Reagan

Reviews / Votes

'As one might expect from such an influential and controversial personality Ronald Regan has been the subject of much biography, running from the meticulous but essentially critical works of Lou Cannon to the bizarre biographical fantasy by Edmund Morris. Iwan Morgan's new life, benefiting from the elapse of time, the fading of old resentments and the appearance of rival subjects of both admiration and disdain, stands every chance of emerging as the standard life. Morgan has brought to its writing formidable but also thoughtful and critical research and a lively style. His research has given him a sure grasp of Reagan's improbable journey from small town Middle West, through Hollywood's Golden Age into national and international politics. Morgan's greatest virtue is his fairness. He does justice to Reagan's authentic faith in the essential virtue of America and to the individual, non-ideological quality of his conservative faith. At the same time he is not afraid to point out the contradictions in Reagan's beliefs, the limitations of his political credo and the occasional mistakes and absurdities of his political career. Wise, fair and witty, Iwan Morgan 's life of Reagan is likely to be accepted by both the admirers and the critics of the fortieth president as both trustworthy and readable.' - Godfrey Hodgson, author of The Myth of American Exceptionalism and former Washington correspondent for The Observer , 'Iwan Morgan's Reagan is a fast-paced narrative that is superbly organized and judiciously argued about the life and times of America's 40th president. Before going elsewhere, both academics and general audiences should first read this exceptional volume as the introduction to this complex topic.' - Irwin F. Gellman, author of The President and the Apprentice: Eisenhower and Nixon 1952-1961, 'Iwan Morgan has written a hugely valuable account of a highly consequential life. Reagan is engagingly written and exhaustively researched - the grounding in archival sources adds real depth to the portrayal of Reagan the person, performer, governor and president. The book does credit to Morgan as a scholar but his erudition is consumed painlessly thanks to the elegance of his prose. Morgan's assessment of Reagan is nuanced and refreshingly non-partisan, giving credit and finding fault where each is appropriately due. Readers will come away appreciating the intriguing complexity of the man, and the immense impact of his career.' - Andrew Rudalevige, T.B. Reed Professor of Government, Bowdoin College