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DINESH D'SOUZA, Ronald Reagan: How an Ordinary Man Became an Extraordinary Leader (New York: Free Press, 1997), 292 pp., including Bibliography and Index. $25.00 cloth (ISBN 0-684-84428-1).
If you want to feel good about your country, Ronald Reagan, and yourself, read this book. It will give you a fresh view about the man and what he accomplished domestically and internationally. No matter how many books you may have read about Reagan, this one is special.
It is well known that many in the press have made it their cause to tear Ronald Reagan apart. D'Souza gives Reagan's side ofthe story, and it makes for interesting and enjoyable reading. For example, D'Souza writes, "He won the cold war, revived the American spirit, and made the world safe for capitalism and democracy" (p. 23). Margaret Thatcher summarized Reagan's accomplishments this way: "Ronald Reagan won the cold war without firing a shot" (p. 23).
The fact that President Reagan managed the presidency with ease and elegance caused many people to underrate him. D'Souza writes, "Both Reagan's allies and his critics were mystified and a little annoyed at the cool confidence with which he handled the toughest job in the world. He made it look a bit too easy" (p. 200).
Even Sam Donaldson had to admit how special Ronald Reagan turned out to be. Donaldson summarized his opinion this way: "He came to Washington to change the world for the better, and for the most part, he did. I didn't think I would say this, but I miss him. There is no one like him on the scene today" (p. 239).
The genius of this book is that it makes the brilliance of President Reagan's accomplishments clear to the reader. This viewpoint is in sharp contrast to those of liberal historians such as Arthur E. Schlesinger Jr. D'Souza summarizes the essence of Ronald Reagan: "Reagan was a visionary whose gaze was so firmly fixed on the future that he moved in away that was incomprehensible to those who did not share his vision" (p. 243).
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