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
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.