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Summary: The real Reagan
Review: This is a must read for both avid admirers of Ronald Reagan (disclaimer: that's me), and his would-be detractors in the liberal arena. Far from being an "amiable dunce", this collection of radio broadcasts and essays, mostly written in the 1974-1980 period, shows Reagan's keen intellect and focus on his areas of greatest interest, such as the superiority of capitalism over communism, and the cause of freedom throughout the world. His radio broadcasts were short, only about 5 minutes, but they show that he was well-read and informed on any number of topics. Probably the most fascinating aspect was his ability to not only write a compelling, concise story, but to edit his own material. The compilers of this material wisely chose to include the words and phrases that were lined out in favor of the final, broadcast version. This gave me some real insights to Mr. Reagan's line of thought as the essays were composed. The final essay in this book is Reagan's farewell to the American people upon his learning of that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease, and is one of the most tender and touching messages I have ever read. God bless you, Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
Rating: 
Summary: Amiable Dunce? NOT!
Review: This is a wonderful book that cuts across so many axes: autobiography, poli sci, US history-
1980's, US history-1970's, the Soviet Union, the Carter Administration, the Reagan
Administration, Reagan the man, Reagan the leader, Regan the economist, and so forth.So--where to begin? The lion's share of this book is devoted to Reagan's radio roar, growl and comment on the state of the Union in the late 1970's. It is not just politics and policies, but general cultural issues as well. You are given a view into the Reaganite philosophy as he deals with economics, the Federal relationship, welfare reform, inflation (remember it was double-digit in the 1970's), and, of course, the Soviet Union. What you read are the rough drafts of the radio commentaries, so don't expect a neat and tidy book. If you are looking for a "Reagan Bible" so to speak, then get a copy of "Speaking My Mind." A good quote book was compiled by his son, Michael, in "The Common Sense of an Uncommon Man." It would nice to se a cleaned up version of this book, which would appeal to a broader audience. This book whets my appetite for a better collection of Reagan speeches, say even a total corpus of
Ronald Regan's Papers. Face it: be he hero or villain, Ronald Reagan deserves due credit for his rightly-called "Reagan Revolution." He deserves study and emulation. He even deserves a place on Mount Rushmore, if it were possible. The index of speeches is tops! It is both readable and useful, and gives us the heads of the speeches to see where his mind was going. After all, the most important thing about a man is not his sex, skin color, place of birth, or party affiliation, but his mind. And as Reagan's mind is slowly being wasted by Alzheimer's, we are all worse off. In addition to his speeches, this book has some of Regan's early fiction from his teen and college years, and a wonderful poem! Then ends on his farewell Alzheimer's announcement. The drawback of the book is that is NOT a complete collection of his comments and it is not in chronological order, so when Reagan alludes to a previous speech, we have to hunt and peck for something we may never find. I realize life can be like this, but the book should not be. One last note: the cover really captures something about Reagan. As the introductory essay indicates, Reagan wrote these himself. He was not only well read and well spoken, but well thought. He used no speech writer for these commentaries. The "ivory-tower" intelligencia despised him. Probably because he did so well without them. And that should inspire each of us!
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Summary: Shows the depth of Reagan's thought
Review: This is an excellent book for fans of Reagan and students of political science. A variety of Reagan's original writings demonstrate the depth of his thought and that his political stances held firm over a period of decades. This book dispels both the notion that Reagan was a scripted President and that his speechwriters handed him all his good lines. Each piece by Reagan is short enough to read during a break, yet contains a thread of Reagan's ideology. Together they weave a tapestry of libertarian-conservatism, an ideology that has moved the Republican Party from also-rans in the 1970s to dominant political party today.
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Summary: An invaluable primary source on Reagan
Review: This is really a great collection to have of primary source material on Ronald Reagan, allowing anyone who would want to do more research on Reagan as a person, political thinker, and politician, to see how the former President thought things out. Even the spelling mistakes and crossouts by Reagan left in the book are invaluable. Though they may hurt the flow of the reading, they are important to the books value as a primary source-everything is left in, and one can even see what Reagan decided he did not want to leave in his writings. Excellent book for scholars interested in Reagan.
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Summary: Outstanding and important text
Review: This outstanding book is not narrative, nor is it a history. Rather, it is a collection of short opinion pieces the president wrote and broadcast on radio during the 1970s. In these pages, you will find the Reagan philosophy clearly outlined, defined, and defended. I first read this book when it was assigned for a graduate class at Wesleyan University. As one can imagine, the book was subjected to some pretty brutal criticism by the students. However, one area of agreement was that the philosophy developed was clearly his, that he wrote the speeches himself, and therefore the image of the "amiable dunce" that has long characterized the traditional academic's view of Reagan is, at least, an oversimplification. More likely, Reagan was an intellectually capable leader with a grasp of the "big picture" who could delegate public policy details to competent staffers, who at times failed in their responsibility. Whatever your views of Reagan's domestic and foreign policy are, this book will give you insight into the philosophy that drove Reagan. Whether you want to cheer or scream at what you read, you will find the principles of the Reagan revolution clearly articulated. Moreover, this is pure Reagan. He is obviously influenced by William F. Buckley and National Review by this period, but these are not presidential speeches written by staffers and in house intellectuals. This is, to put is simply, the real Ronald Reagan. Everyone interested in understanding his legacy ought to read this book. Highly recommended.
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Summary: Many of Us Underestimated Ronald Reagan
Review: This selection of 670 radio commentaries Ronald Reagan wrote between 1975 and 1979 astonishes me to no end. Although I was an ardent supporter of the former President, it seemed to me that Reagan's intellect left much to be desired. At best I concluded that Reagan had superb gut instincts, but was primarily the mouthpiece of those far more intelligent than himself. The first question concerning--Reagan, In His Own Hand--that came to mind was whether Reagan relied upon a ghost writer. After all, it is well established that some political leaders such as John F. Kennedy were credited for books they never wrote. I was therefore amazed to learn that it appears Ronald Reagan didn't even have an editorial assistant. These writings are indeed the result of Reagan's many years of intellectual inquiry in issues dominating the last three quarters of a century. The editors of this collection rightfully describe Reagan as "a one-man think tank." His insights on why Communism would inevitably disintegrate alone justifies the purchase of this work. Reagan's detractors were upset when the President called the now defunct Soviet Union an "evil empire." Nevertheless, Reagan refused to mealy mouth the truth. In the end Reagan insisted that we stay the course in our opposition to World Communism. A weaker but still dangerous Soviet Union might still exist today had it not been for President Reagan. He was proven correct and his opponents should have the integrity to admit their errors in judgment. The great leader also clearly understood the values of Democratic Capitalism. Some may legitimately nit-pick Reagan on some of the specifics, but substantially he was on target. Reagan's own words reveal a profound realization that dire poverty can only be eradicated by an essentially free economic system; government policies may be well meaning, but inadvertently often do more harm than good. Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest Presidents in our nation's history. Even many professional Liberal historians are favorably reevaluating Reagan's Presidency. --Reagan, In His Own Hand--deserves a prominent place in one's library. These radio commentaries allow us to more fully comprehend how fortunate we were that Ronald Reagan lead our nation during such a crucial era.
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Summary: The Tooth Of Envy Is Powerless To Reagan¿s Own Words!
Review: What a fine book that finally reveals the real Ronald Reagan in his own words that no media revisionists can change or condemn. Here is a man rising to prominence from unassuming beginnings not on blood, nobility or background but on the basis of his words, abilities and actions. The book counters all the Liberal Leftists who took great joy in making fun of Ronald Reagan claiming many untruths, portraying him an incompetent boob and one who simply slept through his presidency. Nevertheless Reagan's own words have responded, Reagan like all people has succumb to old age and his depraved faultfinders thought he could not respond. The book proves otherwise. All those shameful nefarious reports and unkind whispers of senility were intended to act like acid to slowly corrode Reagan's legacy. But these critics' discord have been made impotent by the only shield Reagan always had, his own words and writings. The authors reveal three aspects of Reagan's character which are hard work, competent delegation and definable actions. Now the world stands in wonderment of a conundrum having to admit they can do nothing to tarnish the brilliance of Reagan's presidency. What I found enlightening is how Ronald Reagan would dictate a memo from Ronald Reagan to Ronald Reagan when he disagreed with a particular policy. Even though our Foreign Policy had to support China, Reagan disagreed in abandoning an Allied like Taiwan and wrote why he did so in a separate memo. Such memos make known an shrewd and knowledgeable man of principle. The book clearly refutes anyone saying he slept in the afternoon, was too old and feeble or simply was a puppet president. The people who created these false rumors were either ignorant, misinformed or outright liars. Reagan's legacy in his own words, memos and deeds prove it time and time again. The tooth of envy is now powerless regarding Reagan's enduring legacy as bear witness with his own words in the book. The book confirms that Ronald Reagan accomplished so much through his own judgment, acumen and energy. This is the imprint that will remain in history invalidating all those humorless cynics now left in their own dust of self created ridicule. The world must recognize a lofty attitude of praise when speaking about Ronald Reagan. I highly recommend this book. It is superb and gives you a window of a man who loved this nation and led it with dedicated work and devotedly attached actions.
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Summary: We miss you, Ronnie!
Review: What a wonderful peak into the world of this great man. Ronald Reagan conducted himself with honor, dignity and grace throughout his remarkable life. It is a great treat to get to see his letters, they truly show that the art of letter writing is sadly lacking in our modern world..George HW Bush's letters are also heartwarming to read. I had the chance to meet President Reagan when I was a teenager, I gave him a poem I had written for him and Red White and Blue Jelly Bellies; "Nancy looks beautiful dressed in Red, and I am sure that Jimmy Carter is Blue, but what our country has needed for quite some time, is an outstanding leading man like YOU!" His smile will continue to be one of my most prized memories. Thanks Mr. Reagan and God Bless you and Nancy.
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Summary: Amazing for its clarity
Review: What Reagan says in these radio commentaries from the 1970s (other writings are included but have less of an impact) is much less striking than how he says it. For those who have always bought the largely liberal line that Reagan knew little more than was written on his cue cards, this will come as a shocker. Reagan was clearly a disciplined thinker who could write extremely well. He may not have been an intellectual, but he wasn't speaking or writing to those people. He was trying to communicate big ideas to the average American. He succeeds enormously well with these commentaries. Some are dated now, given the fall of the Berlin Wall, but then again, faced again with threats to freedom, perhaps they are not. Even those who consider themselves liberals should admire Reagan for his clarity and should read this book just to see how "the other side" won the big arguments in the 1970s and 1980s.
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Summary: He Has Not Left The Building
Review: While reading this book, Eudora Welty's words come to mind: "The events in our lives happen in a sequence in time, but in their significance to ourselves they find their own order - the continuous thread of revelation." The intellectual breath of President Reagan's prodigious views on politics, arms control, communism, and societal concerns is an astonishing revelation. This book is a compilation of Ronald Reagan's original manuscripts (with his own editorial markings) from the high school years to his Alzheimer's goodbye note to America in November 1994. The majority of the speeches and commentaries are written from between the years 1975 and 1980, the time between his California governorship and presidency. "Reagan In His Own Hand" is divided into four parts: I. Reagan's Philosophy
II. Foreign Policy
III. Domestic and Economic Policy
IV. Other Writings Nov. 6, 1925 - Nov, 5, 1994 The writings as preserved and presented in this book, have revealed Ronald Reagan as a gifted writer and speaker. In the crucible of the Great Depression, these abilities of his started to hone and condition. A story he's written in college offers an early glimpse of his true grits. SQUALL (a short story written in 1930 at age 19) "...A massive gray wall towers ahead of you. Up goes the prow --up--it hangs, then heels over-- you have lost! The canoe is off that absolute hairline of wind heading... Quickly the wind dies, the waves smooth out and you must wait for another squall to renew the feud." (excerpt) This is a ponderous book to read. The materials are dated and might not have relevance to our fragmented society today. If one were to read some of the commentaries aloud and listens to what is read, one will understand Reagan is politically astute and his arguments persuasive. One will also marvel these original scripts have relatively few revisions. In his own hand, this living former president has refuted the myth and mantra that he is an amiable dunce who neither reads nor writes. He, Ronald Reagan, has not left the building.
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