Rating: 
Summary: Not Terribly Illuminating Material
Review: 84% of the book is Reagan's handwritten drafts of his radio punditry from 1975 to 1979. Reagan liked to take a small selection of what for him amounted to fact and build a conservative argument around it. Sometimes it's convincing, sometimes it's less so, but nearly always it's pretty boring stuff. Reagan's genius was his simple vision of what America could be if it stopped apologizing for itself. The way he energized his staff to that end when he became President is the real story of his uniqueness (George Shultz' Foreword is perhaps more illuminating in this respect). The material in this book does little to advance our understanding of that uniqueness. And of course wading through the crossed-out prose and the bad spellings merely becomes tedious after awhile. It might be excellent for Reagan groupies or serious historians, but it is hardly great reading fare for the rest of us.
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Summary: An exposition of a keen mind
Review: This is a book exposing the mind and character of Ronald Reagan, who has been much maligned by his political adversaries. Our adversarial two party political system has created an atmosphere that encourages those on each side to overlook the good qualities of their adversaries, and to dissemble and create propaganda designed to destroy public confidence in their opposition's leaders. So it has been with Ronald Reagan. As the book notes, those of the more politically liberal persuasion have often sneered at him because he was "only an actor," ignoring the fact that everyone had to be something before they became political figures. Is a failed haberdasher superior to a successful actor? In fact, sneers aside, Reagan was in the top rank of American actors, as well as a popular president. He was good at what he did. The editors point out that his detractors have denigrated his mental ability, and accuse him of not fully understanding what was happening in the world. His critics say that he was simply a pawn of the "corporations," and deride him because he once was caught dozing in a meeting. Has there ever been anyone who has not dozed in a boring meeting in a warm room when they have been up half the night working? This book is composed of radio addresses by Ronald Reagan, between the time he left office as Governor of California and the time he became President of the United States. He wrote them himself, in longhand. They are incisive, contemplative, and thoughtful essays on the state of the world and reflect his feelings and thoughts on both domestic and foreign situations and policy. The editors have faithfully transcribed them, indicating his own corrections, deletions and editing. No other hand edited his work. Photographs of the actual handwritten pages on 8.5" X 14" legal pads, in his own handwriting, accompany the typeset essays--demonstrating to his critics that it was, indeed, Ronald Reagan's own work--often done in an airliner between speaking engagements. They are a clear demonstration of a keen, analytical mind at work. A mind with a voluminous, detailed knowledge of world affairs and history. This book will not, of course, change the minds of his bitter critics but for those open to the evidence, it demonstrates clearly the greatness of this man who became one of our most popular presidents; whose single-minded resolve and clear thinking was directly responsible for the fall of the Berlin wall and the eventual demise of imperial communism and the inglorious end of the Soviet Union with the concomitant threat of nuclear war that hung over our heads for decades; an event that had been the goal of every American administration since the end of the Second World War. Some didn't need this book to demonstrate his acuity. They recognized his timber since his first public speech supporting the candidacy of Barry Goldwater, but for those with open minds who have been swayed by the sneers of his detractors, it will be an enlightening book. Joseph H. Pierre
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Summary: Media is wrong again! Ronald Reagan is a good man!
Review: A great book by a great man. Ronald Reagan's book will change people's mind about him.
Rating: 
Summary: the pendulum swings back
Review: As the pendulum of politics swings once again to the right, it reflects a glow from the halos of George W. and by political relation, Ronald Regan. I found this book to be interesting, yet only underscoring the simple-mindedness of a man who, while trying to construct great ideas for our country, only served the elite-class what they wanted and cast our country into un-paralleled debt and an even greater financial/social descrepancy between the haves and have-nots. Publishers eager for a buck will publish this sort of stuff while the right is on a media upswing.
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Summary: Running for office? Read this book
Review: Before I begin my review, I must first say that I did not vote for Ronald Reagan. While I agree with his views on foreign policy, I did not support his stands on economic and social issues.
What I liked about this book was Reagan's writing. He was quick, to the point and consistent. You have to admire a politician that rarely waivers from his views, even if you do not agree with them. You might not have agreed with this man, but his views on the Soviet were the same when he took office as they were in his writing. The same with China, Panama, Isreal and economics. In his writing, you see that this is a more thoughtful man than he is portrayed by others. I am sure he was more capable of having an intelligent conversation than people believed. While I would not have called Reagan a 'policy wonk', he communicated his views and ideas far better than Clinton-a man who acts like he knows he is smart. I've read other Reagan bios and letters and memoirs of other Presidents-Roosevelt, Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon, Carter, Bush and Clinton. I liked the Ambrose series on Nixon best, but this comes real close. Anyone who is considering running for office should read this book. Reagan showed the way on how to explain complicated ideas in basic terms. All politicians of all views could learn a lot from him.
Rating:
Summary: Good Study Item
Review: Even before President Reagan's passing, I had wanted to find a book that would outline his political views. When I finally got around to it, I chose this book and so far find it enthralling. You soon learn to read through some of the cross-outs that the editors decided to leave in because it is a book of his handwritten drafts of his radio addresses. I've decided to flag some of my favorite addresses that can be updated for the world today for later study. That's the great thing about any great thinker; his thoughts and words are always able to be updated for the time you are in, and I think Reagan's words, including these radio addresses, will live on as long as the free world reigns. Great book, you should buy it.
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Summary: Vague book just like the man!
Review: I always thought Reagan was a little aloof, well this book proves it. Every Conservative/Republican will run out and pick up a copy. Any Moderates or Democrats don't waste your money or the trees, just borrow it at the library.
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Summary: Reagan revisited: the political philosopher inside the man
Review: I came to this book as a student of political science and an admirer of Ronald Reagan. But a snide admirer in that I held the widespread belief that while a man of courage, conviction and vision, he was "an amiable dunce" who generated his beliefs from some hidden wellspring of unspoken, unexamined character. This evidence refutes that belief. I finished this book with a fundamentally altered appreciation of Reagan as perhaps the greatest, and certainly the most effective, political thinker of the second half of the 20th century (we must reserve the first half for Winston). If you love or hate Reagan, you will accordingly love or hate this book, so I'm not going to review the man but rather, the arguments presented as political philosophy and the style of rhetoric as political communication. Each display a striking command and fine nuance of their subject. Kudos, first of all, to the editing team. In a unique innovation, they have taken Reagan's hand-written scripts for 5-minute radio addresses delivered between 1975 and 1979 and reproduced them , en toto, with strike-outs, add-ins, and re-edits included in the main body of the draft. Thus we see Reagan constantly re-working his craft: changing a passive to an active voice, clearing out a thicket of prepositions to strengthen and clarify, re-doubling or eliminating emphases, and always, always, writing to be heard. (It is interesting to note that the most re-edited piece here is his sole radio address on abortions - he is clearly struggling with the two legitimate, honestly held claims.) In his foreword, Reagan's Secretary of State, George Shultz writes: "And that is the reason why this book is so important. It provides a key to unlocking the mystery of Reagan that has baffled so many for so long. How could a man of supposedly limited knowledge and limited intelligence accomplish so much? How did he get elected and reelected governor of our largest state? How did he get elected and reelected president of the United States? How did he preside over a time of unprecedented prosperity, the winning of the cold war, and the demise of communism worldwide? How?" "Well, maybe he was a lot smarter than most people thought." What comes across in each radio address, clearly, repeatedly, is the man's rigorous thinking, connection of facts to results, and his program for how he would effect change. What is only understood across the entire corpus is that he is also promoting a consistent, cohesive political philosophy in the tradition and spirit of the classic liberals. To take just one example, here is Reagan teaching comparative economics: "I'm going to talk figures & statistics today which make you wonder how long communist leaders can hide from themselves the fact that our system is infinitely better than theirs.
I'll be right back.
There are 3 so called superpowers based on size & population in the world, two are communist one is free. If you don't mind trying to follow some figures you'll discover just how superior freedom is to the 'worker's paradise' that accepted the idiocy of Karl Marx....
We produce 7 times as many automobiles as Russia & more than 600 times as many as China. Those autos travel on more than 3 mil. miles of paved road in the U.S. and only 1/15 of that in Russia, 200,000 miles & in China 161,000.
Now let's get down to some of the differences in daily living. The average wage in our country is $13,400 that is about 4 ½ times Russia's $3000 and 37 times Chinas $360. Perhaps you think their money goes farther than ours. Well not if you translate purchase into how long you have to work at the average wage to buy something - say a bicycle. An American would only have to work a day plus 2 hrs. The Russian has to work 7 full days and the Chinese worker puts in 67 days." This is fine political education, and let's not forget, a controversial viewpoint at the time. It is, after all, eight years *before* Dan Rather insisted (in 1987) that, "despite what many Americans think, most Soviets do not yearn for capitalism or Western-style democracy." There's simply too much to excerpt here, but the book ably covers everything from communist expansion to taxation to regulation to arms treaties to marijuana ("If adults want to take such chances that is their business." !!! Reagan nakedly exposes his libertarian principles throughout, by the way.) To those who would assert the 80s just happened, this is their refutation. Reagan repeatedly highlights a Carter or Democratic initiative, policy, or platform, explains why it is bad, predicts (or recapitulates) the bad consequences, proposes his alternative and asserts what fruit this future course would bear. As we march through four long years of Ford-Carter with Reagan as our guide, we get increasingly impatient for the clock to hurry up and bring our man into the Oval Office so he can put a halt to this idiocy. It is only with this pre-1981 look into the thinking of the man and the circumstances of the day, that I have understood the impact of his will on the country. For here is a man who understands words, deeds, and consequences. At a time when the opposition and the newsmen insisted that he not inflame the Soviets, this is a man who went to knock on the door and inflame with the truth. This is the man who stood at Brandenburg Gate and said: "General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" And the wall fell. In his own hand, with his own voice, Ronald Reagan spoke his beliefs, led his country, and changed the world.
Rating:
Summary: Republican Standard Evident Here
Review: I enjoy books like these, they're authentic and relatively honest. That said, a President should not be praised merely for their sense of awareness. Shouldn't that be a minimum requirement of any president or human being? Look at President Bush, hmmm...maybe not. Reagan was a warm person who knew how to make Americans feel good about themselves, which came in handy during those great international relations (America is better than you!) he was known for. He was an actor playing the president, nothing more. To think that he is being deified is ridiculous. Say what you will about Clinton, he was far more competent as a world leader. He spoke the truth, not just what the public wanted to hear, and he was not afraid to confront his opposition without a script.
Rating:
Summary: AVERAGE BOOK ABOUT AN ABOVE AVERAGE MAN
Review: I had great expectations for this book that were not entirely fulfilled. This collection of some of his transcripts from his five minute syndicated program from 1975 - 1979 included his edits that were supposed to present his thought processes. However, the edits were more distracting than insightful. Most of his edits showed nothing more than a typical person groping for a better word or phrase in which to get his point across, not a process for how he actually formed his thoughts and arguments. The book would have been just as insightful if they had just used the final transcripts. Another thing I thought would have been useful was some background material on the various topics to put his monologues into proper context. I was in high school and college during that time and remembered most (but not all) of the news he touched upon. For a young reader today such background material could be useful. For example, he talked about being friendly with our friends such as the Shah of Iran or how counter-productive sanctions were against South Africa. The compilers of this book could have expounded on how the Carter Administration abandoned the Shah in 1979. It may have added quite a few more pages to the book, but it may have also added more meaning to the book. One glaring characteristic of his talks was the simplicity and, in some cases, possible distortions that his critics and political opponents accused him of -- in some cases justifiably. However, he was no more guilty of twisting facts to fit his beliefs than any other politician. The main difference between him and his critics was that he was more effective than they. He was a lot more intelligent than many gave him credit for. To take a complex issue, zero in on the main component of that issue, apply one's beliefs to that issue, and then organize it and present it persuasively in a five minute monologue is a talent that very few people has. Finally, a few pictures would have been good. Maybe shots of him writing, behind a microphone, photos of many of the subjects of his talks, etc. Bottom line -- the book was not as good as it could have been.
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