagan's peripatetic early life; his college days, his acting career and involvement with the Screen Actors Guild. She recounts well known facts and some new ones too that formed the foundation for much of Reagan's core, his personality and his vision. She uses anecdotes from former staffers, friends and even Nancy Reagan to show how Reagan evolved into the man America saw on the campaign trail and elected twice to the White House. Noonan asserts that time and again during his presidency, in dealing with the Soviets and with the Congress, Reagan's character counted for something.

 Noonan recalls that Reagan delivered on all the big promises he had made when running for office: cut taxes, get the economy moving, name a woman to the Supreme Court, cut interest rates.  She doesn't duck the Iran-Contra scandal or the "Star Wars" controversy, but hits them head on.  There are many tomes on the Reagan years; some that provide much more detail than this work. This is, however, a well written book that should earn a place of distinction in the debate over the Reagan years.  Noonan closes the book by touching on the recent war on terrorism, its effect on the current occupant of the Oval Office and his views of the Reagan years. It does in the end give its readers something to think about on the way to the ballot box. It is very good reading.
1234159
The primaries are long over and Steve is out of the race, but he's not out of our thoughts.  It's difficult to know where to begin between all the  handwritten notes and comments in the margins; I'm not sure what I should  address first.  But let's see if we can try anyway.
If you want a  refreshing dose of Reagan Republicanism you should read this book.  Steve  is an optimist and he has good reason to be optimistic about our country  for the simple reason that being an American means great expectations.  But  those great expectations are based on a foundation.  And that foundation is  not in our economic, military, or political strength, but in our moral  character.  Forbes does an excellent job in reminding us of just where the  moral basis of our society comes from.  He calls us back to the central  understanding that is the backbone of this nation- the same understanding  that the Founders had- that a self-governing nation must consist of  self-governing people who understand and appreciate the relationship  between their actions, both as individuals and as a nation, and their  Creator.  "We hold these truths to be self-evident..." Isn't that  our mantle?  He further demonstrates that America is a unique manifestation  in human governance- one that can change and uplift the destiny of the  entire human race.  And he challenges us by asking how we can continue to  influence the world that has looked to us for leadership while  simultaneously withdrawing from the principles that have made us who we  are.  A country such as ours is made only for a disciplined and gallant  people.  We cannot hold onto what we are if we look away from these truths  and instead replace them with a Hobbesian world view that disrespects and  cheapens life- and that includes the life in the womb.
Forbes continues  with the need to reform education, social security, to develop strong  defense and environmental stewardship policies, and his personal favorite,  the need to abolish this bloated federal tax code.  And this new freedom  revolution starts with the understanding that we exist to fulfill our  God-given potential.  It continues with the need to put an end to the idea  that the American people exist for the government.  He asks us to think  about parents having the ability to control their children's education  instead of faceless bureaucrats in Washington; for all Americans to  participate in the new electronic and information age and its potential for  ever increasing our prosperity; for abolishing the federal tax code and  ridding America of the fear of the IRS once and for all.  He envisions  medical savings accounts and social security taxes invested in individual  retirement accounts.  He asks us to think on putting faith and trust in our  elected officials again, knowing that they understand their role in public  life as examples- especially to the most impressionable among us, the  children.  And he invites us to be inspired by that positive hope in the  future that characterizes us as Americans, and which also draws us  together.
Although I personally disagree with the idea of the flat tax,  and instead believe that the complete abolition of the IRS, and a repeal of  the 16th Amendment is necessary, I can join Steve Forbes in his optimistic  outlook on our future.  We can believe, receive, and see, great  expectations for America, and so we should.  But we can do so only if we  remember that truth that was so clearly seen by our Founders- our rights  (and duties) are given from God and thus must be respected because they are  so given.  That is why they are inalienable and I'm glad Steve has come  aboard.
4400555
D'Souza does an excellent job of reminding us why so many of us loved Reagan so much - he knew what he wanted to do and he knew how to get it done.  More than anyone else in American History, he saw the presidency as a means to an end, and what a noble end - the revitalization of America and victory in the Cold War.  Buy this book and give it to your children when they reach voting age, because the historians and the press are already at work burying his legacy. It may be their only glimpse of a great President.
3770382
Unfortunately, I spent my time not following the era of Reaganomics - now I regret not following Regan's political career. His stead-fast no-nonsense manner and character is greatly needed TODAY!  We are in troubled times with a current POTUS who is clueless and unbelievable (2008 to present).  This is a great book and am so pleased to see so many individuals contributing to the writing of this book.
God Bless America!
3380961
No one could do better than to give Hayward's two volumes on Reagan as a gift to a college student,  interested layman or scholar.  Hayward has the ability to explain the complex realities of federal budgets and geopolitics in a straightforward manner but without being simple-minded.  And it captures not just the man,  but the spirit of the Reagan era.  I highly recommend it.