Review

As one might expect from such an influential and controversial personality Ronald Regan has been the subject of much biography, running from the meticulous but essentially critical works of Lou Cannon to the bizarre biographical fantasy by Edmund Morris. Iwan Morgan's new life, benefiting from the elapse of time, the fading of old resentments and the appearance of rival subjects of both admiration and disdain, stands every chance of emerging as the standard life. Morgan has brought to its writing formidable but also thoughtful and critical research and a lively style. His research has given him a sure grasp of Reagan's improbable journey from small town Middle West, through Hollywood's Golden Age into national and international politics. Morgan's greatest virtue is his fairness. He does justice to Reagan's authentic faith in the essential virtue of America and to the individual, non-ideological quality of his conservative faith. At the same time he is not afraid to point out the contradictions in Reagan's beliefs, the limitations of his political credo and the occasional mistakes and absurdities of his political career. Wise, fair and witty, Iwan Morgan's life of Reagan is likely to be accepted by both the admirers and the critics of the fortieth president as both trustworthy and readable. --Godfrey Hodgson, author of The Myth of American Exceptionalism and former Washington correspondent for The Observer

Iwan Morgan's Reagan is a fast-paced narrative that is superbly organized and judiciously argued about the life and times of America's 40th president. Before going elsewhere, both academics and general audiences should first read this exceptional volume as the introduction to this complex topic. --Irwin F. Gellman, author of The President and the Apprentice: Eisenhower and Nixon 1952-1961

Iwan Morgan has written a hugely valuable account of a highly consequential life. Reagan is engagingly written and exhaustively researched the grounding in archival sources adds real depth to the portrayal of Reagan the person, performer, governor and president. The book does credit to Morgan as a scholar but his erudition is consumed painlessly thanks to the elegance of his prose. Morgan's assessment of Reagan is nuanced and refreshingly non-partisan, giving credit and finding fault where each is appropriately due. Readers will come away appreciating the intriguing complexity of the man, and the immense impact of his career.

Andrew Rudalevige, T.B. Reed Professor of Government, Bowdoin College

WOW! It's all here --and I mean all of it -- in Iwan Morgan's superb biography of America's fortieth president. I would never have believed how much I didn't know about a fellow Californian I first met in the spring of 1946. But when a distinguished historian with a wonderful way with words doubles as a prodigious researcher the pages are going to fly. Hey, the Gipper's back. Enjoy the ride.'

Alex Butterfield, former Deputy Assistant to President Nixon

'Iwan Morgan's highly intelligent and authoritative Reagan accomplishes the rare feat of elucidating President Reagan's complex personal psychology, his core values and his economic and political policies. In this concise and fair-minded portrait, Morgan shows us how this optimistic and pragmatic man became a consequential president who not only represented his times, but helped steer the course of history in a conservative direction. Morgan does not shy away from exploring Reagan's failures including his lack of empathy for AIDS patients and African-Americans.'

Will Swift, author of Pat and Dick: The Nixons, an Intimate Portrait of a Marriage

'This is exactly what presidential scholars have been waiting for: a study of Ronald Reagan that avoids simplistic partisan judgements in developing an interpretation that is both critical and sympathetic. Lucid, fluent, perspicacious, and grounded in a keen appreciation of the broader themes of US history, this is an outstanding work by one of Britain's foremost historians of modern America.' --Mark White, Professor of History, Queen Mary, University of London

About the Author

Iwan Morgan is Professor of US Studies and Head of US Programmes at the Institute of the Americas, University College London. He was awarded the British Association of American Studies Honorary Fellowship in 2014 in recognition of his contributions to the discipline over the course of his career. His publications include The Age of Deficits: Presidents and Unbalanced Budgets from Jimmy Carter to George W. Bush; Nixon and Beyond the Liberal Consensus: A Political History of the United States since 1965.