Reagan's Journey: Lessons from a Remarkable Career

While many people are familiar with a basic biography of Ronald Reagan%E2%80%93his acting career; his presidency; his struggle with Alzheimer's%E2%80%93the man's career actually spanned a wide range of accomplishments, from sportscasting to the Oval Office, and lasted several decades. In this uneven, uncertain narrative, Morrell offers a wholly favorable view of Reagan's rise to power, presidency, and legacy. Throughout, Morrell (Shackleton's Way) shows and tells: anecdotes are followed by lessons, a format that will be familiar to readers of the Leadership Lessons series. The result is a mishmash that isn't sure what it wants to be%E2%80%94part biography, part self-help. Anyone who doesn't credit Reagan with saving the world will be irritated by the amount of uncritical praise the author lavishes on him. While fans of Reagan will appreciate the unedited texts of his speeches, most will wonder why Morrell didn't commit to writing a series of lessons learned or a biography. The end result is disappointing to all. (May)