Ronald Reagan: Destiny at His Side

Heroes of History #19

by Janet Benge, Geoff Benge

From his early days living in small-town poverty, young Dutch Reagan’s thoughts were always on the future. Whether helping his family through financial hard times or doggedly pursuing opportunities reserved for the few, Dutch knew that all the knowledge that he had absorbed over the years was waiting inside of him for a chance to come out.

Achieving success as an athlete, sports announcer, and actor, Ronald Reagan discovered his greatest role late in life―as the fortieth president of the United States and “The Great Communicator,” a man with the ability to reach out to the American people and leave a lasting legacy (1911-2004).

Genres: Biography, History, Nonfiction, Chapter Books, American History, Audiobook

221 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2010

About the author

Janet and Geoff Benge are a husband and wife writing team with twenty years of writing experience. They are best known for the books in the two series Christian Heroes: Then & Now series and Heroes of History. Janet is a former elementary school teacher. Geoff holds a degree in history. Together they have a passion to make history come alive for a new generation. Originally from New Zealand, the Benges make their home in the Orlando, Florida, area.

Reviews

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where so many of our presidents came from never fails to amaze and inspire me...

A nice, easy, thorough read about President Ronald Reagan's life.

[Daniel Ray · Rating 4 out of 5]

During the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan cut the size of the federal government, saying the government wasn’t the solution, it was the problem. And he cut income taxes, for the rich as well, on the idea the rich would create jobs for the working class. He cut over the top government regulations and deregulated the energy industry. The 1970s saw out of control inflation, high unemployment, and high gas prices. He brought the economy back and rebuilt the military. He brought back a sense of morale and patriotism to the country. He and Mikhail Gorbachev reduced the number of nuclear weapons and ended the Cold War. He provided leadership that was lacking during the 1970s. I lived through these times. And kudos to Nancy Reagan’s “just say no” anti-drug campaign. His presidency was, however, marred by the Iran-Contra affair.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Note: I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

I really enjoyed reading this biography of Ronald Reagan. I admit to not knowing a lot about his early life or background even though I have a degree in history. Too often more modern day presidents and leaders are skimmed over in history classes so it was nice to read this Heroes of History book to fill in the gaps. (And after reading it I want to learn more about Reagan and his life.)

I would recommend the books from the Heroes of History series including this one. I look forward to reading more in the series.

[Hank Pharis · Rating 2 out of 5]

(NOTE: I'm stingy with stars. For me 2 stars means a good book or a B. 3 stars means a very good book or a B+. 4 stars means an outstanding book or an A {only about 5% of the books I read merit 4 stars}. 5 stars means an all time favorite or an A+ {Only one of 400 or 500 books rates this!).

The great news is that I can listen to a book a day at work. The bad news is that I can’t keep up with decent reviews. So I’m going to give up for now and just rate them. I hope to come back to some of the most significant things I listen to and read them and then post a review.

I have very much enjoyed all the books in this series.

[Matthew Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really love the Heroes of History series and have learned so much with it so far. This book went over Ronald’s or “Dutch’s” life and was a great read. I also found out that the publishers (YWAM) also wrote 50 other books as part of their series Christian Heroes: Then and Now which was a pleasant surprise. These books are great for all ages though I think are geared more towards kids. I would recommend any parents looking for good books for their kids to give this series a shot as it is excellent.

[JD' · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading about Ronald Reagan, reminded me of my grandpa, who also liked to tell stories and joke in a similar fashion. After the assassination attempt, from the Hilton, reagan is rushed to the ER and says to his wife, "Honey, I forgot to duck."
When greeted by the doctors the president announced in the operating room: "I hope you're all Republicans."
I was visiting the Ronald Reagan library and graveside while listening to the audio book.
I think the best Reagan book is the audio book read by the president himself.

[Josiah Aston · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great overview of Reagan's path to the presidency. Enough details of his life are included to give you a realistic picture into who he was and his internal and external motivations. The book did seem to focus only on the positive.

[Lea Berryreadinbooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened as audiobook with kids. His early life was so fun to learn about. We learned where “Win one for the Gipper” and “Mr. Gorbachov, tear down that wall’” both came from. The book contains some good quotes and some great exerts of famous speeches.

[TJW · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting story of a man of faith, strength, determination, and charisma.

[Rachel Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Listened to this one with the kids. We've listened to some of the Christian biographies of this series but this was the first of the heroes of history. We all enjoyed it and learned a lot.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning about his life.

[Diana Tyndall · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know this book is geared toward kids but I really enjoyed this and learned so much about Reagan.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I grew up in the '80s, but didn't know much about Reagan other than the fact that he was president. I learned a lot from this book and finally understand the "Gipper" reference.

[Katie Brohard · Rating 5 out of 5]

we always enjoy these books. They make history come alive!

[Glen Ritter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful history story/biography on the life of President Reagan. Very fast read.

[Rachel Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Audio book with family:)

[AnnaScott · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing! More leaders in America should follow Ronald Reagan's example and ideas.

[Gordon Paisley · Rating 3 out of 5]

started 2/16/15