That broader context is especially useful in understanding the young Reagan’s family, especially his rolling-stone father in realizing that Reagan rose above his modest family circumstances and indifferent academic performance by being the right guy at the right place at the right time, particularly with regard to the start of a movie career and in grasping how he quickly morphed from a supporter of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal to a conservative, anti-communist zealot. The major strength of this version is Spitz’s consistently diligent effort to provide context beyond just his main subject (most readers already know the highlights). The strictly chronological approach is easy to track, and because the author is such a skilled stylist, the narrative flows smoothly. Nonetheless, readers seeking the freshest Reagan biography, with access to the most recently available research material, should welcome Spitz’s entry. Between those two books, there were several other first-rate accounts of Reagan’s life published. In 1991, master journalist Lou Cannon, an acknowledged Reagan expert, published the memorably titled President Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime. Brands released a mostly lauded Reagan biography that was just as massive as this one. Just three years ago, acclaimed historian H.W. However, some readers may question the book’s role within the biographic enterprise.

The author’s take on the controversial former president is mostly balanced, as he mixes the policy failures and successes with the personal shortcomings and strengths this is neither pathography nor hagiography. Veteran biographer Spitz ( Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Child, 2014, etc.) offers a broad and occasionally deep cradle-to-grave examination of Ronald Reagan (1911-2004).

Dearie by bob spitz