My Father at 100

February 21, 2011
Reagan’s beautifully written memoir is a conflicted tribute to a distant, almost mythical figure. Though he admits to being "quite close as father and son," the younger Reagan also considered his father "warm yet remote" and "intensely private." The son fares well in his first book-length foray, telling a surprisingly detailed story of his ancestors, analyzing examples of his father’s heroic exploits, and relating touching accounts of his final years. The author is more concerned with showing how his father found his way through the world as a young man than he is about pulling back the curtain on the father-son relationship, which is a pity. The few filial episodes he recounts are predictable tales of moderate adolescent rebellion. The writer’s wife emerges as the one person who tries—and fails—to push Reagan to examine deeper feelings. However, resentment is never far from the surface; his father’s criticisms and reliance on political confidants at his son’s expense seem to sting. "You’re my son, so I have to love you. But sometimes you make it very hard to like you," his father once said, a passing reference that reveals more about the father-son relationship than Reagan dares share directly.

There's no better biography about Ronald Reagan than this one. Not only does the president's son reveal splendid insights, including the origin of the nickname "Dutch," but his narration is sublime. When the son quotes his father, he catches the timbre and cadence of President Reagan. We accompany Ron as he travels in his father's footsteps, particularly to small-town Illinois, where the elder Reagan's Irish-immigrant parents settled. Through the author's skillful narration, we hear the alcoholic father, the strong mother, the envious brother, and many others who were part of Reagan's path to the presidency. Ron was there for many important events in his father's life, which he shares with self-deprecating charm--much like his dad! Those who admire President Reagan will appreciate these intimate details of his life. S.G.B. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award (c) AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine