Reagan's America: Innocents at Home

I have read many books by Gary Wills, and this is one of his best. It is an astonishing work of history and cultural analysis, impressive in the breadth of his learning and the depth of his insight. Mr. Wills writes knowledgeably and skillfully about a wealth of topics: the America of Mark Twain ... religious fundamentalism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries ... the Great Depression ... history of Hollywood, including labor politics ... California politics ... the John Birch Society ... Cold War strategy, nuclear deterrance, and the "Star Wars" defense system ... relations with Latin America, the World Court, and the United Nations ... "supply-side economics," the Laffer Curve, and Reagonomics ... and much, much more, all to create the context in which to understand Reagan's success and his appeal to his constituencies. Uncritical Reagan enthusiasts will not be happy with the way Wills dissects the contradictions inherent in Reagan the politician, but Wills's analysis is cogent and persuasive. Wills discusses at length the gap between word and deed in Reagan's career. Of Reagan as Governor of California, Wills writes: "Thus, the candidate who had run against big spenders quickly became the governor who asked for and got the highest tax raise in the history of California (or any other state)...." And of Reagan's first term as President, Wills writes: "In 1982, unemployment rose to 10.7 percent, higher than it had been since the Great Depression, along with the greatest number of bank failures since 1940. Record bankruptcies and farm closures were occurring.... He added as much to the national debt in those four years as had been accumulated in our national history to that point, so that one of every seven dollars spent by the government in 1985 went to paying interest on the debt." And Wills spends considerable time critiquing the myths of individualism and self-reliance that underlay the Reagan mystique. Wills is critical of Reagan, but his assessment is never disrespectful or mean-spirited. Wills works hard to understand Reagan in terms of Reagan's own values and in terms of the values of the Americans that supported him. This is a remarkable study of a man and his times, and is well worth reading. I was astonished to learn that while in high school, Reagan saved the lives of over seventy-five people while working as a lifeguard.

Gary Wills book on Reagan is an even handed portrayal of a great American figure. President Reagan's conservative vision and his strident anti-communist views changed the way America works and changed the way the world looks at us. As a liberal, I often disagreed with his views, his policies and his actions. However, one cannot be an objective viewer of history with giving him his due. He did indeed bring a level of pride and hopefulness about America that had been missing since the early days of the Kennedy presidency. For that, I will be forever grateful to him. Gary Wills book provides a window in to how Ronald Reagan changed from Roosevelt democrat to conservative republican. An excellent book that should belong to anyone's collection of political histories and biographies.

Wills captures both the man and the eras he inhabited in prose that sometimes approaches poetry. There are fascinating historical tidbits, insights a-plenty, funny jokes ("war movies are hell"), and some breathtaking chapter finales. This guy can write.And he can indict. Wills stalks Reagan (and his real subject, Reagan's America) through each stage of his life, exposing the guilt under the glitter. Wills is a consumate hanging judge here, as in his other treatises on presidents Kennedy and Nixon.Don't be fooled, however -- it's not Reagan he's hanging.

I read the first edition printed in the 1980s. This book is not an evaluation of the Reagan Presidency, but a social historical evaluation of the culture he grew out of and eventually represented. The book would not please some who have attributed icon status to Reagan. But it provides a lot of insight into the man. Wills is a good writer and avoids the traps academics often fall into of writing a scholarly book but not well written. It is the best book on Reagan so far written.

I read the first edition printed in the 1980s. This book is not an evaluation of the Reagan Presidency, but and social historical evaluation of the culture he grew out of and eventually represented. The book would not please some who have attributed icon status to Reagan. But it provides a lot of insight into the man. Wills is a good writer and avoids the traps academics often fall into of writing a scholarly book but not well written. It is the best book on Reagan so far written.