Reagan: A Life In Letters
by Kiron K. Skinner, Annelise Anderson, Martin Anderson
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Book Summary Information
Author: Annelise Anderson, Kiron K. Skinner, Martin AndersonForeword: George P. Shultz
Edition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-09-28
ISBN: 0743219678
Number of pages: 960
Publisher: Free Press
Book Reviews of Reagan: A Life In Letters
Book Review: A Pleasure to Read - Again and Again
Summary: 4 Stars
The book takes the form of the correspondence of Reagan over a period of seven decades. These letters begin during Reagan's childhood and continue to his life as a Hollywood actor, then as Governor of the largest State in the Union, next as President, and finally as a private citizen.
In our age of the Internet, the old-fashioned personal correspondence seems something outdated and quaint; it has become a relic of the past. It is clear that men and women of Reagan's generation learned the importance of the English language. They were taught the importance of the written word and its proper use. Ronald Reagan did not abandon this skill even when he was rightfully declaring the Soviet Union to be an evil empire. Even as the President, Reagan corresponded with world leaders and with young schoolchildren alike. He would often apologize for responding late to an individual whether he or she was an intimate of decades or a complete stranger.
Some of his letters in the White House give journalists an insight into his life before Hollywood and politics. Before he became an actor, Ronald Reagan was a radio sportscaster near Des Moines, Iowa. One of Reagan's responsibilities was to give accounts of the Chicago Cubs baseball games over the telegraph. During one game between the Chicago Cubs and their arch rivals the Saint Louis Cardinals that was tied 0-0 in the 9th inning, the telegraph went dead:
"There were several other stations broadcasting that game and I knew I'd lose my audience if I told them we'd lost our telegraph connections so I took a chance. I had (Billy) Jurges hit another foul. Then I had him foul one that only missed being a homerun by a foot. I had him foul one back in the stands and took up some time describing the two lads that got in a fight over the ball.
"I kept on having him foul balls until I was setting a record for a ballplayer hitting successive foul balls and I was getting more than a little scared. Just then my operator started typing. When he passed me the paper I started to giggle - it said: "'Jurges popped out on the first ball pitched.'"
At over 900 pages, one of the most pleasant things about this book is that it does not have to be read in a sequential manner to be enjoyed, and it does not need be read in one sitting. Many of these letters are as enjoyable the tenth time as the first. We miss you, Gipper.
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