Ronald Reagan

Ronald Wilson Reagan rose from the modest towns of Illinois to become the 40th President of the United States. This biography traces his path from radio announcer and Hollywood actor to Governor of California and the White House. It examines the forces that shaped him—family hardship, the Depression, wartime service, and the Screen Actors Guild—and the convictions that defined his politics: limited government, free enterprise, and a clear-eyed opposition to Soviet communism.

The book covers the pivotal 1964 speech that launched his national career, his two terms as California’s governor, the 1980 landslide, the near-fatal assassination attempt, the economic policies known as Reaganomics, and the Cold War diplomacy that culminated in the challenge to “tear down this wall.” It also addresses the Iran-Contra scandal, the personal impact of Alzheimer’s, and the enduring debates over his legacy.

Written for the general reader, the volume offers a balanced narrative of a president whose optimism, communication skills, and policy choices continue to shape American political life decades after he left office.