An American Life: The Autobiography

This was a terrific book, and one that came very close to 5 stars. Why? While the first third of the book was a customary "introduction" to Ronald Reagan, the last third of the book was a fascinating discourse of foreign policy with failures - Iran/Contra, and successes - ending the cold war.

Reagan's defense of his Iran/Contra policy as not trading guns for hostages rings hollow, but his continued defense of his strategy as sound is fascinating to read. His admittance of continuing to pursue the policy even against his staff's recommendations is pure political drama and stubbornness.

Likewise his dealings with the Soviet Union leadership was fascinating and his single minded approach of dealing with the Soviets with strength is the key show more factor to ending the cold war. The exchanges documented between him and Gorbachev are stuff of legend and fascinating to read.

On second thought, I'm giving this 5 stars, a book that describes the monumental shift in geopolitics in the 80s through correspondence with the main parties involved is a great read. show less

A spectacular offering from one of America's greatest presidents. Ronald Reagan gives us his autobiography, written with humor, humbleness, and good old-fashioned American know-how. This is an excellent book. Reagan is completely honest with his readers, telling his highest point and his lowest point, mistakes he made, and victories he won. The section about Russia makes heavy use of his personal correspondence with Gorbachev. Anyone interested in American politics, world politics, or just a great autobiography should read this.

Reagan's autobiography reads a little like his journals, its just cleaned up a little and moves pretty fast. Written just after he left the White House, there are a few glaring omissions--his movie career is glossed over, including the wild child portion, the first wife isn't even mentioned and his kids receive no coverage. So, this is mostly about his political career and the reader can understand it's the man seeking his legacy. He does talk about his successes and political failures and spends a lot of time on Russia and little on Iran-Contra. Good primer on the political man.

This is the first (and likely only) autobiography read as part of my march through the bios of U.S. Presidents in chronological order. It works because, whether you agree with his politics or not, Reagan is a pretty affable guy, which comes through in the book. The stories from his youth and Hollywood days were most interesting to me. The White House years were a bit wonkish on policy, but give a glimpse into the thought process of a man sitting in the Oval Office, though handing off the chunks of the narrative to his diary entries at the time was a bit distracting. I’ll balance Reagan’s point of view with Richard Reeve’s The Triumph of Imagination before moving on to Bush 41.

A warm and appealing account of Ronald Reagan's life in his own words; it assumes a great deal of knowledge about the events that occurred during his presidency and while he was governor (something that might be difficult for those under the age of 21), and you can expect some of the self-promotion inherent in a politician. Despite that, however, the account gives great insight into the mind of the man who is perhaps one of the most posthumously worshipped/vilified leaders the US has ever had.

The book is large but not in the least difficult to get through. It is very enlightening, both politically and personally, as Reagan details how he and Nancy met, what caused him to "convert" from the Democratic to the Republican Party, his show more childhood, his acting career, and his work against the Communists in Hollywood before and during his time as governor. I recommend it to anyone who doesn't howl with unchecked rage at the mention of Reagan's name. show less

I continue to try to learn more about my Stone-Campbell religious heritage, and since Ronald Reagan was baptized in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Dixon, Illinois, it seemed appropriate for me to choose this book to read. I am glad I did.

While Reagan does not discuss his religious belief in great detail, it is clear that he was a believer, a prayer, and tried to put his faith in action as best he could. He mentions prayer numerous times, and especially after the assassination attempt, connects his role on this earth with a need to serve God. He believed that God's blessing was truly upon him, and like President Lincoln, thought it important that rather than ask God to be on his side, he wanted to be on God's side.

I also show more appreciated learning about Regan's management style, which was a "hands off" approach. When he needed to make big decisions, he gathered input from his senior staff, listened to the pros and cons, and gave the matter thought before making the final decision. He used a team problem solving approach.

I think this book would benefit anyone desiring to learn about management and leadership. It also covers a part of US and world history that saw the fall of the USSR, and much of the book discusses that topic from Reagan's perspective.

Following the Prologue, the book is sectioned into six main parts:

I. From Dixon to Washington
II. The First Year, A New Beginning
III. Staying the Course
IV. The Middle East, Lebanon, Grenada
V. Iran-Contra
VI. Arms Control, From Geneva to Reykjavik, Washington to Moscow
Epilogue

The book includes a number of photos and is indexed. show less

Caveat: didn't finish. Wasn't interested in his politics. I have Peggy Noonan for that. It sounds like Reagan... but I was disappointed, somewhat, in his positivity and the lack of depth to the earlier time in his life. Perhaps that's just his way or a result of time passing. Who knows?