Drawing on new interviews and previously unavailable documents, James Mann offers a fresh and compelling narrative—a new history assessing what Ronald Reagan did and did not do to help bring America's four-decade conflict with the Soviet Union to a close. As he did so masterfully in Rise of the Vulcans, Mann sheds new light on the hidden aspects of American foreign policy. He reveals previously undisclosed secret messages between Reagan and Moscow; internal White House intrigues; and battles with leading figures such as Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger, who repeatedly questioned Reagan's unfolding diplomacy with Mikhail Gorbachev. He details the background and fierce debate over Reagan's famous Berlin Wall speech and shows how it fit into Reagan's policies. Ultimately, Mann dispels the facile stereotypes of Reagan in favor of a levelheaded, cogent understanding of a determined president and his strategy. This book finally answers the troubling questions about Reagan's actual role in the crumbling of Soviet power. Mann concludes that by recognizing the significance of Gorbachev, Reagan helped bring the Cold War to a close.
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"So far, it's just fantastic." — Barron (5 out of 5 stars)
"So far, it's just fantastic."
A lively and well-researched examination of an important period in American diplomatic history.
“Were Ronald Reagan’s efforts to end the Cold War really the result of his handlers? Hardly, as Mann makes a persuasive case for Reagan’s negotiation skills and plans in confronting the Soviet Untion.”
“All of those who have written about Reagan have found their subject elusive. How can the affable, anecdote-telling actor and the principled, thoughtful statesman be the same person? Mann…does a superb job of explaining how Reagan helped change the world.”
“An extraordinary account of Ronald Reagan’s approach to the Soviet Union that sheds considerable light on the end of the Cold War.”
" Not bad... I thought it could have been organized a little bit differently... Some chapters was just repeats and I felt one or two could have been left out. Otherwise it was an interesting read. Never thought I would like it. First time for everything. "
" It was a good read, not great. "
" This really is a well-written book. Unfortunately, I had to return it to the library before I was able to finish it. I plan to either check it out again or buy it to finish it. "
James Mann, previously Beijing bureau chief for the Los Angeles Times, is author-in-residence at Johns Hopkins University’s Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of Rise of the Vulcans, About Face, and Beijing Jeep.
Alan Sklar, a graduate of Dartmouth, has excelled in his career as a freelance voice actor. Named a Best Voice of 2009 by AudioFile magazine, his work has earned him several Earphones Awards, a Booklist Editors’ Choice Award (twice), a Publishers Weekly Listen-Up Award, and Audiobook of the Year by ForeWord magazine. He has also narrated thousands of corporate videos for clients such as NASA, Sikorsky Aircraft, IBM, Dannon, Pfizer, AT&T, and SONY.
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