Summary of Killing Reagan: by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard | Includes Analysis

By Instaread Summaries

Killing Reagan: by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard | Includes Analysis

 

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Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency is a book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The book is a biographical depiction of President Ronald Reagan, including a look at his c

• Language: English
• Publisher: Instaread, Inc
• Release date: May 18, 2016
• ISBN: 9781683781813

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SUMMARY

Killing Reagan: The Violent Assault That Changed a Presidency is a book by Bill O’Reilly and Martin Dugard. The book is a biographical depiction of President Ronald Reagan, including a look at his career as an actor, marriage to Nancy Reagan, an assassination attempt during his presidency, and eventual physical and mental decline.

In 1937, at the age of 26,  Ronald Reagan moved to Los Angeles and began acting in movies. He married Jane Wyman in January of 1940. They had two children, daughter Maureen, born in 1941, and adopted son Michael, born in 1945. Wyman also gave birth to daughter Christine in 1947, but the baby died soon after her premature birth. This put an irreversible strain on Reagan and Wyman’s marriage. They divorced in 1948.

In April of 1942, during World War II, Reagan became a second lieutenant in the US Cavalry Officer Reserve Corps, where he was given top secret clearance and was exposed to highly classified information. He learned lessons about leadership he would use later when he moved into politics.

At the end of the war, Reagan returned to Hollywood with a major long term contract with Warner Bros. Reagan threw himself into his work, but his time in the Hollywood spotlight began to dwindle. Reagan began taking an interest in political activism.

After his divorce in 1948, Reagan began drinking too much and having a series of affairs with younger women. He was not very present in the lives of his children. His success as a movie star flat-lined, and he made mediocre movies as