How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life

De: Peter Robinson

Narrado por: Peter Robinson

On February 6, 2001, my nine-year-old daughter happened to wander into the room during a television segment marking Ronald Reagan's ninetieth birthday. She watched for a moment. Then she turned to me and asked, ""Dad, is that the President you worked for?""

What answer could I give her? How could I make her see? I wanted my daughter to recognize that the world she inhabited was freer and more prosperous because of that old, old man on television. But I also wanted her to grasp my personal debt to him, to understand all that he taught me-how to work and how to relax, how to think and how to use words, how to be a good husband, how to approach life itself...

I needed to tell my children how Ronald Reagan changed my life.

In 1982, as a young man, Peter Robinson was hired as a speechwriter in the Reagan White House. During the six years that followed, he was one of a core group of writers who became informal experts on Reagan, absorbing not just his political positions but his personality, manner, and way of carrying himself And the example Reagan set-as a confident, passionate, principled, generous-spirited older man-molded Robinson's outlook just as he was coming into his own. ""Hard work. A good marriage. A certain lightness of touch,"" he writes. ""The longer I studied Ronald Reagan, the more lessons I learned.""

At the core of How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life are ten of the life lessons Robinson learned from the fortieth President-principles that have guided his own life ever since. But it also offers a warm and unforgettable portrait of a great yet ordinary man who touched the individuals around him as surely as he did his millions of admirers around the world.

Drawing on journal entries from his days at the White House, as well as interviews with those who knew the President best, Robinson etches his portrait with fresh observations, telling detail, and that ""certain lightness of touch"" that recalls the master himself The result is nothing less than a love story-an account of the profound respect and affection that one young man came to feel for the President who changed his life forever.

©2003 Peter Robinson; (P)2003 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.

Great story!

The author gave great insight to working with President Reagan. He gives us behind the scenes with President Reagan, and this is a must listen for anyone interested in the 40th president.

A Pleasure

I had to smile a lot as I listened. The author can both write well and narrate well, and his focus is just right: He focuses on himself only enough to set up this outstanding new portrait of RR. There is a warm lightness to this book, and I learned from it as I enjoyed. A wonderful book! Top tier!

Great Listen!

A heartwarming and often times touching first hand account of the events during the Regan Presidency. I especially appreciated the little stories that never made it into the news. I found myself laughing at Regan's favorite jokes and crying during President Regan's final battle with Alzheimers. Easy to listen to if you use a Garmin GPS while driving (like me) and I appreciated the author reading his own book. He's a very good writer. No wonder why Regan had him on his staff.
Joe Cannon

Beautiful story & Great narration!

After hearing and reading a number of biographical, as well as autobiographical books about Ronald Reagan... in my opinion, this book was in the very top 5 of the list.
The heart and soul of this book, as well as the craftsmanship of the writing, created an inspiring and touching portrayal of the blossoming of a life well lived. This influence of Ronald Reagan’s life to inspire and transform other lives, including the life of the author, continues to have a ripple effect on individuals as well as upon the world, like tossing a pebble into a pond.
As disturbing as current affairs are throughout the world, it would be difficult to calculate where we would be if Ronald Reagan had not lived.

Instructive, Heartwarming, and Fun

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this audiobook, because the information covered is fascinating, funny and at all times valuable. Learning lessons about life from a first hand viewing of President Reagan's attitude and behavior is a unique and worthy study.

What about Peter Robinson’s performance did you like?

Peter Robinson is a professional interviewer, and reads his own material with a voice that never gets tiring, is always clear, and yet doesn't go over into stage performance. The inclusion of recordings of Reagan himself is a wonderful addition that the audiobook provides.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Very much so.