Reagan: An American Journey

by Bob Spitz Narrated by Paul Michael

Overview

From New York Times bestselling 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. It was famously said that FDR had a first-rate disposition and a second-rate intellect. Perhaps it is no accident that only FDR had as high a public approval rating leaving office as Reagan did, or that in the years since Reagan has been closing in on FDR on rankings of Presidential greatness. Written 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.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

★ 08/27/2018
This captivating and evenhanded biography of America’s first celebrity president, Ronald Reagan, reads like a novel but doesn’t skimp on the scholarship. Spitz (Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child) starts with a prologue about Reagan’s great-grandparents’ emigration to America in 1857 and then breaks Reagan’s life into four sections: “Dutch” (Midwest youth), “Ronnie” (the Hollywood years), “Governor” (of California), and “Mr. President.” Despite pacing that keeps things moving at a steady clip, evocative detail abounds throughout; Spitz recreates such episodes as Reagan’s 1976 presidential primary challenge and the 1981 assassination attempt in gripping and sometimes even amusing fashion. (As nurses cut off the “natty” clothes he was wearing when shot, Spitz writes, “ ‘You’re ruining my suit!’ the president protested.”) Impressive research, including numerous interviews with a wide array of Reagan cohorts, from 1930s movie star Olivia de Havilland to national security adviser Robert “Bud” McFarlane, undergirds the exceptional writing. Spitz synthesizes other scholars’ analyses, the firsthand memoirs of key players, original press coverage, and archival holdings. Readers need not be Reagan fans or Republicans to enjoy this outstanding biography. Agent: Sloan Harris, International Creative Management. (Oct.)

From the Publisher

Named one of the Top 10 Books of 2018 by Publishers Weekly 
Finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Biography


“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

“Reagan: An American Journey is a handsome, handy introduction to the 20th century’s last hero.” —Wall Street Journal

“Bob Spitz, whose previous biographical subjects include Bob Dylan, Julia Child and The Beatles, has written a solid, sweeping narration of Reagan’s life, sympathetic but not sycophantic.” —USA Today

“No biographer has dug as deeply or with such verve into the making of Reagan the star . . . Energetic and engaging." —Washington Post

“This is a book admirers and critics of Reagan will enjoy. The roots of the conservative movement that gave life to both the party and Trumpism can be found here, and on an even broader level Reagan's life story is a story of America, and all its promise.” —Dallas Morning News

“A balanced, comprehensive view of Reagan and his legacy . . . Spitz manages to evoke Reagan’s heyday in the 1980s with compelling clarity—and to suggest how The Gipper’s legacy continues to shape 21st-century politics. . . . one marvels at the telling details that Spitz manages to get in.”  —Christian Science Monitor
 
“If you find yourself longing for the golden age of the Republican Party, brush up on the humble story and folksy charm of our previous celebrity president, whose legacy — for better and worse — still animates politics today.” —Vulture

“Bob Spitz's nearly 800-page book paints a spectacular, sometimes-thorny portrait of President Ronald Reagan, the man who is credited with ending the Cold War (and appointing the first woman to the Supreme Court, Sandra Day O'Connor) while, as Spitz writes, struggling to show empathy for victims of AIDS and Americans with great financial burdens.” —oprahmag.com
 
“Readers of all political stripes will find much to enjoy in this evenhanded intelligently written biography of our 40th President.” —People

“This captivating and evenhanded biography of America’s first celebrity president, Ronald Reagan, reads like a novel but doesn’t skimp on the scholarship. . . . Impressive research, including numerous interviews with a wide array of Reagan cohorts, from 1930s movie star Olivia de Havilland to national security adviser Robert 'Bud' McFarlane, undergirds the exceptional writing. Spitz synthesizes other scholars’ analyses, the firsthand memoirs of key players, original press coverage, and archival holdings. Readers need not be Reagan fans or Republicans to enjoy this outstanding biography.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“The strictly chronological approach is easy to track, and because the author is such a skilled stylist, the narrative flows smoothly. The major strength of this version is Spitz's consistently diligent effort to provide context beyond just his main subject . . . Spitz also skillfully portrays numerous supporting characters, especially Reagan wives Jane Wyman and Nancy Davis. A solid entry in the realm of presidential biography.” —Kirkus

“This is the book so many of us have been waiting for: an epic life of one of the most significant presidents in the history of the Republic. In Bob Spitz’s graceful and absorbing narrative, Ronald Reagan emerges in all his complexity and charm, a warm yet enigmatic man who did so much to shape the way we live now.” —Jon Meacham, #1 New York Times bestselling Presidential historian, Pulitzer Prize winner, and author of The Soul of America
 
“Bob Spitz's Reagan is a masterfully written and well-researched biography of America's 40th President.  All the crescendos and diminuendos of Reagan's vibrant Hollywood and political careers are judiciously investigated.  Truly engrossing and monumental!” —Douglas Brinkley, Professor of History at Rice University and editor of The Reagan Diaries

Kirkus Reviews

2018-06-27
Veteran biographer Spitz (Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, 2014, etc.) offers a broad and occasionally deep cradle-to-grave examination of Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).The author's take on the controversial former president is mostly balanced, as he mixes the policy failures and successes with the personal shortcomings and strengths; this is neither pathography nor hagiography. However, some readers may question the book's role within the biographic enterprise. Just three years ago, acclaimed historian H.W. Brands released a mostly lauded Reagan biography that was just as massive as this one. In 1991, master journalist Lou Cannon, an acknowledged Reagan expert, published the memorably titled President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime. Between those two books, there were several other first-rate accounts of Reagan's life published. Nonetheless, readers seeking the freshest Reagan biography, with access to the most recently available research material, should welcome Spitz's entry. The strictly chronological approach is easy to track, and because the author is such a skilled stylist, the narrative flows smoothly. The major strength of this version is Spitz's consistently diligent effort to provide context beyond just his main subject (most readers already know the highlights). That broader context is especially useful in understanding the young Reagan's family, especially his rolling-stone father; in realizing that Reagan rose above his modest family circumstances and indifferent academic performance by being the right guy at the right place at the right time, particularly with regard to the start of a movie career; and in grasping how he quickly morphed from a supporter of Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal to a conservative, anti-communist zealot. Reagan resisted a career in electoral politics for a brief time, but he determined that career would play to his strengths as a handsome true believer in American exceptionalism. Spitz also skillfully portrays numerous supporting characters, especially Reagan wives Jane Wyman and Nancy Davis.A solid entry in the realm of presidential biography.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169499131
Publisher:	Penguin Random House
Publication date:	10/02/2018
Edition description:	Unabridged

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