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Rating: 
Summary: Gone, but not forgotten
Review:
We who were privileged to be alive during his lifetime, and experienced the man Ronald Reagan, will never forget him. He was an actor--and a successful one--elected by his peers to represent them as their president in the screen actors guild, Governor of the State of California which, if it were a nation would be the sixth largest in the world, and was elected by his countrymen twice to be President of the United States during a period when it faced its most dangerous adversary perhaps in its history, but certainly since the Second World War: the communist dominated Union of Soviet Socialist Republics.
Since the end of World War II, every president of the United States in turn was faced with the Soviet effort to destroy us and our free enterprise way of life, both from the inside and out. Only Ronald Reagan was successful in freeing us from that threat. Attempts were made by various earlier administrations to befriend them, to appease them, to achieve detent, to contain the threat of the Soviets in their attempt to achieve hegemony over the entire globe, one piece of real estate at a time, by force whenever necessary. There was no secret to it. They proclaimed their goal while pounding their shoe on the desk.
Ronald Reagan called them 'the Evil Empire,' to the dismay of his faint-hearted detractors, who were afraid of antagonizing them. He insisted that the only way to defeat them--which he proclaimed as HIS goal--was through strength.
We have long named George Washington and Abraham Lincoln among the small handful of men we call 'our greatest presidents.' There can be little doubt that Ronald Reagan is now among that honored group.
Not that he didn't have detractors: throughout his presidency he was vilified by his opposition, much as was Lincoln in his time. Many people alive today who are ardent political partisans of the more liberal variety and believe that socialism is preferable to free unfettered enterprise, do not want even to hear Ronald Reagan's name mentioned. It is anathema to them. For, he was one of the men who truly believed that less government, rather than more, is better for free men. That paternalistic rule, while necessary for children, is not appropriate for free men in a free society.
So, this is the Ronald Reagan described here by Jim Kuhn, who worked closely with Reagan for thirteen years, and saw him as a private, but still dedicated, man. Here is what he says: '-he was bigger than life as the president of the United States. He looked, spoke and breathed the part. But when you were alone with him, he was the nicest, most regular guy in the world.' Intelligent, focused, unswerving, dedicated, and true to his wife and family, his country, and his ideals. Look back. How many presidents have we had that have failed utterly to fill that description in the recent past?
Some say that honor and integrity are not important, as long as a man 'does his job.' Ronald Reagan grew up in a world where it was more, not less, important. Where the means was important, as well as the end.
I suggest you buy this book, and read it, and get to know the man a little better. Although he has passed from us, his legacy is that the world has gained immensely from his having been in it.
Joseph (Joe) Pierre, USN (Ret)
Rating: 
Summary: An Easy Read - Too Easy, Too Light
Review: As the American polity becomes more divided, people attempt to spin events to their own perception of reality. This book is remarkably and surprisingly free of a political spin. It gives you an insight to a president who effected major changes in America and internationally. However, it is only a small insight; this is a remarkably light book and it must be said, not a well written book. That aside, I do recommend it.
If you want a substance insight to President Reagan read "The Bully Pulpit" by William Ker Muir, Jr. However, "Ronald Reagan In Private" will give you an insight to the limited advance man's interaction with a presidential candidate and later President. Later we see what an Executive Assistant to the President sees of a President. Given this is a 271-page book and the advance-man portion takes up the first 135 pages, the insight to Reagan the man from the perception of his Executive Assistant is disappointingly sparse. But, it is there and whether you come from the Conservative or Liberal political philosophy, Reagan is an important president and this book will give you a better understanding of that man.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful, thoughtful insight into the man
Review: Jim Kuhn is an honorable, self-effacing man who tells an insightful story in this memoir of his years of service to Ronald Reagan. I had the great opportunity to work with Jim in the White House and am happy to call him a friend. I have admired him for years -- more importantly, I revere Jim's humility, and his ability to see his time with President Reagan and other players on history's stage as not about him, but about being able to serve a larger purpose in a quiet yet meaningful way. If you are interested in what actually happens day to day as history is made in the West Wing, I recommend you read this book.
Rating:
Summary: A Great President
Review: There's a lot of books out there that are written by people who may have saw Reagan on very few occassions, if ever. Many books on Reagan are written based on knowledge given from reading other books on the man. Jim Kuhn is perhaps one of the very few men who can really give us a glimpse of who Reagan was because of his relationship and access to the president for almost a decade. I really enjoyed this book. I've read about 10 books on Ronald Reagan before turning to this book and I have learned some new things about this great man I've never known before. Mr. Kuhn did a great job in illustrating how Reagan really was a down to earth man who restored our nation and changed the world. I laughed, I cried, and I found myself saying, "Thank God for Ronald Reagan", several times. This is a fantastic book that I recommend anyone wanting to know more about one of our nation's best presidents.
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