Reagan
His Life and Legend
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Narrated by:
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Graham Winton
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By:
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Max Boot
About this listen
In this “monumental and impressive” biography, Max Boot, the distinguished political columnist, illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan, revealing the man behind the mythology. Drawing on interviews with over one hundred of the fortieth president’s aides, friends, and family members, as well as thousands of newly available documents, Boot provides “the best biography of Ronald Reagan to date” (Robert Mann).
The story begins not in star-studded Hollywood but in the cradle of the Midwest, smalltown Illinois, where Reagan was born in 1911 to Nelle Clyde Wilson, a devoted Disciples of Christ believer, and Jack Reagan, a struggling, alcoholic salesman. Boot vividly creates a portrait of a handsome young man, indeed a much-vaunted lifeguard, whose early successes mirrored those of Horatio Alger.
And contextualizing Reagan’s life against American history, Boot re-creates the world in which Reagan transitioned from local Iowa sportscaster to budding screen actor.
The world of Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1950s would prove significant, not only in Reagan’s coming-of-age in such classics as Knute Rockne and Kings Row but during the twilight of his film career, when he played opposite a chimpanzee in Bedtime for Bonzo, and then his eventual emergence as a television host of General Electric Theater, which established his bona fides as one of the leading conservative voices of the time. Indeed, the leap to California governor in 1966 seemed almost preordained, in which Reagan became a bellwether for a nation in the throes of a generational shift.
Reagan’s 1980 presidential election augured a shift that continues into this century. Boot writes not as a partisan but as a historian seeking to set the story straight. He explains how Reagan was not only an ideologue but also a supreme pragmatist who signed pro-abortion and gun control bills as governor, cut deals with Democrats in both Sacramento and Washington, and befriended Mikhail Gorbachev to help end the Cold War. A master communicator, Reagan revived America’s spirits after the traumas of Vietnam and Watergate. But Boot also shows how Reagan was armored in obliviousness. He traces Reagan’s opposition to civil rights over forty years, reveals how he neglected the exploding AIDS epidemic, and details how America experienced a level of income inequality not seen since the Gilded Age.
With its revelatory insights, Reagan: His Life and Legend is no apologia, depicting a man with a good-versus-evil worldview derived from his moralistic upbringing and Hollywood westerns. Providing fresh examinations of “trickle-down economics,” the Cold War’s end, the Iran-Contra affair, as well as a nuanced portrait of Reagan’s family, this definitive biography is as compelling a presidential biography as any in recent decades.
“This is a timely and fascinating book, just what we need to understand, and perhaps transcend, our current age of political paralysis and polarization. Understanding Reagan is key to understanding our politics today.”—Walter Isaacson, author of Elon Musk and Steve Jobs
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A great overview of the gladiators
- By The Quilted Wayfarers on 11-26-24
By: Alexander Mariotti, and others
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Napoleon's Hemorrhoids…And Other Small Events That Changed History
- By: Phil Mason
- Narrated by: LJ Ganser
- Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins
- Unabridged
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Hilarious, fascinating, and a roller coaster of dizzying, historical what-ifs, Napoleon's Hemorrhoids is a potpourri for serious historians and casual history buffs. In one of Phil Mason's many revelations, you'll learn that Communist jets were two minutes away from opening fire on American planes during the Cuban missile crisis, when they had to turn back as they were running out of fuel. You'll discover that before the Battle of Waterloo, Napoleon's painful hemorrhoids prevented him from mounting his horse to survey the battlefield.
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They just throw the facts too fast
- By Concerned_llama on 12-11-20
By: Phil Mason
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I wanted a more in-depth analysis.
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By: Hourly History
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True American Hero
- By Stephen on 06-21-07
By: Ronald Reagan
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Reagan
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He was the unlikeliest of presidential candidates - dismissed by opponents as a movie actor, a right-winger trying to undo the work of liberals stretching back to Franklin Roosevelt. Yet Ronald Reagan made it to the White House, taking office in a time of economic turmoil, waning prestige abroad, and a general dampening of the American spirit. Reagan's patriotism, wit, and optimism lifted the nation and brought it through several crises.
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Are political leaders like this extinct?
- By Don Rood, Jr. on 03-25-21
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The Peacemaker
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With decades of hindsight, the peaceful end of the Cold War seems a foregone conclusion. But in the early 1980s, most experts believed the Soviet Union was strong, stable, and would last into the next century. Ronald Reagan entered the White House with no certainty of what would happen next, only an overriding faith in democracy and an abiding belief that Soviet communism—and the threat of nuclear war—must end. The Peacemaker reveals how Reagan’s White House waged the Cold War while managing multiple crises around the globe.
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a very good book
- By Dale Sarver on 01-09-23
By: William Inboden
What listeners say about Reagan
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- KDN
- 10-12-24
Excellent review of Reagan’s life…
… and impact on US policy and politics. I consider myself very well-formed about 1935 - 2010 policy and politics, but I learned new things. It's well worth a listen.
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- Amazon Customer
- 01-18-25
Too Much Max Boot
While Reagan's life was covered, Boot never missed an opportunity to present him in the worst light and emphasized things that progressives oppose while downplaying as much as possible the praiseworthy things from his life. I prefer a more disinterested author.
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- Kathy Neal
- 10-13-24
Informative
Max Boot has done a great job of shedding light on the good and not so good deeds of Ronald Reagan.
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- Amazon Customer
- 11-06-24
Focused on Pre-Presidency
Over half the book is focused on Reagan’s life prior to the Presidency. As such, some White House issues are skirted over.
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- Chris
- 12-30-24
Good. But obvious bias throughout
I enjoyed the book very much in the beginning. Once it got to Reagan’s presidency though and after office, the obvious bias and dare I say dislike was cringeworthy. I try to stay in the middle (harder and harder to do), but there was plenty of moments I would’ve preferred to leave out of an informational fact based book. Although it is the author’s prerogative to write whatever they like I suppose, as a reader thirsting for information and facts, the moments of Reagan dislike, and ‘right wing’ disdain was not enjoyed. Overall I enjoyed the book showing to story of Reagan’s life, minus the jabs at conservatives.
Narrator was great
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- Jordan Jenkins
- 09-26-24
Reagan by Max Boot
This is by far best Reagan biography. I’ve read at least one biography on every president and Max Boot’s book goes to the top of the shelve
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- Michael L. Cook
- 01-20-25
Balance; fairness
Superb history of the man plus the social and historical context. Should be the definitive biography of a flawed, decent man.
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- Rafael Verduzco
- 12-01-24
Remarkable biography of a political giant
A remarkable biography of Reagan. Going through his upbringing and childhood and through his entire career as a sportscaster, actor, and politician, the author provides a detailed and engrossing portrait of Reagan. While clearly bringing out and emphasizing Reagan’s unique political skill and his ability to connect with people, the author also delves into Reagan’s faults, both in his professional and personal life. An amazing biography that I strongly recommend.
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- John K
- 11-08-24
Well done
Fair and balanced description of the Reagan administration. Boot credited Carter for inflation defeating and his deregulation success. Reagan on working with Gorbachev and Cold War issues. A pretty good administration but a lot corruption and unforced errors.
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- Michael E. Moran
- 01-04-25
Tremendous balance
It’s easy writing a book that tears doen a figure like Reagan, and it’s just as easy to write one making him out to be a God. He deserves neither and this book, as someone who lived my life involved im many of the events of Reagan’s day, gets it just right.
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1 person found this helpful