Search - When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan

In "When Character Was King" Peggy Noonan wrote her story of a great man and the building of his character as Ronald Reagan lay dying. Now that he's gone, Peggy Noonan is our era's great communicator. Not every word of "When Character Was King" is the utterly necessary word at the absolutely necessary time -- a few of her words don't fit and an occasional fact is flubbed -- but for the most part all other words fit perfectly into the best portrait we have of a good and great man.

Noonan, I believe, is the only biographer of President Reagan who understands the import of a first-term footnote, an episode that most of the world has learned to forget or has learned to diminish. That's the PATCO strike which, as Noonan shows, had world-historical implications. By the force of his focus, President Reagan used PATCO to reassert free-world mastery in our twilight struggle with an Evil Empire that was evil and that was an empire. We are fortunate that we had Reagan at a moment of maximum danger and Noonan to tell his story.
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Having read several books about Reagan, I found this one the most insightful into the personality and character of President Reagan. There were many stories that I had read no where else. I loved this book!

excellent book

Just a wonderful book about a great man!

The subject of the book was great. I love Ronald Reagan and think he is one of the greatest men who ever lived. BUT...the author was not so great. She jumped around too much and her telling of such an amazing life story left me kind of bored. How can you tell Ronald Reagan's life story and make it boring? Disappointing book.