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Summary: An open, curious, searching mind revealed
Review: Lately I have been reading some of the books on letters from the former president and this is indeed one of the best in its revelatory powers. What is surprising - once one gets past all the soundbites of the media - is that he was incredibly curious about the world (in a sense, reminescent of Clinton) but at the same time held an optimistic, almost youthful outlook for the American people that never faltered once.As I said in my review on Reagan: Letters, his was an intellect unlike Nixon, Gore, Dole or Kerry. He did not think in terms of politics first but always in terms of people. He was (as one reviewer aptly noted) at heart a libertarian, revealed by his comments on adult drug usage, religion, taxes and personal freedom. This most abused of Presidents (think Hollywood and academia) effectively reshaped America and the world in his image - an accomplishment of outstanding proportions that few Presidents can approach. It is not surprising that he supported Goldwater, another closet Libertarian. (I love his comment on election day, "I voted for a few Democrats." Can one imagine a comparable comment from Delay or Clinton?) I liked the rough letters - it shows us a mind in the process of arriving at a final thought. Sometimes the marked out parts are more informative than what remains. Once again, the intellectual range covered within these words is simply astounding - economics, philosophy, the proper role of govt, the correlation between economic and personal freedom, human motivation... One notes again that these are PHILOSOPHICAL (not political) undertones - no quick and easy answers on such questions as minimum wage, quotas, throwing money at education, mass transit, welfare...these were almost too pedestrian for someone determined to change America and the world. To quote another reviewer, RR possessed one of the rarest of qualities - emotional intelligence. He recognized why people did what did and continually sought to make American into a place where everyone could reach their full potential. Another outstanding contribution to the political literature!
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Summary: The "Real" Reagan? A National Treasure
Review: Let's get it over with--all those people who always called Ronald Reagan some kind of dunce or dullard are finally proven wrong by these actual scripts from his radio broadcasts that show wit, intelligence, and profound understanding of the issues of his era. The editors have decided for some unknown reason to leave all the misspellings, edits, and the like in, and after all these are to be read aloud on the radio, but this shows the inner Reagan to be a deep thinker and yet a plain-spoken man of the people who truly was "The Great Communicator" long before he became one of our greatest presidents. A spectacular collection of heretofore unknown and unseen manuscripts, a must for any serious student of the man, history, and American life.
Rating: 
Summary: Enlightening
Review: Not to be confused with a comparable title, "Reagan in His Own Words," this book offered little, at first glance, of the man who was the president. We are given the opportunity to read speeches from his run-up to the 1980 election (mostly from 1975-1979). The book offers Reagan's reflections on the military, the Cold War, World War II, as well as America's fingers in the African and Southeast Asian pies. It could be read as a perfect draft for his plans to rule this nation through what would be the tumultuous 1980s. Reagan, as most people know, wrote most of his own speeches; most are not aware, however, that he delivered more than 1000 speeches during the late 1970s. Most of these texts are provided; they reflect his hopes to defeat Gerald Ford in the primary race, a race he would lose, and one which Ford would subsequently lose to Carter. This book might not solve any of the many Reagan riddles we've come to almost cherish as part of our history; his eccentricities will remain locked away forever, but this book can serve as a remarkable blueprint for the creation of the man he came to be.
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Summary: Lovely and wise
Review: One of my favorite pieces in this book begins on page 45 and is about a young man named Peter Jenkins who in October of 1973 left his Connecticut home and started backpacking across America because he didn't like America, even though as President Reagan writes 'he thought he knew America and he didn't like it. He was ashamed of the American flag and he didn't believe in God.' The President goes on to share that the kid met wonderful people and before his five year trek ended at the Pacific ocean, he would marry, even though he had vowed he would basically love em and leave them. And that in the end Mr. Jenkins not only found America, he found God. The young man wrote about his trek in 'A Walk Across America.' I love all the pieces Ronald Reagan wrote because they show a man of passion, compassion, firm beliefs, and open mind, commitment and joy.
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Summary: Someday, Perhaps....
Review: Our journey to gaining at least an adequate understanding of Ronald Reagan has only just begun. He continues to attract substantial attention, both favorable and unfavorable. My own opinion is that his advocates (who tend to deify him) and his adversaries (who tend to demonize him) need to calm down. Reagan was certainly neither an amiable dimwit nor a charming genius. My guess is, that he was probably somewhere between such extremes, except for his commitment to certain basic values which were, for him, non-negotiable. Here in a single volume are many of Reagan's most important statements about those values. His convictions are remarkably clear and consistent. How many of Reagan's critics have examined with appropriate care what he stated publicly in correlation with the policies he so steadfastly advocated? The "talk" he talked and the "walk" he walked are virtually inseparable. Someday, perhaps, it will be possible to take Reagan's full measure as an American President, at least within the context of the 20th century. Meanwhile, books about him will continue to be published. In fairness to him, those who now hold him in low esteem should at least know what his values were inorder to understand why as well as how he acted upon those values.
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Summary: Brilliant - A Must Read for Anyone Interested in Politics.
Review: President Reagan does something no other politician I have seen do, apply common sense to politics. He reveals amazing truths that boggle your mind. He clearly didn't get tied up in Washington politics. Instead he went over Congress' head and went straight to the people. This was why he was able to accomplish so much with a strong democratic congress. Whether you agree with conservative philosophy or not, read this to gain an insightful and sensible viewpoint into the political world. He juggles issues that we are hottly debating today. Easy to understand and follow his arguments.
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Summary: Reagan-More than a Great Communicator
Review: Reagan, In His Own Hand, is a treasure trove of writings that provide the reader with a unique window on Ronald Reagan's detailed vision of foreign and domestic policy. Throughout the book, Reagan defines the agenda that he would eventually take to the White House. It is striking that on several occasions, Reagan writes of the demise of communism, an idea scoffed at by leading foreign policy experts in the 1970's as well as during his presidency. Reagan, In His Own Hand, defines the vision and conviction of a man who made his mark on history with courage and optimism. The legacy of Ronald Reagan will be defined by his relentless pursuit of these ideas throughout much of his adult life. Historians will likely conclude from these writings that Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency better prepared to lead the nation than any other leader of the 20th century. Here finally, is the opportunity to see how "Reagan the Thinker" transformed the political landscape of America and the world.
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Summary: Reagan Dumb and Disengaged? (Compared to You Liberals? No)
Review: Ronald Reagan defeated Soviet communism and helped liberate millions of victims of communism all over the globe. Previous presidents from Truman on made their contribution. Some, like Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter stumbled. Carter was particularly weak and did not even grasp the essence of the problem. Truman was one of the last real anti-communist liberals. Stalin completely outfoxed Roosevelt at Yalta and left Truman with a massive stalemate situation.
What the dominant media do not want you to know is that Reagan had experience fighting real communists who infiltrated Hollywood. Reagan was a union president, a self-professed bleeding-heart liberal democrat. Commies threatened Reagan and his family. He knew first-hand the raw aggression and lust for power that commies had.
From 1948 to 1964 his experience crystallized to a profound understanding of the difference between America and its founding and free enterprise system and that of the Soviet Union, Red China and socialism. He grasped the expansionist nature of the Soviet Empire and its intrinsic evil.
Younger intellects were more easily taken in by socialism as a new solution. Reagan had been through that already and was not fooled by Soviet propaganda. The moral equivalence argument put forth by American liberal intellectuals did not fool him either.
Inseparable from his pioneering understanding of the evil of communism and his ability to persuade people about communism's self-destructive nature, was his belief in the American system of a free market economy, and the moral foundations of free enterprise.
While his body was not yet cold, America's leading liberal lights were blathering on about what a nice, sweet man he was. The know-it-alls would repeat ad nauseum that Reagan really believed what he said, that people liked him even when they disagreed with him. As if the 1980s were bipartisan and the liberals were really with Reagan!
The truth is the liberals hated Reagan and still do. The liberals did everything in their power to thwart Reagan's revolution. McGovernite liberals will still not admit that the USA won the cold war. Why? Did some of these liberals believe in their hearts that communism might triumph some day? Did they stop believing in America and our free enterprise system?
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Summary: A man with a vision
Review: Ronald Reagan unjustifiably has the reputation of being vacuous with his subordinates implementing his vaguely defined policies. This view of Reagan is utter nonsense. In fact, if you remember the 1980 presidential debates against Jimmy Carter, Reagan is a man with both a vision and an understanding of the details to implement that vision. If he did not tend to the day to day details while in office, that was a concious management decision, not a failure to grasp the issues. As the writings, reproduced in this book, demonstrate, Reagan understood the details of his positions and, in radio adresses he gave over the years between his governorship and presidency, he set them forth cogently and convincingly. Despite the calumnies against him, he was, in fact extremely intelligent and insightful. Reagan had no speechwriter prepare his radio addresses. He prepared them in longhand on legal pads and then, he edited them. This book gives examples of his editing drafts. Since Reagan carefully prepared the addresses in advance, they are preserved as "writings." I wonder how well Clinton, Gore, Bush, or anyone else would stand up if they were to speak, every week, in their own words without their remarks being ghostwritten, or at least heavily edited, by their speechwriters. I suspect none of them would hold a candle to Reagan. In addition to these speeches, this book includes other writings of Reagan. I was impressed with Reagan's understanding of issues and his attention to detail, something heretofor he has not been credited with. In seeing his foreign policy set for and his anticommunism articulated, before he was president, I am impressed that we had a president who understood the Soviet Union well and handled the "evil empire" better than any other president before him. I am reminded of Eisenhower who also had the reputation of being ditzy and not in control. Recent biographers have shown that to be utterly false. In fact, according to Stephan Ambrose, Eisenhower had the stregnth to stand up to severe pressure to launch a first strike nuclear attack against the Soviet Union in 1957. So too Reagan was very much in control and he courageously pursued his policies as regards to the Soviet Union. Whereas Eisenhower's pressures came from hawks, Reagan's came from those mindlessly urging disarmament. Like Eisenhower, he did what was right and this book sets forth his understanding of the right course to follow. I recommend this book of writings of our most eloquent president.
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Summary: Book proves media is wrong
Review: Ronald Reagan was a great President. All the media does is insult him. Ronaldus Magnus is the best President ever This book proves it and will be cherished
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