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Today it seems that nothing regarding politics is without conflict or controversy. Books of a political nature are no exception. For every reader who swears a given text is holy writ, there are just as many who contemptuously label it revisionist history. Author, Craig Shirley, seems to be acutely aware of this lingering political zeitgeist in his latest book, Last Act: The Final Years And Emerging Legacy of Ronald Reagan.
While Shirley leaves no doubt as to his allegiance to the fortieth President of the United States, he can certainly not be accused of painting a one-sided picture of the pomp, pageantry, and pathos that surrounded the public and private good-byes to Ronald Wilson Reagan. At each unfolding stage of his narrative, Shirley is unflinching in noting the slings and arrows fired by the foes of "The Great Communicator" as well as the heartfelt endearments of supporters, friends, and loved ones.
Using the days from Reagan’s death to his final internment as a literary axis, the author meticulously details the monumentally complex efforts involved in putting this head of state to rest. Rich and revealing these facts are. However, it is the compellingly warm and human revelations spun from that axis that make Shirley's work as moving as it is impressive; particularly when addressing the Alzheimer’s Disease that cast a harrowing pall on Ron and Nancy Reagan’s last years together.
In reality, those from either side of the political divide harboring ideologically infused remembrances of "The Gipper" (whether inconsequential or entrenched), will likely enjoy this impeccably researched historical tome. It is as much a treatise on love as it is on history. The love of a man for his country, the love of a husband and wife for each other, and the love of a people for their president—those are the memories that endure long after Last Act ends.
RECOMMENDED by the US Review