#ReadThis #TheTriumphofNancyReagan by #KarenTumulty @SimonSchuster
It makes sense to start on page 52:
"Reagan biographer Bob Colacello put it this way: 'What Edith [Nancy's mother] understood and Loyal would learn was that power transcends political affiliation, and ideology need not get in the way of social success. In other words, whom you know is more important than what you believe.'"
Previously on Whom You Know, we could not have been more thrilled with "An American Life" by President Ronald Reagan:
Ronnie said if you have a book, you'll always have a friend. And did you know he was an influencer before the term existed too: for General Electric!!!
Also previously on Whom You Know, we featured Johnnie Walker Black:
and we featured Jane Walker:
So in the spirit of anything boys can do, girls can do better, we present, drumroll please, NANCY REAGAN! High five from heaven, Nancy and we listened to you and just said no to bad influences. We also say no to bad books and if we find a book we are not high on, we don't publish on it at all. We wish we knew you but reading this book is one possibility of honoring your fantastic memory. You will get to know Nancy as a person and appreciate all that she and Ronnie did that much more. Especially today!
Though we love Nancy, we must admit after reading this we might be an even bigger fan of her adopted father, Loyal Davis, who told her: "Nancy, the answer to happiness is almost twenty-five hundred years old, and it's basically what the Greeks said. It's the pursuit of excellence in all aspects of one's life." (p. 38) Do you know a website who has that as a mission statement? You do!
Of course, Nancy and Ronnie were actors, but did you know Nancy's mother Edie was an actor first? Edie ran with a crowd in New York that included Spencer Tracy and Walter Huston, and she's another you'll regret not meeting and you'll lament you weren't born a century earlier. (Then you also could have known Agatha!) Edie also worked at CBS with Mike Wallace of 60 minutes fame.
A well-researched work, The Triumph of Nancy Reagan is entirely professional and done with diligence. Of course it is told in chronological order which makes sense.
Why you'll love the Nancy you might not know yet:
*She lived in Manhattan in a fourth-floor walkup at 409 East 51st Street and often went to East 49th to Katharine Hepburn's to keep her company
*Everyone loves forwards on the field hockey team! If you don't, what are you doing here?
*She was into pink underwear
*Cary Grant said she did something other actors didn't know how to do: she listened (p. 73)
*How she met Ronnie is fascinating because she most definitely was not a communist sympathizer
*She was interested in meeting power brokers in Washington of ALL PERSUASIONS (remember Reagan was famous for toasting fabulous Boston College alum Speaker of the House Democrat Tip O'Neill at the end of the day) and everyone alive today can learn from this attitude. When she hosted a dinner at the 1925 F Street Club, "One woman ordered wine during the cocktail hour but changed her mind. 'Oh, make it SCOTCH and water! The Carters are gone." (p. 239)
*Travolta danced with Princess Diana because Nancy told him she was hoping he would (p. 314)
*Her superpower of persuasion is whispering "Peace" in ears (p. 446)
*She turned around the Iran-Contra affair (Chapter 21)
Nancy is funny (p. 498), Nancy is social, (p. 555), and Nancy possesses a respect for history (p. 568) which everyone should appreciate now and forever. And did you know you could have ordered the Nancy Reagan Cobb Salad at the Hotel Bel-Air-someone in Manhattan should bring this back!
Though we respect and commend the incredible amount of work put into this and the high level of professionalism, it is missing personal passion. This is required for a truly phenomenal work, and if there is a relationship that is real between the subject matter and the author that also elevates the reading experience. The author discloses in the acknowledgements that this was Simon and Schuster's idea: it was a great one! Next time, please keep us in mind Simon and Schuster. Guess who has a degree in American History. At 578 pages, The Triumph of Nancy Reagan is a marathon so don't speed through it: you might miss something important!
The Triumph of Nancy Reagan is Recommended by Whom You Know.
The definitive biography of the fiercely vigilant and politically astute First Lady who shaped one of the most consequential presidencies of the 20th century: Nancy Reagan.
The made-in-Hollywood marriage of Ronald and Nancy Reagan is more than a love story—it’s the partnership that made him president. Of the pair, Nancy was the one with the sharper instincts about people, the superior radar for trouble, and the keen sense of how to secure his place in history. The only person in the world to whom Ronald Reagan felt truly close, Nancy understood how to foster his strengths and compensate for his weaknesses. Neither timid nor apologetic about wielding her power, Nancy Reagan made herself a place in history.
But that confidence took years to develop. Nancy’s traumatic early childhood instilled in her a lifelong anxiety and a craving for security. Born into a broken marriage, she spent seven years yearning for the absent mother who abandoned her to pursue an acting career. When she met Ronnie, who had a difficult upbringing of his own, the two fractured halves became whole. And as Ronnie turned from acting to politics, she did too, helping build the scaffolding of his rise and cultivating the wealthy and powerful figures who would help pave his way. Not only was Nancy crucial in shaping Ronald’s White House team and in softening her husband’s rhetoric, she became an unseen force pushing her husband toward what she saw as his grandest purpose—to shake his image as a warmonger and leave behind a more peaceful world.
This book explores the multifaceted character of Nancy Reagan and reveals new details surrounding the tumultuous presidency. The Washington Post columnist Karen Tumulty spent four years interviewing the people who knew this couple best and draws on overlooked archives, letters, memoirs, and White House records, compiling the most extensive biography of Nancy Reagan yet. From the AIDS epidemic to tensions with the Soviets and the war on drugs, this book shows how Nancy Reagan became one of the most influential First Ladies of the century.
Karen Tumulty is a political columnist for The Washington Post. Before joining the Post, Tumulty wrote for Time magazine. She is based in Washington, DC.
