Review of Reagan: A Life in Letters (Hardcover)

I'll admit off the bat that I love Ronald Reagan.I think he was a fantastic President.I really do.However, I've found that biographies of the man, and his own memoirs, have only shown us a little of who he was."An American Life", his post White House memoir, offered little in the way of great stories.It wasn't all together self-serving(that wasn't Reagan's way), but it had that same, kinda dull quality that seems to haunt all presidential memoirs.I get upset at Booth all over again when I think about what Lincoln's memoirs would have been like.Here though, in his own words, Reagan comes off as human.Flawed as any other person on this Earth, but with that absoute sense of right and wrong that galvanized his supporters and infuriated his critics.A previous reviewer who gave the book just one star obviously did not read the book, as Reagan's letters answer critics of Iran-Contra and address the Beiruit bombing.Whether you believe Reagan is up to you.That he addresses his critics in this book is a fact.

The book gives a very interesting portrait of Reagan.It starts with his earliest correspondence as a boy, and moves throughhis midwest years to his Hollywood years and into the governors mansion.It follows Reagan's travels on the campaign trail, and the sheer volume of letters is staggering.The man, who many on the left portray as an empty vessell, clearly had a lot to say, and he believed in what he talked about a wrote.The book features Reagans fair-mindedness, as he responds to letters from citizens that impune his character, his motives, and his upbringing.He treats each writer with a respect and affords them the dignity they denied him.It's clear that he was a master of the written word.

In fact, one of the prime reasons to read this is to relish what good letter writing could be.In the days of email, finely written letters are a lost art.Even if you are a critic of Reagan's politics, if you are an honest broker pick up the book.It reads quickly and lets you into Reagans thoughts in a way never before seen.Any person with an interest in the Reagan legacy needs to read this book.



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