An American Life by Ronald Reagan Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of An American Life
Book Review: Interesting reading
Summary: 3 Stars
This autobiography is interesting reading indeed, in that Ronald Reagan was a very fascinating person and his life certainly amazign in every aspect. I hesitate to give it a raving review and more than 3 stars, as it doesnt seem to fully live up to the subject matter. It lacks analysis and sophistication, but is still worth a read.Book Review: The Great Communicator Writes Too!
Summary: 5 Stars
The Great Communicator has done it again! "An American Life" takes the reader from his birth in Tampico, Illinois to the return to California with mission accomplished. Ronald Reagan earned the moniker "The Great Communicator" for his ability to reach an audience. "An American Life" proves that he could do it in ink too. His writing is direct, easy to follow and engaging. The theme of the book is the optimistic world view of the Reagan we knew. There is little introspection. Reagan knew what he believed and told it with gusto! Many of the stories are ones with which we are familiar. This book is the Gipper's exposition of his belief in family values and the individual. The readers are drawn into the issues which defined the Reagan Administration.
As a frequent traveler in Reagan's native region in Northern Illinois, I found the narratives of his youth in Galesburg and Dixon and his years at Eureka College to be particularly interesting. The reader follows Reagan to Iowa and on to California. The sections on Reagan's years in Hollywood give the reader an insight into the movie world. The chapters on Reagan's involvement with the Screen Actors' Guild focus on his opposition to Communist domination of the industry.
Reagan's years in California politics are related with may of the stories we have heard, such as the student protesters who entered his office to tell him that his generation could not understand them because he did not grow up with the modern conveniences, to which he replied that his generation had invented them.
Reagan tells of his conversion, which began with the General Electric tour in the 1950s, from a liberal Democrat to a conservative Republican and from a reluctant candidate to an enthusiastic agent of destiny. From a reluctant governor, Reagan matured to a candidate who sought the presidency, not to be somebody, but to do something.
In the sections on his presidential years, Reagan goes through the issues, such as tax reductions, the military buildup, Supreme Court appointments, Middle Eastern diplomacy and Soviet relations. The exhilaration of the return of hostages contrasts with the pain of the return of bodies and disasters, such as the Challenger. Reagan's dealings with the Soviets pulled his car up and down the roller coaster of emotions.
On these pages we are made privy to turning points, such as his refusal to run for vice-president in 1976, Ford's refusal to run for veep in 1980, and the considerations involved in decisions dealing with SDI. His relationship with Margaret Thatcher is seen as one of the crucial partnerships of the Twentieth Century.
"An American Life" lacks the analysis of Dinesh D'Souza's "Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became An Extraordinary Leader" (see my amazon review), but in it the Gipper tells his story. D'Souza says that an ordinary man became an extraordinary leader. In "An American Life" an ordinary man has written an extraordinary book.