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Nancy: A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan
She was the daughter of a single mother, a Hollywood movie star, the wife of one of the greatest presidents of the twentieth century, a cancer survivor. And she waged her greatest battle against her husband's Alzheimer's disease. Nancy Davis Reagan has led an extraordinary life. Now, Mike Deaver, whose relationship with Mrs. Reagan dates back to the 1960s, shares the side of Nancy that only her intimates know. The Nancy Reagan with whom most Americans are familiar is a caricature shaped by consistently negative press coverage. But the Nancy Reagan whom Mike Deaver has come to know for more than thirty-five years, the woman portrayed in Nancy , is far more complicated. Nancy has been no bit player in the Reagan story. Deaver believes that Ronald Reagan would not have risen to such distinction without Nancy at his side. To the man Ronald Reagan, Nancy gave the gift of her unrestricted love. She was his respite, his comfort, his reward at the end of the day. When Ronnie's image might be tainted, she would fervently guard it, even at the expense of her own. Now, Nancy is guardian and nurturer of the Great Communicator's legacy.
224 pages, Paperback
First published February 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 24, 2025
[3 1/2 stars.] An intimate look at a complicated first lady, Nancy is a good, short biography of Nancy Reagan. It runs from cradle to present (at time of publication), though it leaves Nancy’s birth year somewhat in question. Mostly, Nancy is presented as fighter and protector of her husband’s legacy—as governor, president, and ailing statesman.
A close aide to the Reagans, Michael Deaver shows his favoritism, but a reader should expect as much. A few times it is too much, as he has petty jabs at evil liberals, the Carters, and the Clintons, instead of allowing the Reagan mystique to stand on its own. Yes, Nancy and Ronald were attacked unfairly occasionally, but that’s also to be expected if you want to be president.
The book presents some unfamiliar insider stories and fun anecdotes, and the reader gets to know Nancy a bit better. It’s awkward hearing her referred to by her first name while her husband is referred to as “Reagan,” but that maintains the preferred writing style of the moment. We’re also introduced to the Reagan children, and meet Nancy’s influential parents.
The final chapter is dedicated to Alzheimer’s in general, but takes the reader close to the former president’s side as he slowly fades away—a place that Deaver indicates earlier in the book to which we were not going to travel. It’s nothing inappropriately personal, but shocking nonetheless.
Overall, this book may seem like it tells more about Ronald Reagan than it should, but the reality is that his life is her life, so it makes sense.
If the reader knows the timing of Ronald Reagan’s death, the book becomes a little eerie when it talks of his being alive. It was published in February 2004, and the president passed away just months later.
A close aide to the Reagans, Michael Deaver shows his favoritism, but a reader should expect as much. A few times it is too much, as he has petty jabs at evil liberals, the Carters, and the Clintons, instead of allowing the Reagan mystique to stand on its own. Yes, Nancy and Ronald were attacked unfairly occasionally, but that’s also to be expected if you want to be president.
The book presents some unfamiliar insider stories and fun anecdotes, and the reader gets to know Nancy a bit better. It’s awkward hearing her referred to by her first name while her husband is referred to as “Reagan,” but that maintains the preferred writing style of the moment. We’re also introduced to the Reagan children, and meet Nancy’s influential parents.
The final chapter is dedicated to Alzheimer’s in general, but takes the reader close to the former president’s side as he slowly fades away—a place that Deaver indicates earlier in the book to which we were not going to travel. It’s nothing inappropriately personal, but shocking nonetheless.
Overall, this book may seem like it tells more about Ronald Reagan than it should, but the reality is that his life is her life, so it makes sense.
If the reader knows the timing of Ronald Reagan’s death, the book becomes a little eerie when it talks of his being alive. It was published in February 2004, and the president passed away just months later.
January 20, 2015
Michael Deaver is a long time Reagan staffer and he was the liaison between the Reagan staff and Nancy Reagan. Deaver states that Nancy Reagan had only one goal in life that was to support and protect Ronald Reagan. Deaver says her life was always about Ronnie.
The first part of the book covers her early life. She was born Anne Frances Robbins July 6 1921. Her nickname was Nancy. Nancy’s mother was the famous stage actress Edith Luckett (1880-1987) she did not know her father. In 1929 her mother married neurosurgeon Loyal Davis (1896-1982). They lived in Chicago and Nancy legally changed her name to Davis. Nancy graduated from Smith Collage in 1943: she majored in English and drama. As an actress she appeared on Broadway and later was contracted for film with MGM. She was in many films and retired from acting in 1962. She married Reagan in 1952 and had two children Patricia Ann and Ronald Prescott Reagan.
Deaver covers the time from Governor to President mostly from Nancy viewpoint. He shows how she went from a reluctant and hesitate speaker into a polished speaker. The author reveals Nancy as a reluctant politician’s wife but he shows how she applied herself to learn the job. Deaver says she was a direct, impatient person and as such some people felt she was intimidating.
The last part of the book covers their life living with Alzheimer disease and the toll it took on them. This is not a comprehensive biography of Nancy Reagan nor is there any pushing of a political agenda. It is primarily a personal and moving tribute to Nancy Reagan by a person who worked with her daily over more than 35 years. The book provides a look into the life of Nancy Reagan and what she thought was most important in her life. I enjoyed learning more about Nancy Reagan and her life since the White House. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. The author narrated the book.
The first part of the book covers her early life. She was born Anne Frances Robbins July 6 1921. Her nickname was Nancy. Nancy’s mother was the famous stage actress Edith Luckett (1880-1987) she did not know her father. In 1929 her mother married neurosurgeon Loyal Davis (1896-1982). They lived in Chicago and Nancy legally changed her name to Davis. Nancy graduated from Smith Collage in 1943: she majored in English and drama. As an actress she appeared on Broadway and later was contracted for film with MGM. She was in many films and retired from acting in 1962. She married Reagan in 1952 and had two children Patricia Ann and Ronald Prescott Reagan.
Deaver covers the time from Governor to President mostly from Nancy viewpoint. He shows how she went from a reluctant and hesitate speaker into a polished speaker. The author reveals Nancy as a reluctant politician’s wife but he shows how she applied herself to learn the job. Deaver says she was a direct, impatient person and as such some people felt she was intimidating.
The last part of the book covers their life living with Alzheimer disease and the toll it took on them. This is not a comprehensive biography of Nancy Reagan nor is there any pushing of a political agenda. It is primarily a personal and moving tribute to Nancy Reagan by a person who worked with her daily over more than 35 years. The book provides a look into the life of Nancy Reagan and what she thought was most important in her life. I enjoyed learning more about Nancy Reagan and her life since the White House. I read this as an audio book downloaded from Audible. The author narrated the book.
February 22, 2009
This book was fine, but it's written by a friend of Nancy's and it really never loses that tone of, "oh, my friend, she's swell!" I'm looking forward to reading a more in-depth biography of the former first lady.
August 26, 2017
Interesting to get a behind-the-scenes view of Nancy's role in Reagan presidency, but it's a little too much gushing over both of the Reagans. The author resorts to filling a lot of the last disc of the audiobook with letters and speeches she made -- felt like he ran out of material.
November 12, 2017
I really like Deaver's writing. I especially like that he tends to keep politics to a minimum in writing his biographies of the Reagans. I did find the swipes that he took at the Clintons annoying, but there weren't very many of those.
January 8, 2023
I like to read the source material found in the works cited section of political biographies, which is why I picked up this book. While it was mostly interesting to read Deaver's insights on Nancy Reagan, he didn't quite master getting himself out of the way as much as he should have.
2.5
2.5
June 29, 2018
Interesting, quick read.
January 10, 2021
I really enjoyed reading of this Nancy. I learned a lot about her that the public never knew.
March 31, 2016
Very selective incidents in this book! It's combination biography and memoir (that contains no bibliography nor contents pages) and aims to be a semi-hagiography.
Deaver is a good and facile writer. He does his best to present Mrs. Reagan in a positive light and often succeeds in clarifying choices she made as First Lady that were criticized by the media and the public.
The book does suffer from his continuous criticism of "the liberal media." Annoying, unnecessarily provocative, and petty.
Nancy was a professional actress and a well-educated woman who was alternately arrogant (tho' Deaver would disagree) and incredibly thin skinned. She was a very polarizing First Lady and was not universally liked or respected in that role. Her inability to convey a more positive façade was to a large extent hers and Deaver's. To his credit, Deaver gives a few examples of when he didn't perform at his best or his PR judgments were faulty.
All in all, this is a paean to the woman he calls "my best friend." Curiously, her bad relationships with her 2 biological children are never discussed; they barely rate a passing mention beyond their births. Nor are her chilly relations with her stepchildren discussed, especially with Michael, Ronald Reagan's son with Jane Wyman. He never mentions that in her great love for her husband there was no room for the children and they were largely raised in boarding schools from disturbingly young ages (as were Michael and Maureen Reagan).
Deaver mentions that Nancy avidly supported Foster Grandparents, but never mentions that she and the President, who took numerous vacations back at their California ranch (the "Western White House") annually never visited Michael Reagan's family living close by and didn't see Reagan's granddaughter Ashley until after the story broke in the media that they'd never visited their own grandchild!
Also, he claims that Nancy sat with Jane Wyman Maureen's funeral. Other books say that Jane was too frail to attend, and one claims that Jane and Michael sat on one side of the church and Nancy and her children sat on the other.
Deaver is a good and facile writer. He does his best to present Mrs. Reagan in a positive light and often succeeds in clarifying choices she made as First Lady that were criticized by the media and the public.
The book does suffer from his continuous criticism of "the liberal media." Annoying, unnecessarily provocative, and petty.
Nancy was a professional actress and a well-educated woman who was alternately arrogant (tho' Deaver would disagree) and incredibly thin skinned. She was a very polarizing First Lady and was not universally liked or respected in that role. Her inability to convey a more positive façade was to a large extent hers and Deaver's. To his credit, Deaver gives a few examples of when he didn't perform at his best or his PR judgments were faulty.
All in all, this is a paean to the woman he calls "my best friend." Curiously, her bad relationships with her 2 biological children are never discussed; they barely rate a passing mention beyond their births. Nor are her chilly relations with her stepchildren discussed, especially with Michael, Ronald Reagan's son with Jane Wyman. He never mentions that in her great love for her husband there was no room for the children and they were largely raised in boarding schools from disturbingly young ages (as were Michael and Maureen Reagan).
Deaver mentions that Nancy avidly supported Foster Grandparents, but never mentions that she and the President, who took numerous vacations back at their California ranch (the "Western White House") annually never visited Michael Reagan's family living close by and didn't see Reagan's granddaughter Ashley until after the story broke in the media that they'd never visited their own grandchild!
Also, he claims that Nancy sat with Jane Wyman Maureen's funeral. Other books say that Jane was too frail to attend, and one claims that Jane and Michael sat on one side of the church and Nancy and her children sat on the other.
August 12, 2016
Read by the author with a soothing, easy-to-listen-to voice.
Deaver reveals Nancy Reagan as a woman who loved her husband totally and whether she agreed with him or not. (She didn't want him to run for office.) She made it her goal to help him succeed.
Deaver has always had a good relationship with her because from the first he gave her normal respect (wheras many regarded her as a problem or wouldn't give her information because she was "only" the wife).
Having lived through the media coverage of Nancy Reagan, it was enjoyable to learn the inside story that led to press distortions, such as what the governor's mansion was like when the Reagan's refused to live there (it was a fire hazard and the second floor escape was: break a window and lower yourself by rope or jump out), the tempest when Nancy ordered new china for the White House (which didn't have enough of a set to serve dinners with matching pieces!)
The treatment of President Reagan's Alzheimer's was poignant. One odd aspect of the book was that Deaver mentions his departure from the administration during Reagan's second term as a need to recover from alcoholism, but that seems to (by Deaver's account) have played no role in anything in the book or his relationship with the Reagans.
Deaver reveals Nancy Reagan as a woman who loved her husband totally and whether she agreed with him or not. (She didn't want him to run for office.) She made it her goal to help him succeed.
Deaver has always had a good relationship with her because from the first he gave her normal respect (wheras many regarded her as a problem or wouldn't give her information because she was "only" the wife).
Having lived through the media coverage of Nancy Reagan, it was enjoyable to learn the inside story that led to press distortions, such as what the governor's mansion was like when the Reagan's refused to live there (it was a fire hazard and the second floor escape was: break a window and lower yourself by rope or jump out), the tempest when Nancy ordered new china for the White House (which didn't have enough of a set to serve dinners with matching pieces!)
The treatment of President Reagan's Alzheimer's was poignant. One odd aspect of the book was that Deaver mentions his departure from the administration during Reagan's second term as a need to recover from alcoholism, but that seems to (by Deaver's account) have played no role in anything in the book or his relationship with the Reagans.
May 9, 2013
Michael Deaver's "Nancy: A Portrait of My Years with Nancy Reagan" is a somewhat quick biography of Nancy Reagan which is told by an individual who was for many years one of Ronald Reagan's closest advisers & someone who got to know Nancy very well. The story focuses on the important aspects of her life from the years in Sacramento in the governor's office through the Presidency & his eventual decline due to Alzheimer's disease. The book itself somewhat simplifies this period in time & through Deaver's own experiences with the Reagan's he offers a bit of a glimpse into the role Nancy has with her beloved Ronnie. Overall, this is a disappointing brief look at Mrs. Reagan & one probably worth reading only for those with a casual interest in this family & not a detailed look at this dynamic first lady.
June 15, 2011
LOVED this sweet telling of Nancy Reagan's life. It was well-written and interesting. I am always wary of biographies that tend to be dry and factual--because a person's life is almost never dry. I loved this telling of their political and personal life, from her perspective--by one who knew her well. And when I got to the end...re-reading that letter that Reagan wrote to the country, and of her care for him in his last days--which ended up being ever so many more than they originally thought...it made me cry. They loved each other so very dearly. And he was such a great man. And what a sad, sad ending to his life. The quote that stood out to me most. "We had such an extraordinary life together, but that makes it harder. I start to say, 'Do you remember,' and then I stop myself."
September 22, 2007
It's hard for me to rate this book. I enjoyed it, but much of it was material and recollections that had already been included in the author's longer memoirs about the president. If I had read this one first, I might have given it a higher rating. Mr. Deaver worked with Nancy for many years and has some interesting insights into her personality and character, and how the media frequently mis-portrayed her (as they typically seem to do). Far from viewing her as angelic, he does portray her as a strong woman who learned a lot about public life during her years as the wife of the governor of California and eventually the president of the United States.
October 7, 2010
Michael Deaver takes us to the heart and soul of Nancy Reagan. He takes us back to the beginning when she met her "Ronnie" to facing his cruel fate of Alzheimer's, learning all the way about how she possibly felt, looked and handled or didn't handle events and situations. But all the while serving as grand protector of her "Ronnie".
If your looking for a down to earth approach to learning about the woman behind the man then this is the book for you
If your looking for a down to earth approach to learning about the woman behind the man then this is the book for you
March 20, 2016
After Mrs.Reagan died...I found I had purchased this book at the Library book sale. Meaningful book from one of President Reagan's closest advisors over 20+ years. Clear from this book how much Nancy loved her husband and very insightful. I forgot she was a backer of "Say no to Drugs" campaign. Having read this intimate portrayal of Nancy...
I am ready to read Bill O'Reilly's book on Killing Reagan!
I am ready to read Bill O'Reilly's book on Killing Reagan!
November 23, 2008
"If I ache, it's because we are apart
and yet that can't be,
because you are inside and a part of me,
so we really aren't apart at all.
Yet I ache, but wouldn't be without the ache,
because that would mean being without you
and that I can't be, because I love you."
Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)
A wonderful account of true love & friendship.
and yet that can't be,
because you are inside and a part of me,
so we really aren't apart at all.
Yet I ache, but wouldn't be without the ache,
because that would mean being without you
and that I can't be, because I love you."
Ronald Reagan (1911 - 2004)
A wonderful account of true love & friendship.
November 14, 2012
Prior to buying this book I decided to skim it in the bookstore. Before I knew it- I was consumed by the clear writing and my genuine interest in Reagan's powerful wife. I was intrigued to learn that Nancy was referred to as Dragon Lady and the big B word. My perception of her prior to this book was wrong. Read this book in one night. It's easy and fast.
August 15, 2016
This is a very well-written book about Nancy Reagan and her relationship with Ronald Reagan. Michael Deaver presents Nancy's story with class and affection. I have always been a fan of Nancy and Ronald Reagan, and this book just enhanced that and gave me even more reason to respect them both.
April 10, 2012
I really enjoyed this book and found that although I had always admired her, I had a new respect for her as I read about some of the things she has accomplished.
May 7, 2012
A great look at Ron's better half
June 28, 2016
Great look into the life of a great lady. Enjoyed this book and it was an easy read.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews