Reagan: The Life by H.W. Brands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In my opinion, this is the best biography of Ronald Reagan that is currently available; most of the other books about Reagan either focus solely on his presidency or are defined by the author’s own politics. Reagan remains a polarizing figure, not unlike Franklin Roosevelt, who is also the subject of a biography written by H. W. Brands. The author begins with Reagan’s childhood and proceeds through his college years, his years as a radio broadcaster and his move to Hollywood. From there we see how Regan’s politics changed after World War II, and how he eventually moved into politics, becoming governor of California and eventually president. So the book is a complete treatment of Reagan’s life, and shows how his experiences became the basis of his political philosophy.
The author provides a relatively complete treatment of Reagan’s presidency. I would say that the author is not particularly partisan one way or the other, but tends to be sympathetic to Reagan as an individual. I think two of the best sections of the book deal with the Iceland summit with Gorbachev and the Iran-Contra scandal. Both are treated in a complete and balanced manner. Other incidents during Reagan’s presidency are not treated in quite the same details – we are kind of left hanging with the problems in Central America, and the invasion of Grenada is poorly and inaccurately handled.
Overall I recommend this book. It is an even-handed treatment of Reagan’s life and presidency.