Ronald & Nancy Reagan

Children's Literature

This biography is comprised of seven chapters which focus on the Reagans' personal life as well as the key events of Reagan's presidency. At the end of the book, there are a timeline, a glossary page, and an index. The first two chapters describe the childhoods and early lives of both Ronald and Nancy. The chapter on Reagan ends with these words: "Ronald Reagan was 38 years old with a dead-end acting career and a failed marriage. He was looking for someone to love." Chapters three through six tell of the couple's first meeting and 1952 marriage as well as the story of Reagan's political career. The book portrays Reagan's presidency neutrally. Reaganomics is described as a mixed success. The mention of the 1983 Grenada invasion notes that the U.S. immediately won the war, but that 19 American soldiers were killed. The biography also points out Nancy's trials with the media including criticism of her clothes, her expensive tastes and even the loving way that she looked at her husband. The final chapter describes the couple's retirement and Reagan's struggle with Alzheimer's disease. The book ends with his death in 2004. This title is part of the "Presidents and First Ladies" series. 2005, World Almanac Library, Ages 8 to 12.
—Lynn O'Connell