A volume that will be welcomed by anyone with an interest in the
Reagan presidency so overwhelming it has not yet been sated by the
glut of books on this subject. To be fair, this could serve as a
reasonable introduction to Reagan's presidency for readers not
already familiar with the basic events. But essentially, Pemberton
(History/Univ. of Wisconsin, La Crosse) has produced an abridged
encyclopedia of Ronald Reagan. On one hand there is an apparently
Herculean effort to use every available written source, from
unpublished papers to first-person accounts to scholarly secondary
works, in a brief yet comprehensive survey of the major events of
Reagan's adult life. On the other hand, there is the predictable
result that not a single event receives satisfactory attention.
Pemberton's perspective is balanced and serious throughout, but
even objective description can be misleading when it is too brief.
Devoting less than a single page to such complex events as the
origins of the savings-and-loan fiasco or the evolution of the 1986
Tax Reform Act can create the impression that a topic has been
addressed even though essential information is missing. Even where
details are added to the narration, the presentation is
unsatisfying. For example, Pemberton describes Reagan's
post-inaugural signing of an order to freeze hiring of governmental
employees as evidence of his mastery of symbolic politics. However,
throughout the book we are told that Reagan himself rarely made
decisions, and never about details. Was he the author of this
action, then, or simply a performer? Without addressing this
question, the description has little depth. In an arena already
crowded with juicy first-person exposes and academic diatribes, a
detached, surface-level survey isn't going to generate much
interest. (Kirkus Reviews)
Few presidents have sparked as much interest in recent years as
Ronald Reagan, already the subject of a large number of biographies
and specialized subjects. This biography, based on recent research
into the Reagan archives and synthesis of the large memoir
literature, explores the shaping of his values and beliefs during
his childhood in the American heartland, his leadership of the
American conservative movement, and his successful political career
culminating in the first two-term presidency since Dwight
Eisenhower. Pemberton finds Reagan's personal career and ability to
understand and communicate with the American people admirable, but
finds many of the long-term effects of his presidency harmful.
General
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