Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #593079 in Books
• Published on: 2002-10-31
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 352 pages

Synopsis
The author shares her unique insight into Ronald Reagan, arguing that his character and courage made him the object of reverence and respect in America.

Customer Reviews

Exploring President Reagan's Philosophy and Psychology
When Character Was King is a most unusual book. Let me start by saying what it is not. Although there are many biographical details here, it is definitely not a biography. Although the book explores political ideas, it is not a book about political theory or ideology. Although the book has much history in it, it is not a history. Although the book has many personal observations about President Reagan, it is not a memoir. As close as I can describe it, the book attempts to simultaneously capture what it was like to spend time with President Reagan, explain why he did what he did, and show how his communications affected others. The exposition is mostly by anecdote, rather than by argument. As a result, I found that I improved my understanding of President Reagan quite a bit. That surprised me, because I have read quite a few books about President Reagan, and followed his actions very closely while he was president.

The new insights come mostly from two sources: new interviews with people who met President Reagan over the past five decades, and Ms. Noonan's own recollections and reflections on what it was like to work with President Reagan. Ms. Noonan is a talented writer, and brings the material together well.

The book is highly complimentary of President Reagan, so those who did not like him or what he did will find the book sadly out of balance. Iran-Contra is about the only negative area mentioned, and President Reagan is criticized . . . but in a mild way. Other areas where reasonable people could and do differ (like abortion, women's and minority rights, SDI, the Federal deficit, and the broad military build-up) are described as complete triumphs.

Those who are great admirers of President Reagan will probably find this book to be the most appealing and emotionally rewarding profile that has been done to date. The book has the extra appeal of taking you into the private places and times where only insiders had everyday access, such as the California ranch, the hospital after the assassination attempt, visits with President Reagan after he was out of office, and the commissioning of the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan by Mrs. Reagan while she was attended by a large group of former White House staffers.

There are a lot of speeches reported in the book. Realizing that Ms. Noonan may have helped write some of them made me feel like the speeches should have been pared back, or her role described fully in their development.

Integrity is defined by most people as acting in ways that are consistent with your beliefs. That is a high standard that all people wish they could match. Whether a critic or an admirer, you will come away from this book with a better understanding of why and how President Reagan behaved with an extraordinary degree of integrity, representing values that the majority of Americans hold.

Here are a few examples of President Reagan's beliefs as described in the book:

"Tell the truth, announce the facts, explain what to do about them and pledge to do it."

"So he took his mother's assumptions -- we must do good -- and added them to his own ambitions."

" . . . I'm going off to war, still true to my precepts: (a) to love what you are doing with all your heart and soul and (b) to believe what you are doing is important."

"He was humble. He had no sense of entitlement."

"Skeptic . . . not a cynic."

After the assassination attempt, "Whatever time he had left was God's, would go to God."

"He saw it [history] as something you could change."

"He thought women were better than men."

"I never thought of myself as a great man, just a man committed to great ideas."

His legacy: "He tried to expand the frontiers of freedom, in a world at peace with itself."

Near the end of the book, President George W. Bush describes his first meeting with Russian President Putin, and you can clearly hear echoes of the Reagan-Gorbachev summits. So the influence of these beliefs continues, at least in the current administration. If you are like me, you will be deeply affected by stories of how reports of President Reagan's speeches helped inspire Soviet dissidents stuck in the Siberian gulags.

Be sure you know what you believe . . . and act like that's what you believe! Encourage others to do the same . . . whether or not they agree with you. But do look out for their interests too, and point them out.

Very American but engaging nonetheless
Peggy Noonan is a famous speechwriter, and Ronald Reagan was one of the greatest political communicators of the 20th Century. So as a speechwriter myself, I thought I could learn a lot from reading this book. What struck me was Noonan's overwhelming lyricism. This is the case for the canonization of Ronald. You see him in a sepia tinted glow. They doubted him at the time but he was right about almost everything, is Noonan's thesis.

So I learned that maybe speechwriters need to be unremittingly positive.

Being English, Noonan's observations frequently seemed to be sentimental, schmaltzy, almost infused with magical thinking. But somehow you keep reading, and Noonan manages to include a few less flattering impressions of Saint Ron and Nancy. There is a good chapter on Reagan's humour, and she explains how his speaking work for General Electric gave him the training, which served him well as President.

A good book.

O Noble Spirit!
In this semi-biography on the great Ronald Reagan, Noonan draws on her own and others' personal recollections to paint a vivid picture of the Reagan white house whilst also illuminating the earlier history and the post-presidential life of this noble man.

Noonan deals with his youth, the time in Hollywood and the way he first entered politics. There is a lovely description of the Reagan ranch and a suspenseful account of how he won the presidency. She deals with the love between Reagan and his wife, and their relationships with the children. The account of the president's fortitude after the attempted assassination is a highlight of the book.

The text is interspersed with significant parts of Reagan's most important speeches and interesting quotes by various people. The author also excels when she talks about Reagan's marvellous sense of humor and she has interesting angles on foreign affairs, like the president's dealings with the Soviets and the Iran/Contra affair.

Noonan shows how utterly wrong Reagan's critics were and how his vision triumphed over that of the media and the so-called intellectuals (the eggheads for evil who always get it wrong). The chapter dealing with Reagan's voluminous correspondence is poignant and illuminating as it shows his concern for ordinary people from all walks of life.

The chapter Big Triumph looks at the Strategic Defence Initiative (The Space Shield) in the light of 9/11, whilst the next chapter discusses Reagan's influence on George W Bush. The last chapter, The Old Man Of St Cloud Road, looks at Reagan's twilight years and his legacy.

Throughout the book Noonan demonstrates how Reagan's courage, patience, wit and honesty led to his success and his magnificent achievements at home and in the international arena. Her writing is filled with affection and honesty and she really succeeds in making history come alive.

This excellent book concludes with a bibliography and an index. When Character Was King is a must for those who love Ronald Reagan. I would also like to recommend the book by Dinesh D'Souza, the CD-set Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches With Personal Reflections, Dear Americans: Letters From The Desk Of Ronald Reagan, and Ronald Reagan: An American Hero.