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Reagan: His Life and Legend

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INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER New York Times • Notable Books of 2024 Washington Post • 50 Best Nonfiction Books of 2024 Best Books of 2024: The Economist, Chicago Public Library, The Auburn Citizen "Reagan: His Life and Legend aims to be the definitive biography, and it succeeds." ―New Yorker "Gripping... Stands out for its deep research [and] lucid prose." ―New York Times "Magisterial.... Important.... Vivid... Splendid." ―Washington Post Named one of the "Nonfiction Books to Read This Fall" by NPR and the New York Times Son of the Midwest, movie star, and mesmerizing politician―America’s fortieth president comes to three-dimensional life in this gripping and profoundly revisionist biography. In this “monumental and impressive” biography, Max Boot, the distinguished political columnist, illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan, revealing the man behind the mythology. Drawing on interviews with over one hundred of the fortieth president’s aides, friends, and family members, as well as thousands of newly available documents, Boot provides “the best biography of Ronald Reagan to date” (Robert Mann). The story begins not in star-studded Hollywood but in the cradle of the Midwest, small-town Illinois, where Reagan was born in 1911 to Nelle Clyde Wilson, a devoted Disciples of Christ believer, and Jack Reagan, a struggling, alcoholic salesman. Boot vividly creates a portrait of a handsome young man, indeed a much-vaunted lifeguard, whose early successes mirrored those of Horatio Alger. And contextualizing Reagan’s life against American history, Boot re-creates the world in which Reagan transitioned from local Iowa sportscaster to budding screen actor. The world of Hollywood from the 1930s to the 1950s would prove significant, not only in Reagan’s coming-of-age in such classics as Knute Rockne and Kings Row but during the twilight of his film career, when he played opposite a chimpanzee in Bedtime for Bonzo, and then his eventual emergence as a television host of General Electric Theater, which established his bona fides as one of the leading conservative voices of the time. Indeed, the leap to California governor in 1966 seemed almost preordained, in which Reagan became a bellwether for a nation in the throes of a generational shift. Reagan’s 1980 presidential election augured a shift that continues into this century. Boot writes not as a partisan but as a historian seeking to set the story straight. He explains how Reagan was an ideologue but also a supreme pragmatist who signed pro-abortion and gun control bills as governor, cut deals with Democrats in both Sacramento and Washington, and befriended Mikhail Gorbachev to end the Cold War. A master communicator, Reagan revived America’s spirits after the traumas of Vietnam and Watergate. But Boot also shows how Reagan was armored in obliviousness. He traces Reagan’s opposition to civil rights over forty years, reveals how he neglected the exploding AIDS epidemic, and details how America experienced a level of income inequality not seen since the Gilded Age. With its revelatory insights, Reagan: His Life and Legend is no apologia, depicting a man with a good- versus-evil worldview derived from his moralistic upbringing and Hollywood westerns. Providing fresh examinations of “trickle-down economics,” the Cold War’s end, the Iran-Contra affair, as well as a nuanced portrait of Reagan’s family, this definitive biography is as compelling a presidential biography as any in recent decades. 53 photographs Read more

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Liveright (September 10, 2024)


Language ‏ : ‎ English


Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 880 pages


ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0871409445


ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 47


Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.75 pounds


Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.8 x 9.6 inches


Best Sellers Rank: #5,568 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #9 in United States Executive Government #14 in US Presidents #18 in Political Leader Biographies


#9 in United States Executive Government:


#14 in US Presidents:


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Top Amazon Reviews

    • Definitive and illuminating
Until this book, scholars and journalists surmised and conjectured as to how this B movie actor rose to the presidency, and how during his term, maintained his image and reputation as a hardline conservative, while consistently reaching pragmatic compromises with Democrats, and monumentally, at his initiative and with his active leadership, negotiated nuclear arms reduction with the Russians. Ronald Reagan may not have been a leading man as an actor, but he was never a minor player as a union president, governor and president. Max Boot's access to sources in Reagan's family and administration runs deep. Almost all spoke on the record and were candid, both critically and uncritically of their boss and their colleagues. Boot also is straightforward in his assessment of Reagan as a politician and person. He starts the book with a chapter on Reagan's last days, when the former president succumbed to dementia. It is an almost cinematic touch and draws the reader into the story. The book then moves apace. Boot is a columnist and knows how to write with economy and impact. It's a lengthy history but it's now the standard. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 10, 2024 by Daniel Karson
    • A Solid, Balanced Biography
Max Boot achieves what he said he set out to do: write a Reagan biography that is "neither hagiography nor hit job." While giving Reagan deserved credit for restoring a sense of national confidence following a decade of political and economic turmoil and for stimulating dialogue with the Soviet Union which led to significant reductions in tension, he also notes his disengagement from most issues, which made his administration dependent upon the quality of individual subordinates, with avoidable scandals as a result. Analysis of the latter is one of the book's greatest strengths; Boot draws contrasts between competent and incompetent appointees in the same job, e.g., James Baker vs. Don Regan as Chief of Staff, or George Shultz vs. Alexander Haig as Secretary of State. Unlike some Reagan hagiographers, Boot gives full credit to Mikhail Gorbachev as the person who, more than any other, dismantled the Soviet Union. This book is also valuable, in our current hyperpartisan environment, in pointing out multiple examples of Reagan's pragmatism, both as Governor of California and President, reflected in his willingness to compromise on issues, especially taxation, and his disinclination to become highly engaged on "social issues" on which the nation was deeply divided. Boot also explores the main paradox of Reagan's personality: great courtesy in his treatment of individuals and sympathy for their problems combined with indifference to groups of people afflicted with the same concerns, as well as aloofness toward his children. This book gives the reader a full sense of who Reagan was and what he did, his triumphs and his shortcomings. You can't ask much more of a biography. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 18, 2024 by Spectre
    • Very informative
Very interesting book
Reviewed in the United States on November 3, 2024 by MaddieGDesigns
    • Masterful presidential biography
As a former California political reporter and gubernatorial speech writer, I was excited when this book came out and I have not been disappointed. It's without a doubt one of the best presidential biographies I have ever read. No matter how you feel about Ronald Reagan, if you are interested in presidential history or recent American history in general I think you will devour this book. So much insight and deep reporting on Reagan and his record and character and all presented even-handedly. I am about 3/4 of the way through it and always disappointed when I have to put it aside and do other things during the day. I''ve read several other Regan bios, including those by Lou Canon, which I thought were th best until this came out. Can't recommend it highly enough. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 15, 2024 by Gary Delsohn
    • Extremely Disappointing
This book was bought innocently as a gift for a person who admired President Ronald Reagan and had worked in a couple capacities during his second inaugural. The recipient, though gracious for the gift, was extremely disappointed that the book seemed to be more a politically motivated hit piece to tarnish the reputation of the former President who was loved by an overwhelming majority of Americans. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2024 by Marlies Fetsch
    • Destined for a Pulitzer Prize for Biography
Max Boot delivers a masterful account of Ronald Reagan's life in what is the definitive biography of our 40th president. No other biography even comes close. The author spent a decade researching and interviewing those close to Reagan, and it shines through page by page. The substance and depth of insight into Reagan, his world, who he was and what motivated him throughout his life is balanced only by how enjoyable the book is to read. The prose is delightful and the storytelling engrossing. What I find particularly valuable about this book is that the author tells the story of Reagan alongside the story of our country, and how both evolved over the course of the 20th century. As such, Reagan's views and actions are placed in context to his environment and what was important to him in each "Act" of his life. Truly insightful. ... show more
Reviewed in the United States on October 6, 2024 by Meredith Sumpter

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