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Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976–1980 Kindle Edition

4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 85 ratings

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With a Foreword by Jon Meacham

New York Times bestselling biographer Craig Shirley charts Ronald Reagan’s astonishing rise from the ashes of his lost 1976 presidential bid to overwhelming victory in 1980. American conservatism—and the nation itself—would never be the same.

In 1976, when Ronald Reagan lost his second bid for the GOP presidential nomination (the first was in 1968), most observers believed his political career was over. Yet one year later, at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference, Reagan sounded like a new man. He introduced conservatives to a "New Republican Party"—one that looked beyond the traditional country club and corporate boardroom base to embrace "the man and woman in the factories . . . the farmer . . . the cop on the beat. Our party," Reagan said, "must be the party of the individual. It must not sell out the individual to cater to the group."

Reagan’s movement quickly spread, championed by emerging conservative leaders and influential think tanks. Meanwhile, for the first time in modern history, Reagan also began drawing young people to American conservatism.

But it was not only the former governor's political philosophy that was changing. A new man was emerging as well: The angry anticommunist was evolving into a more reflective, thoughtful, hopeful, and more spiritual leader. Championing the individual at home, rejecting containment and détente abroad, and advocating for the defeat of Soviet communism, his appeal crossed party lines.

At a time when conservatives are seeking to redefine their identity in light of the Donald Trump phenomenon, Reagan Rising offers insight into the development of Reagan’s optimistic and unifying philosophy, and offers lessons for both established Republican leaders as well as emerging hopefuls.

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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Whoever seeks to know the heart of Ronald Reagan will find it in Reagan Rising, as Craig Shirley once again records our 40th President with extraordinary wamth, depth and perspective. A “must add” to any Reagan fan’s library.” — Ken Khachigian, Ronald Reagan's Senior Presidential Campaign Aide and Chief White House Speechwriter

“Craig Shirley’s newest book, Reagan Rising, reveals the real Reagan -- the ideas that shaped the man and his presidency. With Trump in the White House, this is the most important book you must read.” — Chris Ruddy, CEO, Newsmax Media

“Craig Shirley has written a supremely important addition to the world of Reagan biographies, a field in which he is already a star scholar.” — Jeff Lord, Former Reagan White House Political Aide, CNN commentator, Columnist, The American Spectator.

“…an engrossing, richly detailed saga filled with political figures obscure and familiar. Both political junkies and general readers should appreciate this account of the triumph of a conservative icon.” — Booklist

“I never read a Craig Shirley book about Reagan without learning something about my old boss, This is an insightful, thoughtful history that reminds us of the renewal that occurred the last time the Republican Party was near collapse. It is the story of the lifeguard Reagan rescuing a drowning party. If only...” — Landon Parvin, former White House speechwriter for Ronald Reagan

“Ronald Reagan defined a political party for a generation. He defined an ideology, shaped in his view of what true liberty, individualism, and American conservatism really meant. Craig Shirley’s Reagan Rising is the go-to book on how this came to be.” — The Honorable Georgette Mosbacher, Commissioner of the United States Advisory Committee on Public Diplomacy, US State Department

“This book is serious history that reads like a page-turner novel. Craig Shirley’s prose, while carefully annotated, is as compelling as fireside stories told by an eye witness. The details and insights in this book provide must-know context for American politics past, present and in the future.” — Mari Maseng Will, former Reagan White House speechwriter.

About the Author

JON MEACHAM received the Pulitzer Prize for his 2008 biography of Andrew Jackson, American Lion. He is also the author of the New York Times bestsellers Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George H.W. Bush, American Gospel, and Franklin and Winston. Meacham, who teaches at Vanderbilt University, is a fellow of the Society of American Historians. He lives in Nashville with his wife and children.



Craig Shirley is the author of Reagan Rising, Rendezvous with Destiny, Reagan’s Revolution, Last Act and the New York Times bestseller December 1941. He is a regular commentator throughout the media and a contributor to national publications, and was hailed by the London Telegraph as “the best of the Reagan biographers.” He is the Visiting Reagan Scholar at Eureka College, Reagan’s alma mater, and lectures often at the Reagan Library and the Reagan Ranch. He and his wife, Zorine, divide their time between Ben Lomond, a three-hundred-year-old Georgian manor house in Essex County, Virginia, and Trickle Down Point on the Rappahannock River in Lancaster, Virginia. They are the parents of four children, Matthew, Andrew, Taylor, and Mitchell.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B01GCCVBKM
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Broadside e-books; Illustrated edition (March 21, 2017)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ March 21, 2017
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 3448 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 437 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 85 ratings

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Craig Shirley
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Craig Shirley is the author of four critically praised bestselling books on President Reagan, "Reagan's Revolution: The Untold Story of the Campaign That Started It All,""Rendezvous with Destiny: Ronald Reagan and the Campaign that Changed America," "Last Act: The Final Years and Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan," and "Reagan Rising: The Decisive Years, 1976-1980." His book "December 1941: 31 Days that Changed America and Saved the World" appeared multiple times on the New York Times bestselling list in December 2011 and January 2012. His book "Last Act," was named Best Narrative” in the nonfiction category by USA Best Books for 2015. He is also the author of the authorized biography of former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, "Citizen Newt: The Making of a Reagan Conservative."

Craig is the founder of Shirley & Banister Public Affairs, was chosen in 2005 by Springfield College as their Outstanding Alumnus, and has been named the First Reagan Scholar at Eureka College, Ronald Reagan's alma mater, where he taught a course titled "Reagan 101."

His books have been hailed as the definitive works on the Gipper's campaigns of 1976 and 1980. He is a member of the Board of Governors of the Reagan Ranch, Eureka College Board of Trustees and has lectured at the Reagan Library, the FDR Library in Hyde Park, and the Dole Institute in Kansas. The London Telegraph called Shirley as "the best of the Reagan biographers."

Shirley, a widely sought after speaker and commentator, appears regularly on many network and cable shows including NewsMaxTV, FOX News, MSNBC, CNN, ABC. CBS, CNBC, C-SPAN and others. He has also written extensively for the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, NewsMax, the Washington Examiner, the Washington Times, the Los Angeles Times, Town Hall, the Weekly Standard, Politico, Reuters and many other publications.

Craig Shirley also edited the book "Coaching Youth Lacrosse for the Lacrosse Foundation." He was also the founder of the Ft. Hunt Youth Lacrosse League and coached there for 14 years with an overall record of 119 wins, 21 losses and 4 ties.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
85 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on May 8, 2017
I just bought the digital version so I can read on the go...love this book! I was a kid when Reagan was in office so I really didn't understand the impact of his presidency on today's policies until later in life. With Reagan Rising, Craig Shirley has done a great job capturing the landscape leading up to the nomination and the core principals guiding Reagan daily once in office. Mr. Shirley is clearly a strong historian, with a definitive grasp of the Reagan years. I highly recommend this read!
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on July 19, 2017
Really cool book. Even if you don't like Reagan, Ford or Carter, the history and pop-culture alone,would be enough to want to read this book.

The late 70s and early 80s were a very scary time in America and this book not only sheds light on why but also how it could've gone more horribly wrong. Reagan himself was not a savior but part of the solution to some but not all of our nations crisis at the time. Reagan rose to many of occasions not the least of which was fending off both Gerald Ford, Bob Dole and George H.W. Bush-- all of whom were critics of Reagan, only to be staunch supporters in the decades to come. Ah... politicians and the wheels of democracy. The Greatest Show on Earth.
One person found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2017
Interesting and informative.
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2017
When former California governor Ronald Reagan came up just short in his bid to wrest the Republican nomination from incumbent president Gerald Ford in 1976, he was 65 years old and many observers thought that that campaign was Reagan's last chance to attain the presidency. But Reagan did, of course, run successfully in 1980, and in "Reagan Rising" author Craig Shirley chronicles the candidate's three comeback years following his '76 defeat.

Reagan started his road back to the presidency in 1977 by speaking and doing radio commentary. That year saw Jimmy Carter take office, and the new president was having trouble enacting substantive legislation due to ideological and temperamental differences between him and members of his own party in Congress (sound familiar?). 1977 and the beginning of 1978 also saw extensive debate over the Panama Canal treaties, and Shirley describes Reagan's role in that fight.

Shirley uses vivid anecdotes to describe the extent to which malaise had set in during the late Seventies--weakness abroad, gas lines, stagflation in the economy, narrowed horizons, and a disintegrating culture plagued the United States, and the country had already lost confidence in Carter relatively early in his term. In response, Reagan helped take the GOP in a stronger, more optimistic direction by promoting a muscular anti-communist stance to arrest our decline abroad and tax cuts to stimulate the economy at home.

The last section of the book is devoted to the Republican nomination battle of 1979 and 1980, in which Reagan captured the prize he had long sought by outlasting some formidable rivals. Shirley's remembrances here highlight Reagan's tenacity, confidence, decisiveness, and sense of humor, traits that would serve him well when it was time to govern after his election. There are a few errors here and there in the book, but those who have read and enjoyed Shirley's 
Reagan's Revolution  and  Rendezvous with Destiny  would find "Reagan Rising" well worth reading.
6 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 22, 2017
Bought and read this book over the course of one day. I loved it but then I loved Reagan. It is a meticulous (but not overbearing) account specifically of Ronald Reagan's run for office in 1976 and the years that followed that led to his election in 1980. I particularly liked the way the author was able to help us remember just how awful the late '70s were: it felt like we were losing on every front and President Carter seemed helpless and too hapless to do anything (which is why America was SO overjoyed when we beat the Soviet's in ice hockey in the Winter Olympics in 1980...USA finally WON something against our sworn enemy). Reagan brought that winning attitude to a very depressed republic and told us we could win again. For Reagan junkies this is an excellent monograph on the four years between 1976 and 1980 and I thank the author for his dedication and skill in bringing this story forward.
8 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on August 24, 2019
A wonderful, well written, detailed account of President Reagan’s campaigns in 1976 in 1980. I especially enjoyed the authors detailed description of the Carter years as he painted a vivid picture of an administration that struggled mightily.
Reviewed in the United States on June 2, 2017
An interesting book by an acolyte of Reagan. He does however point out both his strengths and faults. He does give interesting insights into the campaigns workers of both Reagan's and his adversaries. He shows how the workers in the campaigns would move from one to the another due to spite, money,jealousy, or even ,much less often beliefs. It is amazing to me that many are still in the political game even today,2017.
2 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2017
We are at a point in our history where both of our major parties are in need of rebranding. The Democrats suffered a heavy loss to President Trump, and Trump took the GOP completely by surprise. The rise of candidates like Bernie Sanders also reveals unrest from many with the status quo.

I believe this book about Reagan is an important read for anyone, regardless of political ideology, due to its focus on rebranding the Republican Party. Well researched and insightful. I highly recommend it!
2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Mario Decock
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 29, 2017
good and quick

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