If you enjoy politics and the give and take of political campaigns, this is a book for you. If you like President Reagan, this is defintely a book for you. It covers in full detal the 1980 presidential campaign, when Reagan trounced President Carter and changed radically the national landscape for a generation. Ironically, changing it in the opposite way of a President that Reagan admired, Franklin Roosevelt.

It's a great book, but not for everyone. Its 600+ pages, densely written in very small type, go into extreme detail on all the major and minor events occurring within each of the campaigners' teams towards the Reagan's eventual victory. Although now, with the benefit of hindsight, we know that Reagan caused a crushing defeat of Carter, the author paints vividly the fact that throughout that year, 1980, the results were far from assured. Only Reagan had the confidence, most of the time, of forging ahead because he knew and felt the way most voters felt.

The author reconstructs, as far as it's possible, conversations and events throughout the year-long campaign. He gives vivid portraits of a large number of characters, starting with the three main candidates who were in the November ballot (who remembers Anderson?) and the campaign managers, advisors, interlopers, etc. Shirley, the author, also brings forth the humanity of the candidates, especially Reagan and Carter.

Carig Shirley, the author, reinforces and gives further evidence that President Reagan was a very smart, humble, and shrewd politician. And clarifies his innate ability to relate to the 'common man' who knew well the aspirations and desires of the vast majority of Americans. It is not by sleight of hand that he gained the support a great mix of people, but rather his understanding that the only way that the Republican party would succeed was by opening up to all- and stopping its elitist attitudes. Shirley points out that the high echelons of the party, the establishment, disliked him. But Reagan was able to overrun them.

At the same time, Shirley paints Carter as a rather sanctimonious, even hypocritical, individual who failed to understand the mood of the country. He had succeeded over Ford in '76 mostly as a rejection of Ford perhaps. But his inability to govern, and understand the governed, led to his downfall.

The author also shows President Bush, the father, as a tough campaigner who initially disliked Reagan. In fact, the feeling was mutual through the primary campaign when they opposed each other. Reagan manages to outmaneuver Bush and gets the nomination. After choosing Bush as his running mate, the come to like and respect each other.

Overall I found this book, to use a cliche, a page turner. Although very long it kept my attention throughout- I couldn't put it down. ( )