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American history, biographies, Bob Spitz, Craig Shirley, Edmund Morris, H.W. Brands, Haynes Johnson, Lou Cannon, Paul Kengor, Peggy Noonan, presidential biographies, Richard Reeves, Ronald Reagan, Sean Wilentz, Steven Hayward, US Presidents
During my transition between presidents it has become customary for me to pause a moment, take a deep breath and reflect on what I’ve learned on this fascinating adventure.
But with just 154 days until Presidents’ Day 2019 (my target for completing this first broad sweep through the best presidential biographies) there is precious little time to smell the roses…
The next two months will be jam-packed, with a dozen biographies of Ronald W. Reagan totaling about 6,500 pages. That sounds like a lot, but only time will tell how close I’m able to get to his inner core.
By most accounts Reagan was remarkably easy to befriend…but famously difficult to know. No less than Edmund Morris (a Pulitzer Prize-winning author tasked with writing his authorized biography) found him utterly enigmatic and bewildering.
Reagan did, however, leave behind lots of footprints including a presidential diary and no shortage of friends, family and colleagues who put pen to paper with their impressions of the man and his legacy. Still, the hurdles for a prospective biographer seem somewhat high.
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* I’m starting with H. W. Brands’s “Reagan: The Life.” Upon publication in 2015 it was the first full-scale biography of Reagan to appear in over a decade. This will be my fifth presidential biography by Brands, and I’m counting on him to set the bar high. (I’m already halfway through, so I know it’s good…the real question is whether it will be great.)
* Next I’m reading two volumes by Lou Cannon: “Governor Reagan: His Rise to Power” and “President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime.” Cannon was a reporter who closely covered Reagan’s political career from its earliest days in the mid-1960s through his presidency. These two books are often considered the ideal launching point for anyone trying to understand Reagan’s public life.
* In somewhat similar fashion, Steven Hayward has attempted to capture Reagan’s political life in two large volumes, but from a seemingly broader perspective. “The Age of Reagan: The Fall of the Old Liberal Order: 1964-1980” apparently emphasizes the era over the man, and explores the issues which made his election likely (if not quite inevitable). “The Age of Reagan: The Conservative Counterrevolution: 1980-1989” reviews and dissects his presidency in an attempt to understand his executive actions as well as the durability of his legacy.
* Craig Shirley is a well-known, prolific Reagan biographer. The four books of his I’m reading
“Reagan’s Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All”
“Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980”
“Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed
America” and
“Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan”
do not constitute a series, per se, nor do they provide complete birth-to-death coverage of Reagan. But in the aggregate they do seem to provide compelling reporting of many important periods in his life (including his post-presidency).
* Next I’ll read two “non-traditional” biographies of Reagan: Peggy Noonan’s “When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan” and Haynes Johnson’s “Sleepwalking Through History: America in the Reagan Years.” The former is a well-read book (by one of his well-known speechwriters) that I hope sheds some light on his inner-self, and the latter (by a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author) promises to challenge the notion that Reagan presided over an era of fiscal fidelity and fairness-for-all.
* I hope to wrap up Reagan with Bob Spitz’s soon-to-be published “Reagan: An American Journey.” This biography (which is due out October 2) seems to promise comprehensive coverage of Reagan’s life with a colorful narrative. If one thing about the 40th president surprises me, it’s how few full-scale biographies of Reagan have been written. So, at least for now, I consider this upcoming release a must read on Ronald Reagan.
* * *
There are countless other books covering one or more aspects of Reagan’s life which I’ve been urged to read including “The Age of Reagan” by Sean Wilentz, “President Reagan” by Richard Reeves and “The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism” by Paul Kengor. Each of these is likely to end up on my “follow-up” list.
And no journey covering Reagan would be complete without reading “Dutch” by Edmund Morris…and seeing what all the fuss is about.
Do feel free to let me know what else I’m missing!
My Journey Through the Best Presidential Biographies 
Steve – A great historical viewpoint as always. I, too, am eagerly awaiting the biography by Bob Spitz. It has great promise.
The inclusion of Ms. Noonan’s and Mr. Johnson’s works is surprising. Nevertheless, they should provide the ‘critical comparison’ of Reagan another commenter requested of JFK.
If there were a couple more “real” biographies I’d happily include them instead. And I may have missed one or more. But failing to find them, I thought I’d include something by an insider and something by a critical commentator. Saved them for -almost- last in case they really disappoint.
Sorry to have bothered,
On the contrary – you hit on an issue I wrestled with. I’m really surprised there aren’t more cradle-to-grave perspectives on his life. He seems like such an obvious choice…
That’s an eclectic list of books! Cannon’s biographies are excellent and I suspect you’ll find them the most illuminating, at least in so far as Reagan’s governing style and the substance of his career. Very few of the other books really come to grips with Reagan in any substantial fashion.
I suspect you’ll have another crop of “not rateds” when you’re through here, since a lot of those books are only “biographies” in the loosest sense. Steven Hayward’s books are awful right-wing political screeds without even a pretense of balance (and they don’t really count as biography, anyway; they’re more like a bizarro Nixonland). In the interest of balance, I didn’t care for Sleepwalking Through History either, both due to its liberal bias and having little to do with Reagan or his presidency. Richard Reeves’ book was readable but didn’t measure up to his works on JFK or Nixon, in my opinion.
Eclectic indeed. Given the plethora of choices on some other presidents, it has always surprised me that there aren’t more traditional biographies of Reagan. I believe I only have two on my list…and one isn’t even in print yet.
I did see your review of “Sleepwalking” and I almost swapped it out in favor of the Wilentz or Reeves books, but then I decided I might as well have one unabashedly critical work Reagan on the list just to keep the universe in balance 🙂 It’s disappointing that it might not even be all that topical…
I disagree on Hayward’s books being “right-wing screeds.” His work is very well documented, researched and gives credit where it is due to members of the other side, most notably Mike Mansfield and Daniel Patrick Moynihan, in the first volume. The second volume takes a great deal of time to deflate a lot of the opposing “myths” of Reagan’s term, such as AIDS (Federal funding for research doubled each year after Reagan’s close fried Rock Hudson died) and Supply Side Economics (no supply sider ever said that results would be instant, like a Keynesian government spending program, but would take time to see the effects). I look forward to your take on the Heyward books, Steve.
Sadly, I did not write a complete review of those books when I read them last spring. But I do remember a lot of infuriatingly stupid passages, like Hayward mocking at length the very concept of “the Environment,” trotting out the “poor people aren’t really poor because they own TVs” Heritage Foundation nonsense apropos of nothing, blaming liberal supporters of civil rights for race riots (“Burn down your city, receive a federal grant,” he writes), claiming the USS Pueblo was captured as part of the Tet Offensive, and probably most insulting of all, calling Kim Phuc (the Vietnamese girl photographed after surviving a napalm attack who became a pacifist Born Again Christian) a “Communist propagandist.” There is very little of merit in Hayward’s books and mountains of mendacious nonsense. That said, Steve can certainly decide for himself once he reads them.
I thought Cannon’s 2nd title gives away his game. He’s basically portrayed Reagan as an simple-minded actor pretending to be POTUS. Its chapter after chapter of Cannon’s interpretation of Reagan’s note reading and reliance on aides to the point you start to think Reagan was a fool. Hardly unbiased, if not left-wing “screed.” Looking forward to Steve’s review. Enjoy!
I don’t think Reagan would have disagreed with such an assessment of himself, except for the simple-minded part.
Some of his colleagues that I’ve interviewed in recent years have expressed the thought that they think Reagan actually promoted the idea that he was simple-minded and he didn’t mind people thinking he just let his aides do most of the work. Part of it was his humility and part of it was political ploy, in their opinions. He even made jokes himself that promoted these ideas, whether napping in cabinet meetings or ending the day early for bed. He used self deprecating humor to promote that image, to a degree.
Of course, while no president can be super involved with everything their administration deals with, we do know now that Reagan was far more involved in foreign policy than was believed for quite a while. I have several hundred formerly classified transcripts from national security meetings and reading through them it is apparent that Reagan was the driving force behind Cold War foreign policy, and often he was so even against the restraining advice of everyone else in the room. He certainly benefited from good aides, and they offered impactful advice on many occasions, but the impression of Reagan as an “amiable dunce” who idly stood by while his aides did all the work is now disbelieved except by the most hard partisans.
Lou Cannon eventually came to realize this himself, though his works on Reagan were published while he was still figuring out for himself what he thought of Reagan. They are still good works, especially considering in the 1980s Cannon was regularly attacking Reagan in his articles and columns. Over time, Lou has warmed up to Reagan, despite still having some disagreements over his policies, though he has also warmed up to several policies he once attacked that he is able to see more clearly with the passage of time.
How about The Invisible Bridge: The Fall of Nixon and the Rise of Reagan by Rick Perlstein? I picked it up at a used book store and it’s my only “bio” on Reagan. I haven’t opened it up yet but it seems intriguing to me that it covers the transformation of the Republican party, not much on Reagan’s life, I assume.
I’m really looking forward to these reviews. I admire Ronald Reagan and look forward to you going through these books.
I’ll recommend Andrew Busch’s book “Ronald Reagan and the Politics of Freedom.” Busch is a political scientist, not a historian, so it’s more an analysis of Reagan’s presidency than a traditional biography. But political scientists (my own tribe) bring a unique perspective to the study of presidents.
Thanks! I’ll have to take a look at that one-
I have been eagerly anticipating your getting to this point since I first discovered your site several years ago. Reagan is the president I’m most well read on and have studied the most, going on about 15 years now. It was actually a year ago today that I was a special guest speaker at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and spent the day as their guest. One of the most amazing experiences ever.
I’ve read all the books you have here, and about 67 more! Several are very rare transcripts from symposiums and conferences held about various aspects of Reagan’s presidency and are very enlightening.
Starting with the Brands bio is a good choice. I wrote a book review when it first came out and one of my observations was it would be a good starting point for someone new to Reagan, but fairly repetitive for anyone well versed on him (here’s my abridged review I published on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-reviews/R3COB9X44WJ3BW/ref=cm_cr_getr_d_rvw_ttl?ie=UTF8&ASIN=0307951146).
The only book on your list I no longer own is Johnson’s. You’ll understand when you get to it. He does make some legitimate points if you subscribe to his particular vision of America and what it should be, but his analysis of evidence seems forced and conveniently focused rather than broad and inclusive.
I’ll be receiving my copy of Spitz’s work soon to provide a review and have been eagerly waiting over a year for it. Another forthcoming biography has been delayed, and that is Larry Schweikart’s “Reagan: The American President.” It is a smaller bio, only about 300 pages, and while it will include coverage of his whole life, about half is devoted to his presidency. It looks to be a rare mid-length cradle to grave bio on Reagan, as all are either longer, or the shorter American Presidents series.
There is one cradle to grave bio I wish was on your list. It is written by a liberal British professor in London, Iwan Morgan. It offers one of the most unique views of Reagan’s presidency as it is written by a foreigner, albeit one whose specialty is American Studies, and a foreigner who generally disagreed with Reagan’s policies. I very much enjoyed this bio and appreciated his unique insights from the perspective of a foreigner who still followed and generally disagreed with Reagan’s policies, yet gives credit where it’s due. He was quite harsh in some areas, but complimentary in others.
Paul Kengor’s books are all excellent, and “The Crusader” is one of his most notable. His recent work “A Pope and a President” was very illuminating and interesting. There is certainly no shortage of books focusing on Reagan and the Cold War (“Victory,” “Reagan’s Secret War,” “Ronald Reagan and His Quest to Abolish Nuclear Weapons,” “Reagan’s War,” and many others). The upcoming Reagan biopic starring Dennis Quaid is actually based on 2 of Kengor’s works, “The Crusader” and “God and Ronald Reagan: A Spiritual Life.” It is slated for release in 2019, though filming hasn’t started yet. It should within 2-4 months.
I can’t wait to read your individual reviews, and am sure I’ll provide a comment or two as you journey through Reagan! I
“It was actually a year ago today that I was a special guest speaker at the Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley and spent the day as their guest. One of the most amazing experiences ever.” How cool!
Also, while I doubt we’re on the same page politically, I enjoyed your review of Brands’ book…I haven’t read his work on Reagan but the shortcomings you list are pretty common to his biographies in general.
I’m actually more moderate than people think when they find out I give lectures on Reagan, a true Conservative icon! I actually find things to appreciate about every one of our presidents, and I also find things to disagree on with every president as well. I was much more opinionated and judgmental as a teen when I began studying presidents, but it’s amazing how time can help you see people more as humans first instead of politicians first, and learn how to see the good in everyone, even if you think some may have a little more of that good than others! With Reagan, I began my focus on him about 16 years ago and it took me several years before I felt comfortable enough asserting my conclusions with confidence. I’m a very methodical and deliberate learning who likes to digest as much as possible before making a firm conclusion about someone or something. Steve’s website has been an utterly invaluable source on helping me find materials to study about older and lesser known presidents, and I can’t think him enough for doing this!
An enormous “thanks” for your extensive set of thoughts relating to Reagan!
I’m horrified to have overlooked Iwan Morgan’s recent biography. I always do a quick look through my archived list of recent releases to make sure I haven’t missed anything but this title somehow slipped through the cracks. And when I saw Morgan’s name in your note I immediately knew I botched the task.
So I’m adding “Reagan: American Icon” to my primary list and need to decide which title to defer. Each of the Noonan and Johnson books seem relatively “un”-biographical. One is extremely popular and well-read while the other seems to harbor an unconventionally critical perspective. I’d be interested in your thoughts.
I’m now more than 2/3 through the Brands biography and, as is my custom once I’ve decided what I’m going to read, I try to delay the gratification of reading reviews in an effort not to “lead the witness.” My impression so far: it’s a surprisingly easy read despite its length, feels uneven in emphasis in a few key areas and seems weighted toward sources that accept Reagan’s perspectives at face value. And although it doesn’t appear to break new ground, it strikes me as a pretty good place to have started reading Reagan…and I have to admit I’m enjoying (but not quite loving) it.
And if the video of your speech at the Reagan Library happens to be publicly accessible, I would love the link! And in any event I’m curious what specific topic you addressed?
My pleasure! I’m glad you are adding Morgan’s bio. Between Noonan and Johnson, I’d defer Johnson’s. While your inclusion of it was to provide a strong balance, Morgan’s bio offers enough critical analysis to offset that, and Johnson’s work is severely dated (originally published in 1991). While time has allowed some of Johnson’s arguments to remain valid, others have been severely weakened as sources are declassified and evidence is more critically examined with better hindsight. Noonan’s book is definitely pro-Reagan, as you’d expect, but it does come closer to being biographical than Johnson’s, whose work focuses on specific policies and programs, while Noonan’s focuses on life experiences organized by various character traits. Though not a cradle to grave biography, it is still primarily a sharing of life experiences.
I understanding about “leading the witness!” When I posted the link, I anticipated if you read my review, it would indeed be after you finished for that very reason. I agree 100% with your observations so far, and even touch on a few of them in my own review. My longer published review focused more on your observation about sources and how I wished there had been a broader range of them included.
As for a video of my remarks, I think one of my family members who was in attendance may have recorded it. I don’t know of anything on a YouTube channel, but I’ll look into it. They asked me 4 months in advance, and told me I could choose my topic (I generally have 4-5 topics I choose from when speaking on Reagan). It was hard to choose, because what do you say to a group of people who have such a deep knowledge of Reagan? I decided to speak on his optimism. Honestly, I feel like that aspect of his life could be the greatest benefit to us today. I spoke about his vision of America and how that vision has and has not been fulfilled, and what deep rooted beliefs enabled him to have such an optimistic vision. I wanted it to be a unifying speech, that people of all political backgrounds could agree with. I felt if I gave a speech focusing on policy, it would be too political and one sided, so I chose to focus on character, and traits we can hopefully all strive to emulate.
Received my copy of the new “Reagan: An American Journey” by Bob Spitz. It’s on your list and I’m excited to read your review about it shortly. I haven’t reviewed it yet, and have only read about fifty pages, but after reading some of it and perusing a lot of it, it looks promising. While Brands book offered very little new information for me, so far Spitz’s book has had quite a bit of new and unique information. He does take a little while on Reagan’s background and ancestry–the Gipper himself isn’t born until page 36–and some may feel that’s a bit too much time in a book about Reagan devoted to life before Reagan was even born. I also like the Prologue he used to begin his book, and the period of Reagan’s life he touches on that is often overlooked. The closing chapter also offered insights into Reagan’s final years that I wasn’t aware of. I’m looking forward to finishing this and reviewing it, and can’t wait to read your own!
Correction: in my last post, I indicated it was 36 pages into the book when Reagan was born. While that is true, I failed to notice initially that the Prologue is paginated with the rest of the book, not set apart in roman numerals as some often are, so technically it does not take 36 pages to introduce Reagan into the narrative. The Prologue is 12 pages and takes place in the early 1950s when Reagan was in Las Vegas, so really there’s only about 24 pages of ancestry review before Reagan is born.
Finally finished Spitz’s “Reagan: An American Journey.” I’ll be working on my review over the next couple days, but won’t say any more until you have read it as well so as not to color your own experience! I look forward to your review in coming weeks of this one to see if you had any similar observations and feelings about it as I did. Next on my list to review is one just published last week, “Ronald Reagan: An Intellectual Biography.”
I’m anxious to get to it (I haven’t yet received the one I ordered…but I’m tracking it daily as the Pony Express walks it across the U.S.). My fingers are crossed that it is the comprehensive Reagan biography I’ve been waiting for 🙂 But I will admit I don’t know what to expect since I haven’t read anything by Spitz.
It exceeded some expectations and fell short on others, but I won’t say where. Having read enough of your reviews, I’ve made my predictions for your review and where you’ll feel it does well and where it is weak. I’m looking forward to seeing how accurate they are!