The Reagan I Knew

By: William F. Buckley Jr.

Narrated by: Malcolm Hillgartner

In The Reagan I Knew, the late William F. Buckley Jr. offers a reminiscence of 30 years of friendship with the man who brought the American conservative movement out of the political wilderness and into the White House. Reagan and Buckley were political allies and close friends throughout Reagan's political career. They went on vacations together and shared inside jokes.

For all the words that have been written about him, Ronald Reagan remains an enigma. His former speechwriter Peggy Noonan called him "paradox all the way down," and even his son despaired of ever truly knowing him. But Reagan was not an enigma to William F. Buckley Jr. They understood and taught each other for decades, and together they changed history.

©2008 The Estate of William F. Buckley Jr. (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Great!

Excellent book, well written and very entertaining. You move through it very fast. I don't want it to end.

Laugh Out Loud in Places!

An enjoyable book, especially the letters between the Reagans and WF Buckley. Reminded me how witty Reagan was, and gave me a new appreciation for Buckley. Definitely a few moments of laughter from their repartee.

The 1980s were the best for a reason.

listening to the narration allowed me to recall and see RR and WFB. God became lifelike through this listening experience, and I feel I am a better person for having heard it.

Wow What A Book!

I can't say enough about this book. It's full of historical moments, wonderful letters between WFB and the Reagans and insights into the two men that are entertaining and fascinating. This book is a MUST have if you were a fan of Reagan or Buckley or both. You will learn things you didn't know and find yourself with even more appreciation for these two titans.

Buckley's Prose Should Be Imitated!

Buckley's prose continues to impress me, even after his death. I recommend this book for two reasons which could easily be added too: 1. Listening to Buckley's narrative and personal writings is so unique and truly pushes one to improve one's writing skill; 2. We learn and even participate in the unique and intimate relationship between WIlliam F. Buckley and the Reagan Family.

Mr. Hillgartner did an excellent job with his narration and with his subtle accent for Buckley...the listener gained a personal touch with the author.

outstanding book

any fan of R.R. should review this book and get an outstanding insight into Ron and his humanity

Devoted friends

Good memoir of what obviously was a wonderful friendship. I enjoyed listening to it and listening to Mr Buckley’s insights.

More Buckley than Reagan

I listened to this one because I really enjoy learning about our Presidents and because although I disagreed with him politically, I always admired Buckley’s intellect. I ended up disappointed on both counts, but did learn a few things about Reagan, but less than I expected. The book for the most part consists of letters between Buckley and Reagan and transcripts of Reagan’s appearances on Buckley’s show before Reagan became President. Knowing that Buckley had a personal relationship with Reagan, I was expecting more. I was expecting insights into what Reagan was like as a person or stories about their personal interactions. The book provided none of that. Reagan’s letters did show a thoughtful consideration of the policies the two discussed. Reagan came off as informed and intelligent in those discussions. Unfortunately, however, Buckley wrote Reagan more than Reagan wrote Buckley. So, we actually learn more about Buckley than Reagan. This is unfortunate because I left with a worse image of Buckley than I started with. One particular letter during Reagan’s Presidency shows a very homophobic Buckley joking about the AIDS crisis. To publish that letter more than 20 years later without regret or explanation really left a lasting impression of Buckley in a negative way for me. Buckley was obviously an admirer of Reagan. The limited amount we learn about Reagan in the book was positive, I just wish there had been more of that.

The narrator was a good one for the audio version. I think there are better books out there to gain insight on Reagan, however.

Good book about a great man

President Reagan was definitely an interesting man. This book reinforces how important he was to this nation.

It was ok

mostly a book about letters written to and from or about Reagan than a biography.