My Father at 100



My Father at 100

Ron Reagan

Penguin

4/24/2012

Synopsis:

    “Everyone thinks he knows Ronald Reagan, but those who truly knew him best still grapple with the enduring mystery of his inner character.
    Even after his death in 2004, Ronald Reagan remains one of America’s most popular and beloved presidents, but he is also a man whom history and his own privacy have conspired to turn into a remote icon.

    Ron Reagan celebrates the centenary of his father’s birth by visiting the towns that shaped him to share both his own memories and a uniquely privileged portrait of a young “Dutch” Reagan. My Father at 100 illuminates a father, a husband, a friend, and finally a human being with his own fears and foibles, yet armed with a set of unshakable principles that he sought to instill not only in his son, but also in the country he so fiercely loved.

My Thoughts:
    I love history. I have studied way more about it than I probably should have since I was in elementary school. So much so that in 5th grade I was sent to a counselor because my teacher thought I was reading too much about World War 2. So it is a little embarrassing for me to admit that I did not know very much about Ronald Reagan. Presidential history has never been my focus. After this book I realized I really should spend more time on it.
    This book shone a new light on Ronald Reagan. I was able to see him as the person he was, not just as a former president. I now see why my grandfather was so impressed with him that he took the time to write him a letter and a poem. He wrote my grandpa back, which I always thought made him a wonderful man. This book emphasised that for me. Knowing where he came from and what made him the man so many loved opened my eyes.
    I recommend this book to everyone High School age and up. It would be a great book for a History class. This is a worthwhile addition to my bookshelf.