How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life [Hardcover]

Peter Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Release date: August 5, 2003

On February 6, 2001, my nine-year-old daughter happened to wander into the room during a television segment marking Ronald Reagan's ninetieth birthday. She watched for a moment. Then she turned to me and asked, "Dad, is that the President you worked for?"

What answer could I give her? How could I make her see? I wanted my daughter to recognize that the world she inhabited was freer and more prosperous because of that old, old man on television. But I also wanted her to grasp my personal debt to him, to understand all that he taught me-how to work and how to relax, how to think and how to use words, how to be a good husband, how to approach life itself...

I needed to tell my children how Ronald Reagan changed my life.

In 1982, as a young man, Peter Robinson was hired as a speechwriter in the Reagan White House. During the six years that followed, he was one of a core group of writers who became informal experts on Reagan, absorbing not just his political positions but his personality, manner, and way of carrying himself And the example Reagan set-as a confident, passionate, principled, generous-spirited older man-molded Robinson's outlook just as he was coming into his own. "Hard work. A good marriage. A certain lightness of touch," he writes. "The longer I studied Ronald Reagan, the more lessons I learned."

At the core of How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life are ten of the life lessons Robinson learned from the fortieth President-principles that have guided his own life ever since. But it also offers a warm and unforgettable portrait of a great yet ordinary man who touched the individuals around him as surely as he did his millions of admirers around the world.

Drawing on journal entries from his days at the White House, as well as interviews with those who knew the President best, Robinson etches his portrait with fresh observations, telling detail, and that "certain lightness of touch" that recalls the master himself The result is nothing less than a love story-an account of the profound respect and affection that one young man came to feel for the President who changed his life forever.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Conservatives, exult! Robinson's self-help/memoir/Reagan hagiography is an All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten for right-wingers. The former White House speechwriter and author of It's My Party: A Republican's Messy Love Affair with the GOP and Snapshots from Hell: The Making of an MBA illuminates 10 life lessons in a love letter to the Gipper ("How," Robinson asks, "did such a nice guy get to be President?"). By looking at both the historical (supply-side economics, the Cold War, Iran-contra) and the personal (Reagan's beliefs, his relationship with his family), Robinson unearths maxims such as "Do your work" and "Say your prayers." The stories are engaging, and he tosses in dashes of philosophy, such as the nature of good and evil, based on Reagan's ideas. The writing style, though, is repetitive, and occasionally Robinson makes leaps in his assumptions of Reagan's motivations; none of this, however, dilutes the message. Each lesson is related to Robinson's own life either in contrast or to show how he's made Reagan's lessons "scalable" for his own use. Interviews with and stories about many of the major players of the Reagan administration, like Ed Meese and Colin Powell, lend an insider's feel. Behind-the-scenes details, such as how the famous "Tear Down the Wall" speech was composed, give a fresh perspective. And while Robinson's respect for the former president verges on deification, especially as he glosses over Reagan's shortcomings ("Now, I myself was never able to get worked up over the deficits," Robinson says), this book provides solid, if somewhat obvious, lessons that will appeal to the legions of Reagan fans.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Peter Robinson spent six years as a speechwriter in the Reagan White House. Among his speeches was the celebrated "Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall" speech, which Reagan delivered in Berlin in 1987. Robinson is the host of the PBS television program, UNCOMMON KNOWLEDGE, and the author of two previous books, IT'S MY PARTY: A REPUBLICAN'S MESSY LOVE AFFAIR WITH THE GOP and SNAPSHOTS FROM HELL: THE MAKING OF AN MBA. A fellow at the Hoover Institution, he lives in Stanford, California.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Harper; 1 edition (August 5, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060523999
• ISBN-13: 978-0060523992
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (59 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #188,415 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #27 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( R ) > Reagan, Ronald

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

48 of 53 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Read this book! August 18, 2003

By Bob

Format:Hardcover

I read an average of 2 books per week, and of the 100 or so I've read in the past year this is without a doubt my favorite. What I particularly enjoyed about this book is that it isn't another history lesson on how R.R. ended the cold war. It's a character study of two people, the President and the author, and how a young man is forever changed by his association with the President. There is some history in there, but it doesn't give that "text book" feel. This is a truly engrossing story and you will find it very difficult to put this book down. When you're finished you'll feel good about Ronald Reagan, Peter Robinson, your country and yourself. Read this book, and enjoy!

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the Most Inspiring of Books about Ronald Reagan June 7, 2004

By Joseph J. Slevin VINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

Peter Robinson takes a close look, a very intimate look at the things Ronald Reagan stood for and 10 of his maxims that effected a life change in Robinson and in Robinson's view, a whole nation.

His premise was that he wanted to tell his daughter about his former boss. She was nine years old when Mr. Reagan's 90th birthday rolled around and did not understand his importance to her nation and to her dad.

Robinson's book although a little unsung in the world of great books, is a tribute to a great man yet, it will also influence any who read it apply the Ten Maxims that are the subjects for each chapter.

The Ten Maxims Are in My Words:

When life gets difficult, dig in.

Do the work you are intended to do.

Life is a stage, act now.

What you say matters.

Use the brain you have been given.

Take things in stride.

Marry the right person and it will help your life.

Remember to pray daily.

Use your God given talents to influence the world around you.

You are important and can make a difference.

These maxims of life, seen through the life and actions of one of Americas greatest presidents are ours to learn, to understand and even to use.

This is a great book. I will give this as a gift to my friends.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful warm, and witty book September 16, 2003

By James C. Phillips

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

How Ronald Reagan Changed My Life

One of the most engaging and enjoyable books I have ever read, Peter Robinson's third book tells how his life was impacted on a personal level by President Reagan.

Mr. Robinson has a very charming and self-effacing style, never trying to inflate his own importance, and readily admitting to the foibles of a young, and extremely lucky speechwriter landing a dream job, seemingly by accident. I cannot recall reading a book that made me smile virtually from start to finish. Especially to be admired is his honesty in recognizing his own good fortune throughout the book, wandering through history almost with a sense of wonder. Not many people who have a chance to serve in a presidential administration would admit to trying to remove the "Mr. Gorbachev tear down this wall" line from the speech. (Or admit that they tried rewriting the line to read "Herr Gorbachev, tear down this wall!" Yikes!) Addressing his own weaknesses and failings, he shows how Reagan taught him to rise above them.

I must confess to being an admirer of our 40th President, and have read many of the books written about his life and Presidency. Peter Robinson's point of view is refreshingly different. The lessons he learned from watching Ronald Reagan really are the simple, but important, lessons of life.

Finally, this book does not pretend to be something that it's not. The author is very upfront about his admiration and love for Ronald Reagan, which, for example, makes his discussion of Reagan as a father very difficult for him, but also very necessary.

But this book really isn't just for admirers of President Reagan. If you know a kid in college, buy this book. I only wish it were around 20 years ago for me.