Ronald Reagan: 100 Years: Official Centennial Edition from the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation

By Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation Staff

February 6, 2011, marks the one hundredth anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth. Known as "the Great Communicator," Ronald Reagan combined the best of small-town values and remarkable virtues with the eloquence and charm that came from a life spent in the public eye. From his early days, Reagan was a leader, whether saving lives as a lifeguard or demonstrating for students' rights as a college undergraduate. His career as a sports broadcaster and later as a leading man in Hollywood paved the way for a career in politics. As governor of California, Reagan earned the respect of world leaders and the American public. But it was as president of the United States that his strength of character, leadership, and love of country were best displayed. His eight years in the Oval Office ushered in remarkable change domestically and brought international peace, prosperity, and freedom.

A visual celebration of all that is Ronald Reagan, Ronald Reagan: 100 Years is the official centennial publication for the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation. Inspiring and uplifting, it is a fitting homage to one of America's greatest legends. A foreword by former Senator Howard H. Baker, Jr., distinguished politician and personal friend of the Reagans, completes this handsome volume, making it a must-have nostalgic tribute to the life and times of the man who led our nation and inspired the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 18, 2011
• ISBN: 9780062074485

Reviews for Ronald Reagan

[quaintlittlehead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is an absolutely gorgeous and moving celebration of the life of Ronald Reagan in both words and pictures. The balance of text and photography is perfect, but even more perfect is the balance with which the volume addresses each era of the former President's life: his childhood, his career in Hollywood, his service as Governor, his time as President, and his life after the White House. Many of the childhood pictures will be familiar to those who purchased photographic retrospectives after Reagan's death, but the chapter on his acting career included both information and memorabilia that were new to me (and I'm a girl who Netflixes all his movies), adding a fitting tribute to an era of Reagan's life that is often given short shrift. As the book says in its final chapter, Reagan was not more proud of his time as President than of anything else he had ever done, but saw it as one of several important chapters in his life and career. The text is noticeably short on criticisms of Reagan's politics, although it mentions the disappointment of the Beirut bombing, and concentrates largely on Reagan's own words and omnipotent-style narration rather than tributes to him from those who knew him; given that he certainly had fans across the political aisle, a greater focus on their perspective might have been nice (though both Tip O'Neill and Bill Clinton are briefly mentioned). However, as a celebration of the centennial of his birth, it is not a surprise that the book focuses on the positive and on the legacy, and those desiring a more balanced critique can surely find it elsewhere. This is a lovely reminder of the importance of this great American office both in our country and in the world, and of the admiration that many more of our Presidents deserve in spite of their sometimes unpopular decisions for the hard work they must do to serve us and the spirit that many have brought to the job. It is perhaps polarising that a celebration of Reagan should fall in the middle of a Democratic presidency when so many problems of economic and foreign policy plaque our nation again, yet fitting also to be reminded of one whose optimism about our future helped sustain our people, perhaps coming back to us again just when we need it most.