Quite superb. It doesn't sound like a promising topic, but is a very neat way of summarising some of the most important issues and key players in 20th Century history. Apart from adopting an appealing, fly on the wall, documentary narrative technique that leaves you feeling as though you have a much better grasp of the characters of the key players Reynolds also turns some of the standard canards on their heads.
Reagan comes out better than expected....a dedicated cold warrior yes, but one who really wanted to make progress on abolishing nuclear weapons. Carter - guilty of devoting too much time to the Middle East and not enough to domestic matters, but the only US leader able to grasp all of the details and react swiftly to changing events. Nixon and Kissinger - would have been capable of so much more if they had been to suspend their addiction to secrecy, deceit and double dealing with their own colleagues.
One key lesson is the importance of health. Roosevelt, Churchill, Chamberlain, and for me surprisingly, Kennedy approached major summits in very poor health - but were too proud to admit it. Not suprisingly, they came out second best to healthy opponents. There's a lesson there for all of us with a tendency to overwork... ( )