"Reagan's America"

Paper Summary:

Examines the book by Garry Wills in which he gathers detailed information regarding the life of the former president from his boyhood days to the way he is still perceived today. It explains that Wills presents three major theses. First, Wills argues that Reagan manufactured myths about himself. Corollary to this, Wills believes that the former president also created his own "Disneyland" vision through which he viewed the real America. Finally, Wills tries to explain the sometimes baffling popularity of the former president in terms of his power to convince Americans to believe in his own created myths.

From the Paper:

"Reagan, contends Wills, starts by creating a mythic childhood, "one of those rare Huck Finn-Tom Sawyer idylls." Most likely, the former president spun this myth to present himself as an all-American boy, someone the country could relate to and would like to see in charge. In reality, Wills shows that Reagan had a difficult childhood. His father was a well-known confidence man from Mississippi. As a result of his father's drinking problem, Reagan often had to live from suitcases and never stayed in one place long enough to plant roots."

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