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Updated with a new preface by the author, this captivating biography of America's fortieth president recounts Ronald Reagan's life-from his poverty-stricken Illinois childhood to his acting career to his California governorship to his role as commander in chief-and examines the powerful myths surrounding him, many of which he created himself. Praised by some for his sunny optimism and old-fashioned rugged individualism, derided by others for being a politician out of touch with reality, Reagan was both a popular and polarizing figure in the 1980s United States, and continues to fascinate us as a symbol. In Reagan's America, Garry Wills reveals the realities behind Reagan's own descriptions of his idyllic boyhood, as well as the story behind his leadership of the Screen Actors Guild, the role religion played in his thinking, and the facts of his military service.
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Reviews
"Wills has established a well-deserved reputation as one of the most acute and literate observes of the American past and present, and this volume is a delightful read, often very funny, sharply thoughtful and analytical, always telling…The definitive analysis of a personality and career."
London Review of Books
"The best book yet by a profound student of the culture of the American presidency. Mr. Wills illuminates the symbiosis linking Middle American religion, the illusory reality of Hollywood, Ronald Reagan's career, and the meaning of his presidency. The book is consistently entertaining. The conclusions about American politics are disturbing."
Foreign Affairs
"A timely and brilliant analysis…Written with all the wit, originality and intelligence that Wills brought to Inventing America, Nixon Agonistes and The Kennedy Imprisonment…A provocative, readable, unique account with sources, inspirations, and implications far beyond mere politics."
Kirkus Reviews