President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination

by Richard Reeves

Book Overview

Richard Reeves's acclaimed account of a presidency solves the puzzle of Ronald Reagan -- a man of limited breadth and knowledge who was perhaps the most effective superpower president. Using the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743230221
• ISBN13: 9780743230223
• Release Date: December 2005
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster
• Length: 571 Pages
• Weight: 1.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.7" x 6.8" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

The Vision Thing

The purpose of any book review is to give the reader enough information to decide if they want to invest the time and money in reading the book in its entirety. Richard Reeves, a distinguished former reporter for "The New York Times," has tackled a difficult subject in writing a biography of a politician who still engenders strong emotions in people of a positive and negative nature. You need not share Ronald Reagan's politics (Reeves does not), to find this an interesting and enjoyable read. From the subtitle, Reeves makes his interpretation clear. Reagan was not "a tired old man we elected king," but rather a bold, dynamic politician who left behind a strong and powerful legacy. This book is revisionist in that it challenges the idea that Reagan was often "absent without leave" while in office. Reeves has done a good job of developing Reagan's voice, using notes, letters, and other records that the President left behind. Much of what he uses is new. Reagan was, according to Reeves, a big idea man. He thought up new ideas and left the details to others. In comparison, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill thought up big, creative ideas and had a good sense of strategy, but also liked to interject himself into the implementation of these ideas. Jimmy Carter, who was at the White House just before Reagan, had little vision and tended to interject himself into the implementation of policy even when he had a limited understanding of the topic. Reagan was often faulted in office for being detached from his job--like when no one on his staff woke him up to inform him of a dog fight between U.S. and Libyan fighter planes--but given the number of issues that one address in the Oval Office, his interest in the big picture looks pretty sound to Reeves. This book has its limits, though. This is not a full-fledged biography. Reeves looks just at the presidential years. Readers wanting to know about Reagan's background will be disappointed. Reflecting his training as a political reporter, Reeves shows a preference for the political process rather than policy. He skips some of the weightier issue that Presidents address like international finance, commerce, and trade policy. These topics get at best only superficial coverage. Reeves does focuses on tax and budget issues, which were of great interest to Reagan. Like many Presidents, Reagan often had enormous influence on areas that were of little personal interest to him and by ignoring these topics, Reeves does not do full justice to his subject. Still, as a first draft of history, this ain't too bad.

A Solidly Researched Reagan Biography that Shows Reagan to be a Great President

This book shows that Ronald Reagan was a great president through a carefully researched reconstruction of what happened and what was said. Richard Reeves meticulously worked to find out what Reagan knew and thought, when Reagan knew and thought it, and then how Reagan and his administration acted. The book benefits from the treasure of Reagan archives that were made available shortly before Reeves researched this book. "President Reagan: The Triumph of Imagination" portrays Reagan honestly and not like the Godzilla-monster war monger that neo-cons want you to believe about Reagan. That's not Reagan. He was strong and firm in his convictions, but also warm and willing to negotiate with people who were capable of honestly dealing with him. He sought "peace through strength." One of his greatest assets was knowing the difference between when he could deal with others and when he had to be firm. He saw that he could change the dynamic of the Cold War, bring change to Eastern Europe, and work with the reformer Gorbachev, but Reagan also knew to be careful with the quicksand called the Middle East. After the bombing of marines in Lebanon, Reagan got out. One startling fact about Reagan is that he believed nuclear weapons to be immoral and sincerely feared the Armegeddon. Briefly Reagan thought he could reach his dream of abolishing all nukes. The actual transcripts of the summit in Iceland with Gorbachev show that Reagan and Gorbachev tentatively agreed to abolish all nuclear weapons. Reeves does a wonderful job of telling the story, sentence by sentence, when Reagan told his advisors the news. You must read this book. Originally Reeves did not like Reagan, but after carefully learning about the real Ronald Reagan, Reeves clearly was deeply impressed and had a change of opinion. Richard Reeves describes Ronald Reagan as a man who knew "how to be President, who knows that the job is not to manage the government but to lead a nation. In many ways, a quarter century later, he is still leading. As his vice president, George H.W. Bush, said after Reagan was shot and hospitalized in 1981: 'We will act as if he were here.' He is a heroic figure if not always a hero. He did not destroy communism, as his champions claim, but he knew it would self-destruct and hastened the collapse. No small thing. He believed the Soviet Union was evil and he had contempt for the established American policies of containment and détente. Asked about his own Cold War strategy, he answered: 'We win. They lose!' According to an article in the Wall Street Journal in June of 2007, Rudy Giuliani named this book as one of five leadership books he found inspiring. Giuliani said, "My wife, Judith, recently bought me Richard Reeves's book (subtitled "The Triumph of Imagination"), which excels in depicting Ronald Reagan's management style and unrelenting pursuit of his core principles: the restoration of the American spirit, limited government, a strong defense and the defeat of comm

The Ultimate Reagan Biography

Richard Reeves is a self proclaimed liberal. A funny thing happened to this author while writing this book, he learned to like and respect Ronald Reagan. In the end he wrote a fair and intriguing portrayl of the 40th U.S. President. The first biography written using recently released records from the Reagan White House, Reeves compiles a revealing portrait. Reeves debunks the popularly accepted myth that Reagan was driven by his wife and his staff. The book shows a President who knew what he wanted to acomplish and how to get there. He dreamed big dreams and pressed those that worked for him to get them done. The most exceptional revelation is that he often overuled the First Lady in her concerns and objections. He stubbornly dismissed her repested calls for him to fire Chief of Staff Don Regan during the Iran-Contra scandal. Reeves also debunks some of the pro-Reagan myths including his promise to reduce the size of the federal government and the deficit while both grew by leaps and bounds during his two terms. He also shows that both Reagans were disciples of astrology long before the assasination attempt on his life. I have read many Reagan biographies including the mis-guided DUTCH and the previuosly definitive book by Lou Cannon. Reeves' work on Reagan is now the ultimate biography of this President exploring every facet of his Presidency and presenting a balanced and thorough review of his eight years in office.

One of the very best biographies in recent years.

This book appears to be a well researched biography of Regan's eight years as president. It is very well read by the reader. His impersonation of Regan's speech, voice, inflection is particularly well done. The author offers deep insight into the character of all players. Rich in historical facts.

Compelling display of Reagan's greatness and vision

Reeves is a master of letting the camera lens tell a story. This is a book for those who appreciate nuance and perspective. There are endless examples of President Reagan's strategic brilliance, his consistent principles and the masterful way he changed the world. Along the way, we learn, in very illuminating examples, how dead wrong, elitist and narrow-minded Reagan's critics were. Many of Reagan's critics are the same people who now condemn President Bush. Reeves reports what happened in a very interesting way and lets the reader reach his/her own conclusion. Highly recommended for anyone wanting an inside look into one of our greatest Presidents.