From master storyteller and New York Times bestselling Historian H. W. Brands comes the definitive biography of a visionary and transformative president In his magisterial new biography, H. W. Brands brilliantly establishes Ronald Reagan as one of the two great presidents of the twentieth century, a true peer to Franklin Roosevelt. Reagan conveys with sweep and vigor how the confident force of Reagan’s personality and the unwavering nature of his beliefs enabled him to engineer a conservative revolution in American politics and play a crucial role in ending communism in the Soviet Union. Reagan shut down the age of liberalism, Brands shows, and ushered in the age of Reagan, whose defining principles are still powerfully felt today. Employing archival sources not available to previous biographers and drawing on dozens of interviews with surviving members of Reagan’s administration, Brands has crafted a richly detailed and fascinating narrative of the presidential years. He offers new insights into Reagan’s remote management style and fractious West Wing staff, his deft handling of public sentiment to transform the tax code, and his deeply misunderstood relationship with Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev, on which nothing less than the fate of the world turned. Reagan is a storytelling triumph, an irresistible portrait of an underestimated politician whose pragmatic leadership and steadfast vision transformed the nation.
Henry William Brands Books
From the New York Times bestselling author, an acclaimed biography of President Teddy RooseveltLauded as "a rip-roaring life" ( Wall Street Journal ), TR is a magisterial biography of Theodore Roosevelt by bestselling author H.W. Brands. In his time, there was no more popular national figure than Roosevelt. It was not just the energy he brought to every political office he held or his unshakable moral convictions that made him so popular, or even his status as a bonafide war hero. Most important, Theodore Roosevelt was loved by the people because this scion of a privileged New York family loved America and Americans.And yet, according to Brands, if we look at the private Roosevelt without blinders, we see a man whose great public strengths hid enormous personal deficiencies; he was uncompromising, self-involved, and a highly imperfect brother, husband, and father.Beautifully written, and powerfully moved by its subject, TR is the classic biography of one of America's greatest and most complex leaders.
The extraordinary story of Andrew Jackson, the dynamic president who ushered in the Age of Democracy, is vividly recounted by bestselling author H.W. Brands. As the most famous American of his time, Jackson was the first “common man” to ascend to the presidency, embodying the spirit of the emerging nation and giving rise to the term “Jacksonian democracy.” Brands crafts a fast-paced historical narrative, following Jackson from his rebellious youth during the Revolutionary War to his rise as a lawyer and congressman from Tennessee. As a general, he quelled a significant Indian uprising, ensuring the safety of settlers, and his decisive victory at the Battle of New Orleans made him a national hero. Jackson's presidency marked a pivotal moment in American history; he aimed to create a genuine democracy, governed by the people. Despite his respect for states’ rights, he was committed to preserving the Union, famously threatening to deploy federal troops against South Carolina during the secession crisis. This comprehensive biography promises to reshape our understanding of Jackson and his era, positioning him among America’s greatest leaders and is expected to receive significant acclaim.