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by: Michael K. Deaver
Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 973.927092
EAN: 9780060087395
ISBN: 0060087390
Label: William Morrow
Manufacturer: William Morrow
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 224
Publication Date: 2004-02
Publisher: William Morrow
Release Date: February 03, 2004
Sales Rank: 1137212
Studio: William Morrow
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
Candid, moving and insightful, Nancy is the most personal look at Nancy Davis Reagan ever published.
She was the daughter of a single mother. She was a Hollywood movie star. She is the wife of one of the greatest presidents of the twentieth century. She is a cancer survivor. And she now wages her greatest, unwinnable battle -- against her husband's Alzheimer's disease. Nancy Davis Reagan has led an extraordinary life; it has also been an extraordinarily private one. Now Mike Deaver, whose relationship with Mrs. Reagan dates back to the 1960s, shares the side of Nancy that only her intimates know.
Most people don't know the real Nancy Reagan, or their impression of her has been shaped by consistently negative press coverage. If you believe the mainstream press, all you would really know about Nancy is that she likes fancy clothes or that she has rich and powerful friends or that she was obsessed with trivialities like the White House's china. Pundits were equally tough on her, crowning her with ugly nicknames, the tamer ones being Queen Nancy, Iron Lady, Ice Lady, and Dragon Lady.
But the Nancy Reagan Mike Deaver has come to know over thirty-five years, the woman portrayed in Nancy, is far more complicated than the stereotype. No cardboard cutout, she is pure flesh and blood, a woman of immense will and fortitude. And in the Reagans' fifty-year marriage, Ron always received top billing, and she would have it no other way. She is convinced that her husband was one of the great men of the twentieth century -- a rare world leader who changed the tide of history. Still, Nancy has been no bit player in the story. Deaver believes that Reagan would not have risen to such distinction without Nancy at his side.
Reluctantly drawn into politics, the retired actress and housewife was at first intimidated, but then gradually embraced her role. To the president who was incapable of protecting himself from those who served him poorly and even wished him harm, Nancy Reagan would bring discipline. When it would come time for a momentous life decision, to wage a campaign for the White House, she would ask the tough questions. When his image might be tainted, she would fervently guard it, even at the expense of her own.
To Ronald Reagan the man, who always had trouble expressing intimacy, Nancy gave the gift of her unrestricted love. She was his respite, his comfort, his reward at the end of the day. Whenever she left him to travel, the leader of the free world was anxious as a schoolboy until she was safely home again. Now to a man no longer capable of looking after himself, Nancy is everything there is left to be: care-taker, guardian, nurturer of the Reagan legacy.
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - A breath of fresh air blows across the pages of history
I sometimes remind myself of Mel Gibson's character, Jerry Fletcher, in the movie "Conspiracy Theory," who couldn't pass up a copy of "Catcher in the Rye" without buying it. But in my case, I can't seem to pass up a book about Ronald Reagan, his family, or his administration. By my count, this is the forty-sixth such book that I have read. Perhaps that's why I was so surprised to read in the "Booklist" blurb, above, that in this book "his [Deaver's] portrait [of Nancy Reagan] comes across mostly ... Read More
Rating: - A heart-warming love story...one that I hope I never
forget. Nancy Reagan was so much more than a first lady...she was Ronnie's first lady and he always came first in her eyes.
Deaver tells so much of her life, feelings, ardent admiration and deep love for her husband and an insight into the man himself..our President Reagan.
It left me hungry for more and so I ordered A DIFFERENT DRUMMER from the same author. His style is so impressive in it's simplicity (do not take that the wrong way) that I read this book over a days' time. ... Read More
Rating: - A Touching Love Story
Mike Deaver was able to explain the relationship that Nancy and Ronald Reagan had from an insiders view. So little was ever written about the private side of Nancy Reagan, and he captures some of those moments very well. It was a pleasure to read also about their relationship then and even now. The public knew that they stood by each other no matter what, but I think Mike took care of both of them. He was as concerned about the President as he was the First Lady. I'm so glad to have read this book about ... Read More
Rating: - She Stood By Her Man!
Although too young to vote for him in either election Ronald Reagon was one of the best presidents this nation ever had. The book "Nancy" opened my eyes in so many ways. No matter what she was always right by his side every step of the way! They had the kind of marriage and relationship that was and still is an example to us all. I remember it like it was yesterday....the day Ronald Reagon almost left us due to John Hinkley's bullet. This book shows just how much she loved the man and would do anything for ... Read More
Rating:  - Should be autobiography of Michael Deaver
If I wanted to read a biography about Michael Deaver I would have bought his autobiography. Extremely full of himself and his feelings, accomplishments, etc.... I felt it seriously lacked the biography part for Nancy. Although occassionally he would throw something in about her. I was very disappointed.
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