Nofziger

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

Addressed as Lynwood by Ronald Reagan, called a myriad of sometimes unprintable names by the media and certain members of the Reagan inner circle--or not called anything by Nancy Reagan, who instead gave him the silent treatment whenever she was angry at him--Nofziger is a Reagan loyalist of some vintage: press secretary in Reagan's California gubernatorial campaign and administration during the mid-1960s; press secretary in the Reagan presidential campaigns, and holder of various posts in the Reagan White House. And although he served time in the Nixon White House and provides delicious gossip about its dramatis personae, the star turn in Nofziger's memoir belongs to the former actor, who, in this devotee's opinion, is an estimable man. Nofziger's facility as an expert propagandist is much in evidence here as he practices an art he is proud to have mastered, that of confusing them with the truth. He shows us politics in the back room and singles out those he considers masters of their craft: James Baker III, for one, is an operator who has slicked his way up to the most prestigious cabinet job going. As for the lazy and self-important Washington press corps, any member of the media who talks 'right to know' is talking absolute crap. But the sourest note in this otherwise comical journal is sounded when Nofziger recaps his 1988 conviction on three counts of violating the Ethics in Government Act, a sentence voided on appeal at a bitter cost to him of $1.8 million in legal fees. (Oct.)

Library Journal

The former political adviser to presidents Nixon and Reagan has written a rambling, anecdote-filled account of his professional life. Little time (one chapter) is devoted to his early years--1950 to 1965--as a correspondent for Copley News Service, but Nofziger manages to critique contemporary political reporters, their methods, and their ethics. The remainder of the book concerns Nofziger's adventures within the political system, first with Reagan as governor in California, then with presidents Nixon and Reagan, and finally as a lobbyist. Crammed with bits of political trivia and far too many short, unsubstantiated personal assessments of the major political figures in Washington, the book becomes repetitive and actually boring at times. The book fittingly ends with Nofziger's account of his trial and acquittal (on appeal) of violating the federal Ethics in Government Act, but not until the reader is forced to endure a selection of the limericks/poems he penned during the course of the trial. For a more objective and full account of the Reagan years, libraries should have Lou Cannon's President Reagan: Role of a Lifetime ( LJ 4/15/91).-- Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, Pa.

Bryce Christensen

In a political memoir of rare candor, an insider tells us how the Great Communicator, Ronald Reagan, captured the White House and how he governed after winning. More broadly, Nofziger portrays with unflinching honesty the personalities of those attracted to the conservative banner. As a top Reagan aide for nearly two decades, the author knows the triumphs and the farces hidden from the press corps. Irreverent, sometimes cynical, Nofziger never allows his own political passions to kill his sense of humor. He even manages several pages of hilarious doggerel when recounting the trial in which he was convicted for illegal lobbying (the convictions were overturned on appeal). Political junkies will be passing this book around for some time.