For the paranormal enthusiasts among us, Reagan adds this comment, “I think the ghost of Abe Lincoln is stirring around upstairs where we live.” Note: The film Ghostbusters had been released two years earlier so he was perhaps still caught up in the whole 80s phantasmal craze.
Family matters, not surprisingly, were bound to leave their mark in the book. Reagan’s relationship with his children was often rocky but it does leave us with one of the more memorable quotes in the diary, “Insanity is hereditary – you catch it from your kids.”
Above all, it’s his undying love for Nancy Reagan that jumps through the pages, ready to hand the reader a red rose. The President simply could not stand being away from her. After waking up in the hospital following the assassination attempt on his life, we get a glimpse of how deep his love and respect were for her, “I opened my eyes once to find Nancy there. I pray I’ll never face a day when she isn’t there. Of all the ways God has blessed me, giving her to me is the greatest and beyond anything I can ever hope to deserve.”
Just in case you feel Reagan was incapable of idealism we’ll end with this final quote: “Why don’t we let the young people run the world – there wouldn’t be any war.”
We can never know for sure how a person whom we never met truly feels, but the book leaves you with a feeling of genuine authenticity. Indeed, it has the genuine rawness of a diary .
All in all, this was a fascinating read offering insight into the mind of an important American president.
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