Reagan

An American Journey

By: Bob Spitz

Narrated by: Paul Michael

From New York Times best-selling biographer Bob Spitz, a full and rich biography of an epic American life, capturing what made Ronald Reagan both so beloved and so transformational.

More than five years in the making, based on hundreds of interviews and access to previously unavailable documents, and infused with irresistible storytelling charm, Bob Spitz's Reagan stands fair to be the first truly post-partisan biography of our 40th president, and thus a balm for our own bitterly divided times.

It is the quintessential American triumph, brought to life with cinematic vividness: A young man is born into poverty and raised in a series of flyspeck towns in the Midwest by a pious mother and a reckless, alcoholic, largely absent father. Severely near-sighted, the boy lives in his own world, a world of the popular books of the day, and finds his first brush with popularity, even fame, as a young lifeguard. Thanks to his first great love, he imagines a way out, and makes the extraordinary leap to go to college, a modest school by national standards, but an audacious presumption in the context of his family's station. From there, the path is only very dimly lit, but it leads him, thanks to his great charm and greater luck, to a solid career as a radio sportscaster, and then, astonishingly, fatefully, to Hollywood. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Bob Spitz's Reagan is an absorbing, richly detailed, even revelatory chronicle of the full arc of Ronald Reagan's epic life - giving full weight to the Hollywood years, his transition to politics, and rocky, but ultimately successful, run as California governor, and ultimately, of course, his iconic presidency, filled with storm and stress but climaxing with his peace talks with the Soviet Union that would serve as his greatest legacy. It is filled with fresh assessments and shrewd judgments and doesn't flinch from a full reckoning with the man's strengths and limitations. This is no hagiography: Reagan was never a brilliant student of anything, and his disinterest in hard-nosed political scheming, while admirable, meant that this side of things was left to the other people in his orbit, not least his wife, Nancy; sometimes this delegation could lead to chaos and worse. But what emerges as a powerful signal through all the noise is an honest inherent sweetness, a gentleness of nature and willingness to see the good in people and in this country, that proved to be a tonic for America in his time and still is in ours. Created with love and irony, which in a great biography is arguably the same thing, Bob Spitz's masterpiece will give no comfort to partisans at either extreme; for the rest of us, it is cause for celebration.

©2018 Bob Spitz (P)2018 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A significant contribution to the Reagan literature.” (The National Review)

“This comprehensive examination of America’s 40th president represents presidential biography at its best. Noted biographer Bob Spitz (previous subjects have included The Beatles and Julia Child) researches like a historian, writes like a novelist, does the hard work of providing ample and intelligent context, and remains able to take an evenhanded approach to his subject.” (Christian Science Monitor, 10 Best Books of October)

“Publication of Bob Spitz’s massive biography of Ronald Reagan couldn’t have been more timely… a significant marker against which to measure our current politics and political leadership.” (LA Times)

Great book

Terrific audio book about a great man. One of the best books I’ve ever listened to. Highly recommend!!

Complete and endearing

More information than I ever remembered or knew. Delightful and very well written and read. I will listen to this again

The most detail

As a Reagan worshipper, this is the most detailed book on the man that I've read. Well done...especially his Hollywood years.

Morning in America

Ronald Reagan may be the most important president since FDR. As the author correctly summarizes at the end of the book, he effectively ended The Cold War, reduced the top marginal tax rate from 70% to a reasonable level, and reduced the nuclear weapon threat.
After the JFK assassination, the USA endured LBJ’s Vietnam War, Nixon’s Watergate, and Carter’s stagflation. Communism seemed to be winning everywhere. The White House seemed to have no answers except retreat.
Reagan changed all of that. The spread of communism was stopped and the changes toward freedom were beginning to take shape. The long term economic slide was reversed. Americans were proud of their country again.
If one of his opponents had been elected, the US might not have had the leader we needed to help Gorbachev implement reform effectively.
The author mentions all of this, yet focuses on the negative aspects of Reagan’s presidency. He ignores the impact Reagan had on the world. He credits Reagan’s moral stance to wistful Hollywood fantasy instead of crediting the love Reagan had for mankind.
Reagan’s communication skills were his superpower. His choice of capable advisors was his key to success. His optimism was the key to his effective leadership.
Yes, this book is worth reading. However, be mindful that the author accentuates the negative and misses the incredible impact of Reagan’s presidency on the USA and the world.

Like a novel

A terrific listen - the author keeps it interesting as well as fair, with an honest assessment of Reagan’s strengths and weaknesses. The narrator is a perfect choice, with the kind of straightforward, aw shucks delivery that fits the subject like a glove. Thoroughly enjoyable, even for someone like me who can remember almost every major event and issue discussed.

Great and Detailed

I always was interested in Reagan era America,so I decided to give it a listen and I don’t regret it,it’s such a great book and in the last chapter something happens that gave me chills just thinking like if I was there what would I even do at that moment.If you have any interest in listening to or reading this book I highly recommend it.

Wow. Fantastic book on Reagan!

I’ve read close to 25 to 30 different books on Ronald Reagan and this is the definitive number one book for anyone who wants to know about his whole life to the very end. I learned so many new things. from this book that I never knew early on about the life of Ronald Reagan. Highly recommend

Great Biography

The author did an outstanding job of describing President Reagan's great qualities and his flaws. After reading the book, I gained even more respect for Reagan as a man and president.

A Great Personal Biography but not an Amazing Political Or Economic Contribution

I really enjoyed all of this biography up until Reagan’s presidency; his childhood, early years sports commentating, the Hollywood years were fascinating, perhaps because it was mostly new to me. Although Im not on either side of the political divide as I am not an American, I just felt the presidential period was a bit one dimensional and overly focused on the Iranian/Nicaragua scandal. Given how seminal Reaganomics has become in modern conservative economic canon, this biography really just skimmed over it.

Unlike some other posts here, I did think that the author’s analysis of the post-presidency and legacy in American history struck the right tone. Overall, I think it’s an enjoyable listen but I will definitely supplement Reagan’s presidency with some further reading.

Amazing narration

loved it. This one goes to the top of my list. I am a different person having tead this book and I will strive to be a better American in President Ronald Reagans' honor.