An American Life: Ronald Reagan

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An American Life: Ronald Reagan

Ronald Reaganâ€™s autobiography is a work of major historical importance. Here, in his own words, is the story of his lifeâ€”public and privateâ€”told in a book both frank and compellingly readable.

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 storyâ€”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 Reaganâ€™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 lifeâ€”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 peopleâ€”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 Gorbachevâ€™s first visit to the United States to Reaganâ€™s own personal correspondence with major foreign leaders, as well as his innermost feelings about life in the White House, the assassination attempt, his familyâ€”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.

Country	USA
Author	Ronald Reagan
Binding	Audio CD
Brand	Brand: Simon Schuster Audio
EAN	9781442341784
Edition	Abridged
Feature	Used Book in Good Condition
ISBN	1442341785
Label	Simon & Schuster Audio
Manufacturer	Simon & Schuster Audio
NumberOfItems	3
PublicationDate	2011-01-11
Publisher	Simon & Schuster Audio
ReleaseDate	2011-01-11
Studio	Simon & Schuster Audio

An American Life: Ronald Reagan

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