Completed: 7/6/2022
Recommendation: Recommended
Recommended By: Nobody
Review:
This is a really long book and I did not do as much driving during COVID. As a result, this one took a long time. In a way, however, that was a good thing as it gave me a chance to digest all of it. The details about the Ford nomination were really interesting. The broad stripes on the Reagan position that "people just want to believe" is what led to Trump (people abandoned facts for belief). I knew Reagan lied a lot, but I had no idea how much. The whole fantasy life he claims to have led was just unbelievable, though well substantiated.
Perlstein requires that you take Reagan seriously. While he is careful to call Reagan on his crap, he does so respectfully. This is not a collection of zingers, just an honest reflection on the man and his success. His "Horatio Alger" road to the presidency is well documented. I can recommend this book to progressives who want to understand a "compassionate" conservative and reconcile that image to the reality of Reagan as both governor and president.
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