Ronald Reagan’s autobiography is a work of major historical
importance. Here, in his own words, is the story of his
life—public and private—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 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 ins, 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.