Don't miss one of our greatest presidents' bestselling
autobiographies in his own words. Ronald Reagan's story is a work
of major historical importance, a narrative that "The Washington
Times" calls "one of our classic American success stories."
Few presidents have accomplished more, or been so effective in
changing the direction of government in ways that are both
fundamental and lasting, than Ronald Reagan. Certainly no president
has more dramatically raised the American spirit, or done so much
to restore national strength and self-confidence.
Here, then, is a truly American success story--a great and
inspiring one. From modest beginnings as the son of a shoe salesman
in Tampico, Illinois, Ronald Reagan achieved first a distinguished
career in Hollywood and then, as governor of California and as
president of the most powerful nation in the world, a career of
public service unique in our history.
Ronald Reagan's account of that rise is told here with all the
uncompromising candor, modesty, and wit that made him perhaps the
most able communicator ever to occupy the White House, and also
with the sense of drama of a gifted natural storyteller.
He tells us, with warmth and pride, of his early years and of the
elements that made him, in later life, a leader of such stubborn
integrity, courage, and clear-minded optimism. Reading the account
of this childhood, we understand how his parents, struggling to
make ends meet despite family problems and the rigors of the
Depression, shaped his belief in the virtues of American life--the
need to help others, the desire to get ahead and to get things
done, the deep trust in the basic goodness, values, and sense of
justice of the American people--virtues that few presidents have
expressed more eloquently than Ronald Reagan.
With absolute authority and a keen eye for the details and the
anecdotes that humanize history, Ronald Reagan takes the reader
behind the scenes of his extraordinary career, from his first
political experiences as president of the Screen Actors Guild
(including his first meeting with a beautiful young actress who was
later to become Nancy Reagan) to such high points of his presidency
as the November 1985 Geneva meeting with Mikhail Gorbachev, during
which Reagan invited the Soviet leader outside for a breath of
fresh air and then took him off for a walk and a man-to-man chat,
without aides, that set the course for arms reduction and charted
the end of the Cold War.
Here he reveals what went on behind his decision to enter politics
and run for the governorship of California, the speech nominating
Barry Goldwater that first made Reagan a national political figure,
his race for the presidency, his relations with the members of his
own cabinet, and his frustrations with Congress.
He gives us the details of the great themes and dramatic crises of
his eight years in office, from Lebanon to Grenada, from the
struggle to achieve arms control to tax reform, from Iran-Contra to
the visits abroad that did so much to reestablish the United States
in the eyes of the world as a friendly and peaceful power. His
narrative is full of insights, from the unseen dangers of
Gorbachev's first visit to the United States to Reagan's own
personal correspondence with major foreign leaders, as well as his
innermost feelings about life in the White House, the assassination
attempt, his family--and the enduring love between himself and Mrs.
Reagan.
"An American Life "is a warm, richly detailed, and deeply human
book, a brilliant self-portrait, a significant work of history.
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