Reagan

The Life

By: H. W. Brands

Narrated by: Stephen Hoye

From master storyteller and New York Times bestselling Historian H. W. Brands comes the definitive biography of a visionary and transformative president

In his magisterial new biography, H. W. Brands brilliantly establishes Ronald Reagan as one of the two great presidents of the twentieth century, a true peer to Franklin Roosevelt. Reagan conveys with sweep and vigor how the confident force of Reagan’s personality and the unwavering nature of his beliefs enabled him to engineer a conservative revolution in American politics and play a crucial role in ending communism in the Soviet Union. Reagan shut down the age of liberalism, Brands shows, and ushered in the age of Reagan, whose defining principles are still powerfully felt today.
Reagan follows young Ronald Reagan as his ambition for ever larger stages compelled him to leave behind small-town Illinois to become first a radio announcer and then that quintessential public figure of modern America, a movie star. When his acting career stalled, his reinvention as the voice of The General Electric Theater on television made him an unlikely spokesman for corporate America. Then began Reagan’s improbable political ascension, starting in the 1960s, when he was first elected governor of California, and culminating in his election in 1980 as president of the United States.
Employing archival sources not available to previous biographers and drawing on dozens of interviews with surviving members of Reagan’s administration, Brands has crafted a richly detailed and fascinating narrative of the presidential years. He offers new insights into Reagan’s remote management style and fractious West Wing staff, his deft handling of public sentiment to transform the tax code, and his deeply misunderstood relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, on which nothing less than the fate of the world turned.
Reagan is a storytelling triumph, an irresistible portrait of an underestimated politician whose pragmatic leadership and steadfast vision transformed the nation.

Look for H.W. Brands's other biographies: THE FIRST AMERICAN (Benjamin Franklin), ANDREW JACKSON, THE MAN WHO SAVED THE UNION (Ulysses S. Grant), and TRAITOR TO HIS CLASS (Franklin Roosevelt).

Reagan's work is consistently a captivating read

I just finished my fourth biography about Reagan, and it's also my fifth book by H.W. Brands! As with his previous works, it’s definitely a worthwhile read.

In my opinion, Reagan is one of the most significant figures of my lifetime, so I was hoping for a little more from this book. I really enjoy Brands' writing, but I felt like he focused a bit too much on some of the negative and bureaucratic aspects of Reagan’s life, rather than highlighting the incredible man he was.

That said, it's still a really good book, and anything related to Reagan is always worth diving into!

Superb... And I'm not even a fan of his politics!

Reagan fans will love this, but even those who are not from as far to the right as he was will appreciate this incredible story of an actor who turned into a union leader and changed from being a Democrat to Republican then eventually President. He had an incredible life and this book honours his memory.

Better to Read This One...

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

I recommend this book. A wonderful, in depth look at the Reagan presidency. It is, however, long, long, long; over 31 hours. Had the narrator been better it would have been thoroughly enjoyable--but the narration made it difficult to listen. Perhaps reading this book would have been better for me.

Did Stephen Hoye do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

The narrator has a clear voice and reads well, but I struggled listening to him. He comes across as snarky; where he places emphasis on words bothered me.

Any additional comments?

Reagan's second term was dysfunctional (lots of internal power plays), I think partly because Nancy was controlling and made the staff on edge--She was getting her cue from an astrologer in California. People who believe the Reagan presidency was a Christian one are mistaken. Nancy wielded a lot of power. During his second term, people were beginning to notice faint signs of dementia. Nevertheless, Reagan knew how to communicate and inspire. He was a good morale builder and made people feel good about their country--something we could use more of today.

Great book, terrible performance

Super annoying voice of the performer, hard to get over it, does a great disservice to this super book.

Great book, well done.

This was very well done, there are some points that were not covered but overall it was extremely thorough.

A Great Listen!

A Great Listen, about a Great but Human Man! I’m great full to have served under President Reagan.

Where's the beef?

What did you like best about Reagan? What did you like least?

This bio is rich in information but scant in insight. The author had his work cut out for him – Reagan was famous for being inscrutable, even to those closest to him. Hence, this bio relies heavily on the public record as well as Reagan’s speeches and interviews for material Brands does a good job chronicling Reagan’s presidency – there is rich behind the scenes details of the Reykjavik summit in particular, but you get the sense that Reagan’s aides and confidants either weren’t interviewed for the book or weren't in the mood to talk. What you get is a detailed but superficial (though not uncritical) bio but perhaps that is the best that can be expected, especially since the right has made Reagan such a venerated, unassailable figurehead. Readers hoping for a view into what made Reagan tick, or his personal life, will likely come away disappointed.

FABULOUS!!!!

A life well lived! There are no coincidences. God brought America Reagan right when we needed him. Thank you, President Reagan! ♡

An extremely good account of an interesting life

A highly recommendable account of a most interesting life. Reagan is obe of those charming and charmed characters that inspire confidence and admiration; you want him to succeed. His optimistic outlook, his love of country and of countrymen, his ability to communicate simple principles and to navigate complex practicalities should inspire present-day politicians and, especially, their closest teams of collaborators. A wonderful book, in my opinion.

H.W. Brands does it again.

Lived througj it, but much was forgotten, and much wasn't known at the time. He was a good person for the most part. You may disagree with him sometimes, but this book is a startling reminder of what the Republican party was, and how far it has fallen 1980 to 2019 from it's ideals and convictions