Stories in His Own Hand: The Everyday Wisdom of Ronald Reagan

Bys: Anderson, Annelise and Anderson, Martin

Book Overview

Ronald Reagan loved to tell stories. Sometimes he used them to break the ice, or to prove a point, but very often he used them to inspire, to uplift, and to remind his listeners of what matters most... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0743226550
• ISBN13: 9780743226554
• Release Date: October 2001
• Publisher: Free Press
• Length: 123 Pages
• Weight: 0.64 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 7.9"

Customer Reviews

The great communicator tells a tale or two

For the most part, this little book consists of brief, non-political, stories written by Ronald Reagan for delivery on his five minute radio program in the 1970's. Some are his own. Others are based on stories which he had read or heard and which apparently touched him in some way and which he felt were worthy of repeating to a broader audience. My expectations weren't very high when I began reading the book; probably because there have just been too many such books compiled in recent years. If I'd noticed that the book was produced by the same people who earlier produced "Reagan, In His Own Hand..." they wouldn't have been quite so low. In any case, this small book exceeded my expectations. Taken separately, its stories are quite topical and quite interesting. Taken together, they tell us a little bit more about our 40th president and it becomes clearer than ever that he was not only a great president and a great human being but also a master story teller. In my view, this book should be of interest to anyone who is interested in Ronald Reagan as well as those who simply appreciate a good story well told.

Disagree with? Sure. Dislike? Hard to do.

On Sept. 20, 1983 during my freshman year at the University of South Carolina, RR came to speak. When some students of the far left heckled him, he replied "Is there an echo out there?" and disarmed them. He also entertained the crowd with folksy anecdotes of his days at Eureka College that we as students could identify with. Most of the students (myself included) who disagreed with many of his policies and would never vote for him in susequent elections agreed that RR had a gift with a story and with an audience. This is the RR that appears in this book. These are the folksy anecdotes that he shared mostly with radio audiences and a few are from his presidential days and some go as far back as his newspaper columns in the 1930s. Much of this makes for good light reading, such as his impressions of hollywood in the 30s and his joy of his parents coming out for a visit, the tale of his hosting a black fellow athlete at his home when a hotel refused to house him, and of the girl who braved a crowd of student demonstrators to shake his hand, as ell as his observations on death. Unlike some other compliations of RR's writings, tales such as these transcend political opinion. This would make good bedside reading or on a short flight.

Fabulous!

If you appreciate Ronald Reagan, you will LOVE this book! If you ever felt you'd like to know him better -- read this book! His stories and examples are right to the point. His title, The Great Communicator, is well deserved!

Very inspiring

I grew up in the Reagan era and always looked up to his leadership and wisdom....his book exemplifies this! His stories make you feel like you are part of his family and you come to embrace his values of religion and politics with a newly formed open mind. This book is full of the strength of the American people and how wonderful it is to be part of such a great nation. I have never missed Ronald Reagan's leadership and philosophies more than after I finished this book!!

A Book to Treasure in These Times

We (the editors) didn't know how much these words of Ronald Reagan might mean in these times of unusual challenge for ourselves and our nation. These stories (all written in his own hand) about people and their courage in times of unusual challenge, the facsimilies of the original documents that accompany many of them, and the photographs (many previously unpublished) of Reagan at different times in his career provide a perspective on Reagan as a person--and thus another viewpoint on his success as a politician in American life. Some stories (of his) are about his first experience with racial prejudice and how he dealt with it; his favorite jokes; his first jobs.We think it's not only a treasure of Reagan writings, but a collection that gives us insight into the man who knew he sat where the buck stops but also knew where he wanted it to stop; and how he got to be that man.Annelise Anderson