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A review by kurtpankau
Ronald Reagan by Jacob Weisberg
4.0
This is a fascinating look at a man who has been mythologized by both his ardent fans and his detractors. Weisberg explores Reagan's transformation from a New Deal Democrat to the man who would remake a battered Republican Party in his own image. He frequently refers to Reagan's own writings and interviews and paints a very nuanced portrait. Reagan was shrewd but never cynical. He pursued positions of political power but was also genuinely modest. He was funny and charismatic but incredibly emotionally distant. But above all else he was deeply, madly in love with his country. He was frustratingly myopic and eager to dismiss inconvenient facts, but he was also prescient about the pending downfall of the Soviet Union and locked horns with his own cabinet in order to end the Cold War. His story is amazing and eye-opening.
Fans of Reagan will probably (and have already, based on a cursory glance at other reviews) dismiss this book because of Weisberg's politics, but the author goes to great lengths to defend his conclusions with outside sources, many of those written by Reagan himself. Indeed, a third of the book is notes, index, and bibliography. And to my reading, Weisberg's treatment of Reagan felt mostly even-handed, although a few discursive asides make it clear that he's not a fan of the man's politics.
The book did not feel particularly well organized. Chapter titles are taken from pithy Reagan quotes, which don't give any indication whatsoever of their content. A few chapters felt like they almost had cliffhanger endings, which I didn't care for in a non-fiction book. At barely-over 200 pages, it was a brisk and thoroughly engaging read, but it often felt abrupt. More than once I wanted a little more context to what I was reading and had to go back and re-parse the page I'd just gone over to be sure I hadn't missed something. So I didn't love it, but I still recommend it.
Fans of Reagan will probably (and have already, based on a cursory glance at other reviews) dismiss this book because of Weisberg's politics, but the author goes to great lengths to defend his conclusions with outside sources, many of those written by Reagan himself. Indeed, a third of the book is notes, index, and bibliography. And to my reading, Weisberg's treatment of Reagan felt mostly even-handed, although a few discursive asides make it clear that he's not a fan of the man's politics.
The book did not feel particularly well organized. Chapter titles are taken from pithy Reagan quotes, which don't give any indication whatsoever of their content. A few chapters felt like they almost had cliffhanger endings, which I didn't care for in a non-fiction book. At barely-over 200 pages, it was a brisk and thoroughly engaging read, but it often felt abrupt. More than once I wanted a little more context to what I was reading and had to go back and re-parse the page I'd just gone over to be sure I hadn't missed something. So I didn't love it, but I still recommend it.