The Reagan Diaries

The book is an edited version of the daily diaries Reagan kept while he was president. They're short bullet entries. There are quite a few missed days; I guess that the editor did not believe them germane. The book showed the life of the most powerful person on the planet. His devotion to Nancy is remarkable. I was impressed at his response to the liberal press of the time--he seemed to hold no animosity, but rather viewed it as a contest: "I won that round" says he. Further, he seems to know when he had an impact with people...or not...and commented on same. His ups and downs with the Soviets show raw emotion and dedication to the people of both nations. The book shows that the RR who spoke to us on TV was for real.

4.5 out of 5 stars, as you might find it a boring slog through a person's not that all revealing day planner/diary.

A judicious and nice selection of Ronald Reagan's diary entries from his time in office. These are mainly just a rehashing of everything he did on a particular day, but sometimes there is some analysis and oftentimes seeing what information is crossing Reagan's desk is helpful in realizing what is going on in his thinking and his administration. Case in point, when you realize that from the very beginning, 1981, evidence is crossing Reagan's desk that the communists in Cuba and in the Soviet Union are providing weapons and other supplies to the communists in Nicaragua, El Salvador, and Honduras, you realize why Reagan was show more so gung-ho about covert operations in the area and aid to the Contras. Without that bit of context, and liberal writers and professor often fail to mention Soviet/Castro money in these countries, it seems as if America is the only nation doing the "meddling" in Central America. well, no, they weren't. Also, you realize that Reagan was (p. 345) concerned about AIDS early on (liberals to this day want to "blame" Reagan for AIDS, for some reason) and that he (p. 434) was starting to not remember things in 1986, and it baffled him. You learn, as every Reaganite already knows, that he (a) really loved Nancy, (b) his children Ron and Patti are ungrateful ne'er-do-wells, and (c) Reagan was never the simple, smiling, dunce liberals believed then and still believe now. All-in-all, good if you can get cheap, especially as you can read the diary entries online now. Good intro, nice photographs, good glossary and index. show less

The work allows an inside look into the mind of a president which is uncommon enough. Only four presidents have done so: Washington, John Quincy Adams, James K. Polk, and Rutherford B. Hayes. Reagan then easily becomes the second most important president to do so and is one of the most significant presidents ever. It is an invaluable insider's look behind the Oval Office.

The personal Reagan truly emerges: patriotic, humorous, charitable and kind, dedicated to Nancy, health-conscious, politically alert, and interestingly enough, very prone to frequent haircuts. Reagan enjoyed old movies, the company of friends, and his beloved horses and ranch.

Роналд Рейгън е един от само тримата президенти в историята на САЩ, който списва редовно дневник за целия си мандат. Срещите, политическите решения, разговорите с чуждестранни държавни глави, пътуванията – всичко това е описал ден по ден, заедно със свои размисли по различни въпроси и по повод различни събития и случки в президентския си живот и работа…

Рейгън, освен това, ми и любимият американски show more президент – холивудски актьор, силно религиозен и суеверен и всъщност не особено умен, той успява да спечели сърцата и умовете на хората с кратките си, съдържателни политически послания и с ясните си, изключително семпли идеи за икономиката, обществото и държавата и как те трябва да работят. Той е перфектният пример за това, че в политиката не е толкова важно дали котката е черна или бяла, а дали лови мишки.

Защото Рейгън не само говори, но и за два мандата изпълнява, до голяма степен, това, което обещава – поради което е и единственият президент, който завършва втория си мандат с положителен рейтинг . Неговата дясна, консервативна икономическа политика е основата на възраждането на новия либерализъм през 80-те години и успява да изправи икономиката на САЩ на крака след разточителното харчене за всякакви социални програми през 60-те и 70-те; и даже да изпълни една почти невъзможна задача – да намали броя на държавната администрация.

За съжаление, самия формат на книгата е нечетивен. Това всъщност е… ами дневникът му и толкова. Не целия, който е няколко тома за 8-те години на мандата му, но само по-интересните или показателни записки. И въпреки това, си остава дневник – сбор от кратки лични вметки, без допълнително описание или анализ на събитията. Може би ако към всяка бяха добавени и историческа бележка и някакъв анализ на политолог или икономист за това или онова решение или ситуация книгата щеше да е по-интересна или полезна за мен…

Но така книгата предоставя само поглед в личния живот и виждания на Рейгън – и то по начин, който не би заинтересувал даже фен като мен – и съм длъжен да призная, че не можах да прочета даже 1/4 от нея. show less

I'm ashamed at how long it took me to read the book, but I've found diaries are generally difficult to read. Each day is pretty much a story unto itself and is the nature of a diary. At the same time, I enjoyed the book and learned a great deal.

I read once that someone wondered how an actor could become the President of the greatest nation on earth. Regan mused how anyone could be President without being an actor. He put life's experiences to good use as President.

Throughout the diaries, Reagan manifested the training and experience he had as an actor in a positive way. He seemed to forever mindful and respectful of his audience, whether it be before TV cameras, a large live audience, or in a one on one meeting. He almost always show more commented on how he perceived others thought he did.

His diary reads as if he were speaking to me in person and always reflected genuine sincerity.

One of the reasons I wanted to read the book (in addition to the fact that it was a gift!) is that Reagan is one of but three Presidents who was baptized into a Disciples of Christ church. His Alma Mater, Eureka College (founded as, and is yet to this day, a Disciples of Christ school), is mentioned many times, and always in a positive way. He remained proud of and loyal to Eureka College throughout his entire life.

The jury remains out as to where Reagan will rank among US Presidents. Persons interested in US history, and particularly in US Presidents, are surely to be well-served by reading the book. I am glad I read it, even though it took me much longer to finish than it should have.

The book includes a number of beautiful photos, has a helpful glossary of many characters named, and is well indexed. show less

Impressive look into the daily life of this President. While there were some that I skipped, Reagan was a dedicated leader. This diary gives a candid look into his thoughts, opinions and life as president; this is a great historical document.

A fantastic collection of the thoughts of arguably our greatest president in modern times. I was amazed at the difference, in every aspect, of what this man stood for and how he approached his job and what we currently have going on in Washington, D.C. It took me a while to read this because the diary entries were fairly chopped up and abbreviated in places, but it was definitely worth the read. I recommend this for anyone who appreciates what we once had in this country.