A Different Drummer: My Thirty Years with Ronald Reagan

A most enjoyable book

I really enjoy this book. It is really well written and easy to read. Reagan is one of the few that I have voted for that I am proud of and that I voted for him. This book tells just what kind of man he was. I would recommend it to anyone in fact I already have. The only problem I had reading it is my Nook doesn't work well so I have to wait for a day when it is in the mood to work.

Great, Quick Read

If you want to know who Reagan was, read this book.

A Unique Perspective

In ¿A Different Drummer¿, Michael Deaver follows the theme of other authors, including Dinesh D¿Souza, who hold that Ronald Reagan had sufficient confidence in his own beliefs to allow him to follow his own instincts regardless of the opinions of others. Deaver has the unique perspective of thirty years of intimate association with Ronald Reagan. Through the first campaign in California to the second term in the White House, Deaver advanced from campaign staffer to the office adjacent to the Oval Office. Deaver introduces the reader to the private Reagan. We see Reagan as he lives with Nancy, works with his staff and deals with his adversaries. Deaver portrays Reagan as knowing his core values and adhering to them. Even in controversy, such as the Bitburg decision, Reagan¿s loyalty to his friends remained unshaken. A self identified member of the family, Deaver provides an insight into Nancy¿s role in protecting and leading Reagan through his life. In the story of his own return to the Reagans after Deaver¿s downfall, Deaver presents a loyal, concerned Reagan, unlike some others who portray Reagan as dumping cohorts who are no longer useful to him. Finally, through Michael Deaver, we see the declining Reagan in the early stages of Alzheimer's. ¿A Different Drummer¿ is a sympathetic portrayal of a confident, steady leader by one of his closest associates. It is a valuable tool with which to uncover the real Ronald Reagan.

A Great President; A Great Man

I was born in 1978 and I had never known much about the personal or public life of Ronald Reagan. All I knew was what my parents had told me. This was the first book I've read about the man. I am not an emotional person by any means, but I must say that I was almost moved to tears several times while reading this book - tears of joy, tears of pride, and tears of heartbreak. The feeling I had when I finished this book is akin to the feeling one would have after watching a really, really great movie, only the characters are real. I fell in love with Ronald Reagan just as the rest of the country fell in love with him throughout the 80's. Now, to know that such a great man is being so cruelly taken away from us wrenches my heart. It's as if I've known him all my life. I will cherish this book for the rest of my life. Thank you, Michael Deaver.

An Intimate Look at One of Our Great Leaders.

Upon the initial purchase of this book I was looking for information regarding Reagan and his political life. However, after the first couple pages I realized that wasn't what I was getting into. This book gives and inside look at Reagan the 'man' not the 'politician.' I enjoyed the book very much and found Reagan to be an inspirational man. His subsequent retreat from the political and social world due to Alzhiemers is saddening.

fabulous book about an amazing man!!!

i am 30 years old and feel that i grew up in the 'Reagan' years. the choices he made in his years in office effect each of us today! this book gives excellent insight to one of the greatest presidents to grace to oval office. this book helps me re-afirm why i am such a stout reaganite and republican. from that point of view, those ever interested in president reagan: it's certainly a MUST READ!

very touching

I had always been an admirer of President Reagan mostly for how he made us feel as Americans. After reading this book, i am now a huge fan of the man as well. Mr. Deaver has written a masterpiece here. I've never been so emotional at the end of a book as i was reading the last few pages of this. It makes me wish i had gotten to know the President at least just a little. God bless Mr. Deaver and Mr. Reagan as well as their families.

All I can say is WOW

This book was extremely well written about a very intricate man. If you can find any time at all, this book is worth every second of it.

Nothing much new...........

I was disappointed with Mr. Deaver's book. I expected more behind the scenes dealing with Mr. Reagan's presidency. It seemed he left out so much. There was no mentioning of anything regarding the Challenger accident, Mr. Reagan's trip to Normandy, his encounter with Gorbachev was minimal. I really thought he missed out on giving so much in this book. It seemed to me too sentimental and much less historically interesting. I am definitely a Reagan man, but this book just didn't do it for me.

Wonderful Job!

This book grabbed my attention at the get go. Being a history teacher I am always looking for books that I could use and this is one I would definitly use. It told of the real Reagan and what he was like. They did not sugar coat it and it makes politics seem real. That is important as the time goes on to make the realness of life come out for the people. This book shows the ups and downs and shows how the people who really knew Reagan took care of him and how he took care of them. He was a good man and one who knew what was important...the PEOPLE! I highly recommend this book for all people. Not just history buffs or politicians, but all people. It shows how a good man became president and how he did not give up what he believed to get there. Wouldn't it be grand if we could say that for all...Good book...really should read!

I hate to read,,but!!

I was intriged by an article in Parade magazine about this book. I admit up front that I would rather sit in the dentists chair without novicane, then sit down to a book, but the comments by the author, Michael Deaver and the short excerpt from the book got my attention. The rest is history for me. The book is very well written,and very easy to read. I commend Mr. Deaver for pouring his heart and soul into this abridged version of truely and Incredible President, during Incredible times. I was not a Reagan fan when he was President, but after reading this book, I better understand President Reagan's exceptional contribution to this country as our nations leader. I also hope that Michael Deaver writes another book, as his writing style flows easily even for we procrastinators of reading. I believe that if more authors had Mr. Deaver's style, I.. and the rest of the book reading procrastinators would be reading more books, more frequently. Thank you Mr.Deaver and of course President Reagan.

The Greatest Man/President

A wonderful commentary that encompasses so many extraordinary accomplishments. Amen.

Fascinating Insights into President Reagan's Character

To historians, President Reagan remains an enigma in many ways. No one failed to be moved by President Reagan. His magic touched us all. How much was the man? How much was carefully constructed image? In this detailed memoir of thirty years of working with President Reagan, Michael Deaver addresses many of the hypotheses and reports that bear on those questions. In doing so, he paints a compelling portrait of a genuinely principled man with enormous talent for inspirational leadership. President Reagan's devotion to ending the cold war was a pole star that undoubtedly helped all of humanity to gradually emerge from that conflict. In the foreward by Mrs. Reagan, she notes that 'there are only a handful of people who could write about the private Ronald Reagan.' One of the 'most qualified is our friend Mike Deaver.' She praises Mr. Deaver for working behind the scenes rather than trying to grab glory for himself. Mr. Deaver makes modest claims for the book. 'I would never pretend to solve the riddle of Reagan . . . .' This book is 'not a biography . . . [it is] a book of memories.' The book begins with the first time Mr. Deaver saw Mr. Reagan in person in the 1960s, and ends with the last time they saw one another before the book was written. The painful portrait of a talented man with Alzheimer's Disease will grip you, in a way that you cannot imagine. The book's main theme is that President Reagan 'was guided by a source of inspiration that only he could understand.' The quickest way to lose a point was to argue that taking a stand would hurt politically. President Reagan saw it as his duty to persuade people to take the right point of view. Polls determined what he had to communicate about, not what his decisions should be. Mr. Deaver's durability was related to both his sense of place and his sense of mission. Both Mrs. Reagan and he report that they shared a common objective of helping President Reagan be his most effective. Mr. Reagan was once asked if Mr. Deaver was like a son to him. He replied, 'Son, no. Brother, maybe.' Only once in their years together did Mr. Deaver use Mr. Reagan's first name with him. Mr. Deaver regrets having done so. Those who doubt the ability of or dislike President Reagan will dislike this book. It counters many of their arguments. You will find that President Reagan sought out the tough decisions, did his homework, and always wanted to get the best people involved. He was able to handle the intellectual demands of the key issues, and worked hard to be sure that he had as much information as possible. The only way he would consider changing his mind about something was if people would be hurt by his decision. Those who always felt that there was a director and script writer in the wings will be fascinated to find out that almost all of President Reagan's best lines were written by him. He also did some pretty remarkable things to enhance his ability to persuade. For example, he wore only one contact lens when speaking. This enabled him to see both the script (with the one eye that had a lens in) and the eyes of the audience (to see how they were reacting). This was an approach he had designed himself to avoid reading glasses in public. The story of the assassination attempt will change your view of the event and the need for more presidential security forever. Anyone who has read this book could recounts dozens of fascinating anecdotes. I will avoid the temptation to share more of them, so that you can enjoy them in the book. As interesting as they are, I think that the overall portrait is far more significant. President Reagan's competitiveness and discipline in the service of American ideals are what will most impress you. May we always be so well served in our presidents. After you read this book, think about how you could become more like President Reagan. What do you stand for? How can you become more competitive and disciplined in supporting those ide

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.

No text was provided for this review.