The Reagan Diaries - Hardcover

Reagan, Ronald

4.13

3,357 ratings by Goodreads

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0061349984 ISBN 13: 9780061349980

Publisher: HarperCollins, 2007

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During his two terms as the fortieth president of the United States, Ronald Reagan kept a daily diary in which he recorded, by hand, his innermost thoughts and observations on the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine day-to-day occurrences of his presidency. Now, nearly two decades after he left office, this remarkable record—the only daily presidential diary in American history—is available for the first time.

Brought together in one volume and edited by historian Douglas Brinkley, The Reagan Diaries provides a striking insight into one of this nation's most important presidencies and sheds new light on the character of a true American leader. Whether he was in his White House residence study or aboard Air Force One, each night Reagan wrote about the events of his day, which often included his relationships with other world leaders Mikhail Gorbachev, Pope John Paul II, Mohammar al-Qaddafi, and Margaret Thatcher, among others, and the unforgettable moments that defined the era—from his first inauguration to the end of the Cold War, the Iran hostage crisis to John Hinckley Jr.'s assassination attempt.

The Reagan Diaries reveals more than just Reagan's political experiences: many entries are concerned with the president's private thoughts and feelings—his love and devotion for Nancy Reagan and their family, his belief in God and the power of prayer. Seldom before has the American public been given access to the unfiltered experiences and opinions of a president in his own words, from Reagan's description of near-drowning at the home of Hollywood friend Claudette Colbert to his determination to fight Fidel Castro at every turn and keep the Caribbean Sea from becoming a "Red Lake."

To read these diaries—filled with Reagan's trademark wit, sharp intelligence, and humor—is to gain a unique understanding of one of the most beloved occupants of the Oval Office in our nation's history.

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Review:

'Amusing and enlightening...I quite simply couldn't put them down.' Sunday Times

'What emerges from these pages is the remarkable character of Ronald Reagan himself. He was what he seemed to be, so fundamentally decent and sunny that it is hard to figure how the American political system could have produced such a genial leader.' Sunday Telegraph

'Reagan's handwritten summary of almost every day of his 1981-89 presidency shows more clearly than ever before the way his mind worked...On the whole, it worked pretty well – especially in his cold-war policy.' The Economist

From the Publisher:

Ronald Reagan is probably the only American president in
history who kept a detailed, handwritten diary every day - day in and day
out - for eight years. As more and more time goes by, his presidency seems
to loom larger and larger and is increasingly recognized as one of the most
important we've ever had. Reagan himself has also proved to be such an
enigma that no biographer has ever come close to capturing him, including
his authorized biographer Edmund Morris, whose fictionalized approach was
such a disaster that it's unlikely anyone else will even try anytime soon.
This is part of what makes the appearance of Reagan's private diaries such
a major, highly-anticipated publication - it's the genuine article, with
all of his thoughts and feelings about what was going on behind the scenes,
and all of it written unsparingly, in his own words. It'll most likely be
seen as a book that sheds new light on Reagan's character and intelligence
as well as the extent of his involvement in some of the most complicated
and critical moments during his time in the White House. From his first
inauguration to weekends at Camp David to the end of the Cold War, these
Presidential diaries are the most detailed in American history, filled with
Reagan's trademark wit, sharp intelligence, and humor. They offer the deep
warmth of his voice, while shedding a new light on the character of a true
American leader. To read these diaries is to gain a unique understanding of
the Oval Office and one of the greatest presidents in our nation's
history.

There are literally thousands of pages of diary entries on record, and the
Reagan Foundation has asked Douglas Brinkley to be the official editor of
the project. He sifted through and selected only the very best entries for
the book to make it as lively and compelling as possible. No part of the
diaries have ever been published before, and only a handful of scholars
with special access at the Reagan Library have actually seen them.

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