A Review of Edmund Morris’ “A Memoir of Ronald Reagan”
Dutch: A Memoir of Ronald Reagan by Edmund Morris. Edmund Morris was an author with incredible talent. Foreign born and apparently uninterested in politics, he was selected as Reagan's biographer. The choice of Morris was based on his success with the Teddy Roosevelt biography. But there is no evidence that Edmund Morris understood or was interested in the actual mechanisms of politics or the effect of political ideas. In order to make the biography a success, he had to learn the politics. It should have been cause to worry that Morris was willing to give up the Roosevelt story half-way through.
The memoir is a political biography on the life of Ronald Reagan. It stands as the only biography authorised by a president in office. It tells the story of personal life and political career of the genial yet powerful and mysterious Reagan. It begins with Reagan's birth in 1911 in Illinois and follows him through to his presidency.
The author of this book effectively supports his narration of Ronald Reagan's life with evidence. First, this is the only bibliography authorized by a head of state. Morris was a guest of the white house from 1981 when Reagan became president. In the research period preceding the writing of the book, Morris interviewed Reagan and his family, friends, admirers and enemies. Reagan approved this so it would be anything but inaccurate.
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Edmund excels at the technique he employs at creating fictional characters. Through the eyes of these characters, Ronald Reagan's life is re-counted. This literary device is a stroke of genius. Faced with the task to relay something of import about Reagan, Morris hits upon the idea in which to mirror the life of one of the world's greatest leaders. The fictional components are obvious throughout the memoir and do well to achieve their intent.
The Memoir of Reagan succeeds above many other biographies ever written. It succeeds in examining Reagan whose very nature is inherently incomprehensible. However, Morris's insight reveals that this Reagan was out of touch with reality (Morris 56). The president developed fictions about the world that he managed to get those that surrounded him to believe in as he himself believed. The book is rife with examples of Reagan hanging on to his mistaken and delusional guns despite evidence to the contrary. Morris and the Dutch can be hugely accredited with helping the world understand one of the greatest presidents. Clearly missing in the text is Reagan's political background leading up to his career. Among key events not mentioned in the book are the PATCO strikes, the Panama Canal Debates the Tax reform bill or the presidential campaigns. These factors that Morris fails to give mention are key to understanding what made Reagan an influential personality in history. The biography did not live up to its expectations without tackling these factors.
Both secondary and primary sources were used in the research leading to the writing of this memoir. They included one-on-one interviews of Reagan himself, his family, and friends, Morris also had access to Reagan's personal notes. Also available to Morris were records of political career of Reagan before and during his presidency. No sources seem to have been left out.
The portrayal of Reagan's political is from both a real and fictional perspective. However, I would have restricted myself to the actual learned facts from Reagan, the influence his politics had and the information obtained from those that surrounded him.
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A Review of Edmund Morris’ “A Memoir of Ronald Reagan”. (2023, Feb 21). Retrieved from https://phdessay.com/a-review-of-edmund-morris-a-memoir-of-ronald-reagan/
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