[.ca] When Character Was King (ISBN 0142001686)

O Noble Spirit!:
Noonan is one of the most captivating political writers of our time. Her columns are always edifying, witty and filled with insight. This semi-biography on the great Ronald Reagan is the same. She draws on her own and others' personal recollections to paint a vivid picture of the Reagan white house whilst also illuminating the earlier history and the post-presidential life of this noble man. Noonan deals with his youth, the time in Hollywood and the way he first entered politics. There is a lovely description of the Reagan ranch and a suspenseful account of how he won the presidency. Noonan also deals with the love between Reagan and his wife, and their relationships with the children. The account of Reagan's fortitude after the attempted assassination is a highlight of the book. The text is interspersed with significant parts of Reagan's most important speeches and interesting quotes by various people. The author also excels when she talks about Reagan's marvellous sense of humour and she has interesting angles on foreign affairs, like the president's dealings with the Soviets and the Iran/Contra affair. Noonan shows how utterly wrong Reagan's critics were and how his vision triumphed over that of the media and the so-called intellectuals (the eggheads for evil who always get it wrong). The chapter dealing with Reagan's voluminous correspondence is poignant and illuminating as it shows his concern for ordinary people from all walks of life. The chapter Big Triumph looks at the Strategic Defence Initiative (The Space Shield) in the light of 9/11, whilst the next chapter discusses Reagan's influence on George W Bush. The last chapter, The Old Man Of St Cloud Road, looks at Reagan's twilight years and his legacy. Throughout the book Noonan demonstrates how Reagan's courage, patience, humour and honesty led to his success and his magnificent achievements at home and in the international arena. Her writing is filled with affection and honesty and she really succeeds in making history come alive. This excellent book concludes with a bibliography and an index. When Character Was King is a must for those who love Ronald Reagan. I would also like to recommend the book by Dinesh D'Souza, the CD-set Speaking My Mind: Selected Speeches With Personal Reflections, Dear Americans: Letters From The Desk Of Ronald Reagan, and the autobiography An American Life.

Character Reviewed:
Peggy Noonan's When Character was King is a natural sequel to her earlier delightful account, What I Saw at the Revolution. Noonan was a former speechwriter for Reagan. Warmly and artfully written, Noonan pens how the character of the man framed his life and presidency. She's a thoughtful conservative, and an effective advocate for the triumph of the Reagan era. Controversial, witty and charming. Highly recommended.

An insiders view of a great president:
This book was written by a former speech writer for Ronald Reagan. It features more than just a look inside the Reagan White House. It tells of his childhood in northern Illinois all the way through to his battle with Alzheimer's. There are amusing tales of Reagan's meetings with foreign heads of state. There is great detail of Iran Contra and Reagan's meetings with Gorachev. I expected the book to take a vary favorable position of Reagan (which it did for the most part) but Noonan was not exactly complimentary at times. The best part of this book told the story of Reagan taking on the Communist infiltration of Hollywood in the 40's. I was unaware of this and found it quite interesting. It laid the foundation for his life in public office. Another interesting theme of the book shows how Reagan made the conversion from the Democratic to Republican party. I bet not many people knew he was a Democrat until midlife.

A Stirring Tribute to a Great Leader:
I agree 100% with the other reviewers who have praised this book. Peggy Noonan's book serves as a concise but relatively thorough biography of Reagan, an informative explanation of the influences that guided his decisions before and during his political career, and a spirited and insightful defense of some of Reagan's controversial actions (controversial, at least, to those who Reagan called "our liberal friends" who "know so many things that are not so"). Plenty of funny, enlightening, and touching anecdotes help to make this a great tribute to one of our Nation's greatest leaders.

"DON'T LET THE TURKEYS GET YOU DOWN.":
When Ronald Reagan left office, he told George H.W. Bush, "Don't let the turkeys get you down." This is sage advice of the highest order, and applies to all people, famous or not. This is the Ronald Reagan that Peggy Noonan writes about. Reagan was excoriated during his time, but he never became petty. The way he handled criticism is a model for the way all good people should handle criticism. The Reagan model is to stay positive and upbeat, no matter what the drumbeat of stupidity is. To follow his example is to stay above the fray, to maintain the Christian principle "forgive me my tresspasses, as I forgive those who trespass against me." The lessons that average people can learn from Reagan is that if you are a good and decent person, even if the small people, the various and sundry pizzants of the Dumbellionite Class, the ignoramuses, the people of low moral character, the dregs and the ne'r'do'wells attempt to mock you, to bring you down to their level, to react with jealousy at succeses they are unable to achieve, simply continue on a path of honesty and good works. Forgive them and let not your heart be troubled. God bless Ronald Reagan. STEVEN TRAVERS AUTHOR OF "BARRY BONDS: BASEBALL'S SUPERMAN" ...