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Reagan

The Life

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 From master storyteller and New York Times bestselling Historian H. W. Brands comes the definitive biography of a visionary and transformative president

In his magisterial new biography, H. W. Brands brilliantly establishes Ronald Reagan as one of the two great presidents of the twentieth century, a true peer to Franklin Roosevelt. Reagan conveys with sweep and vigor how the confident force of Reagan’s personality and the unwavering nature of his beliefs enabled him to engineer a conservative revolution in American politics and play a crucial role in ending communism in the Soviet Union. Reagan shut down the age of liberalism, Brands shows, and ushered in the age of Reagan, whose defining principles are still powerfully felt today.
Reagan follows young Ronald Reagan as his ambition for ever larger stages compelled him to leave behind small-town Illinois to become first a radio announcer and then that quintessential public figure of modern America, a movie star. When his acting career stalled, his reinvention as the voice of The General Electric Theater on television made him an unlikely spokesman for corporate America. Then began Reagan’s improbable political ascension, starting in the 1960s, when he was first elected governor of California, and culminating in his election in 1980 as president of the United States.
Employing archival sources not available to previous biographers and drawing on dozens of interviews with surviving members of Reagan’s administration, Brands has crafted a richly detailed and fascinating narrative of the presidential years. He offers new insights into Reagan’s remote management style and fractious West Wing staff, his deft handling of public sentiment to transform the tax code, and his deeply misunderstood relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, on which nothing less than the fate of the world turned.
Reagan is a storytelling triumph, an irresistible portrait of an underestimated politician whose pragmatic leadership and steadfast vision transformed the nation.

Look for H.W. Brands's other biographies: THE FIRST AMERICAN (Benjamin Franklin), ANDREW JACKSON, THE MAN WHO SAVED THE UNION (Ulysses S. Grant), and TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS (Franklin Roosevelt). Americas Entertainment & Celebrities Historical Politicians Politics & Activism Presidents & Heads of State United States Soviet Union Liberalism Capitalism Socialism Middle East Russia Celebrity War Imperialism Iran Latin American Military American History Taxation Biography Franklin D Roosevelt American Foreign Policy Conservative Authors
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I really remembered Ronald Reagan for his Spitting Image puppet as the sinister figure who backed up Margaret Thatcher in her evil schemes'. I must admit that I warmed to him during my time with this book . The story of his rise to the presidency is a good example of how good looks and charm do work to give the bearer a decent start in political life. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in american politics and the downfall of the Soviet Union.

An amazing read.

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I enjoyed this very much. Some may say it did not go into the details of a Conrad Black or Walter Isaacson. However, it did give a good flavour of the character of Reagan. It also told the good and the bad. Very enjoyable.

Very Good

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Truly one of the best popular history books I have ever experienced. Ties John Bew’s Citizen Clem as my favourite ever. Exceptional!

What a book!

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