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HarperCollins
June 2007
On Sale: May 22, 2007
784 pages ISBN: 006087600X EAN: 9780060876005 Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
During his two terms as the fortieth president of the
United States, Ronald Reagan kept a daily diary in which he
recorded, by hand, his innermost thoughts and observations
on the extraordinary, the historic, and the routine
day-to-day occurrences of his presidency. Now, nearly two
decades after he left office, this remarkable record—the
only daily presidential diary in American history—is
available for the first time. Brought together in one volume and edited by historian
Douglas Brinkley, The Reagan Diaries provides a striking
insight into one of this nation's most important
presidencies and sheds new light on the character of a true
American leader. Whether he was in his White House residence
study or aboard Air Force One, each night Reagan wrote about
the events of his day, which often included his
relationships with other world leaders Mikhail Gorbachev,
Pope John Paul II, Mohammar al-Qaddafi, and Margaret
Thatcher, among others, and the unforgettable moments that
defined the era—from his first inauguration to the end of
the Cold War, the Iran hostage crisis to John Hinckley Jr.'s
assassination attempt. The Reagan Diaries reveals more than just Reagan's political
experiences: many entries are concerned with the president's
private thoughts and feelings—his love and devotion for
Nancy Reagan and their family, his belief in God and the
power of prayer. Seldom before has the American public been
given access to the unfiltered experiences and opinions of a
president in his own words, from Reagan's description of
near-drowning at the home of Hollywood friend Claudette
Colbert to his determination to fight Fidel Castro at every
turn and keep the Caribbean Sea from becoming a "Red Lake." To read these diaries—filled with Reagan's trademark wit,
sharp intelligence, and humor—is to gain a unique
understanding of one of the most beloved occupants of the
Oval Office in our nation's history.
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