Peggy was a speechwriter for Presidents Reagan and Bush. I will buck the general adulation for this book. A bit too much "stream of consciousness" writing for me. I would have expected more from someone who writes rather well for the Wall Street Journal. That being said I plan to read her book about Pope John Paul II when the libraries reopen. ( )

Let the record show that I loved Peggy's [b:When Character Was King: A Story of Ronald Reagan|83060|When Character Was King A Story of Ronald Reagan|Peggy Noonan|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1440334440s/83060.jpg|1194409].

I read this book because Dana Perino spoke highly of it in [b:And the Good News Is...: Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side|22875469|And the Good News Is... Lessons and Advice from the Bright Side|Dana Perino|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1422812040s/22875469.jpg|42439921]. And I have 4 things to say:

1: What revolution, Ms. Noonan? There wasn't much in here about any revolution. And maybe it's because I didn't live through it that I didn't get it but I thought the title was misleading and showcased a manipulated government that didn't care much for it's constituents-- just about keeping them.

2: Ms. Noonan is very talented in regards to writing and speaking. I have heard her speak in public and, as mentioned previously, really liked her other book on Reagan. So what was with all of those parentheses? and the random snippets of experiences? and the (seemingly) unfounded admiration of Reagan. Give me proof, positive facts, and solid experiences that provide a foundation for these beliefs. And, if the asides in parentheses take more than a couple of sentences, write a chapter, dedicate a section, do something besides letting the parentheses take up pages of a section.

3: It was incredibly enlightening (If you're reading Uncle Brad, stop now). I came away from the book loving Reagan as a person but really cynical about the political process. It makes me want to know who really calls the shots and roll my eyes when people rhapsodize about that era. Politics are a mess and I'm pretty sure those Constitutional Convention-ers didn't want party-heads and chiefs-of-staff to run policy. Cause we don't vote for those.

4: The tone comes across as expressing an unhealthy obsession with Reagan the person. Just saying. ( )

Story read by the author, Peggy Noonan, speech writer for Ronald Reagan. I read this for the second time. The book does examine the Reagan era but it also gives the reader a look at growing up in America in the fifties, sixties and seventies. Peggy Noonan was born in a liberal family. She attended college and got a job as writer for CBS. She then got a job as speech writer for president Reagan. Rating: 3.13 ( )

I had always found that most of the speeches written by Peggy Noonan were unique, thoughtful and sometimes inspiring. Others have given this book decent reviews, so I was curious.

Not a bad book. Loosely organized chronologically and by general topic. I think Noonan starting background at CBS with Dan Rather then heading into the Reagan White House was an interesting path. She writes in a sometimes choppy and maybe abbreviated style.

I enjoyed some of the smaller observations she made about her environment and others:
- Used Executive Office Building furniture. It seems the junior staffer always get the cruddy old used stuff. This got mentioned several times.
- Several senior WH staffers get some defining observations (good and bad).
- As an up and coming woman, she seemed to be an odd duck in the male dominated staff at the WH in the mid-80's.
- The nut roll of staffing out a major draft speech was the epitome of bureaucracy.
- Though she was not at the WH when Iran-Contra unfolded, her impressions of Oliver North when she first came across him were interesting to read.

As I continue to see Noonan on TV political roundtables during this current election season, this book helps to paint a picture of her background and to appreciate where she comes from with her commentary.

Something different. I would recommend the book for those with any political interest. ( )

Though her politics, her insane desire for social progress to reverse, and her obvious antipathy for anyone with a college degree make me want to chop off my hands and bleed to death, this is still a useful, educational, and yes, witty and well written account of the Reagan White House - most particularly in regards to the art of writing in a political fishbowl. ( )