The Way I See It: An Autobiography
by Patti Davis
List Price:
Our Price: $4.98
You Save: $17.97 (78%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here)
Category: Book
See more book details and other editions
Book Summary Information
Author: Patti DavisEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 1992-05-01
ISBN: 0399137483
Number of pages: 335
Publisher: Putnam Adult
Book Reviews of The Way I See It: An Autobiography
Book Review: Little Girl Lost
Summary: 4 Stars
In this autobiography, Patti Davis is ruthlessly honest, brutally frank, and holds nothing back, but after reading it I'm somewhat baffled. At times, she demonstrates a deep insight and understanding of human nature. But, for the most part, she comes across as erratic, extremely shallow, and almost unbelievably naïve. One is left to wonder if she is truly gifted or if she is simply a little girl who lost her way and was never able to find it again.
One thing is certain, though: Patti Davis had no familial relationship with her father, Ronald Reagan, and almost no interrelationship with him once she was full grown. This, as she likely intended, is made perfectly clear by her writing. She complains that her father made no attempt to interact with her, to listen to her, or to understand her views. Yet throughout the book it is just as obvious that Patti made no attempt to understand his views, that she trivialized his every thought and word, opposed everything he stood for, gave him no respect, and apparently cared little about him. Her feelings towards her father and her innate fear of her abusive mother may have been well founded, but they certainly led Patti to a sad, confused, shallow, and unhappy life.
The most remarkable thing to me about the book, however, is that it was copyrighted in 1992, well after Reagan had left office and long after his policies had been proven to be correct. Yet, Patti, in writing about his, in her opinion, wrong and dangerous policies in the 1970s-80s, wrote in the present tense. In 1992, then, Patti still believed that Reagan was wrong and she and her leftist activist friends were right.
I was also surprised to find that Ms. Davis thought that she and her fellow activists in the 70s-80s were seen as "politically incorrect," when in fact, liberalism was the prevailing theme of the day. Ronald Reagan's were the "politically incorrect" views. I was even more astonished that Patti could be so naïve as to believe that, if given the opportunity, a leading anti-nuclear activist friend of hers could persuade President Reagan that he was wrong and she was right. How could Patti not know, or even have an inkling, that the President of the United States might have a plan of his own and have access to advice and intelligence information far beyond her and her friend's wildest imaginations? But Patti gives him no credit.
Ronald Reagan never believed that his family was dysfunctional. Why, I cannot imagine, for anyone who reads the biographies of Patti Davis and Nancy, Michael, and Maureen Reagan must surely come to that conclusion. Although they cast Reagan in a very poor light, I highly recommend them especially to anyone seeking to better understand Ronald Reagan and his complex personality.
Summary of The Way I See It: An Autobiography
The daughter of Ronald and Nancy Reagan offers an insider's view of growing up Reagan, describing her father's emotional abandonment of her, her mother's cruelty, and the family's bitter rivalries, uncontrollable rage, and dark secrets. 100,000 first printing. $85,000 ad/promo. Tour.Reagan, Ronald Books
Book Subjects
- Arts & Photography
- Biographies & Memoirs
- Business & Investing
- Children's Books
- Comics & Graphic Novels
- Computers & Internet
- Cooking, Food & Wine
- Entertainment
- Gay & Lesbian
- Health, Mind & Body
- History
- Home & Garden
- Horror
- Law
- Literature & Fiction
- Mystery & Thrillers
- Nonfiction
- Outdoors & Nature
- Parenting & Families
- Professional & Technical
- Reference
- Religion & Spirituality
- Romance
- Science
- Science Fiction & Fantasy
- Sports
- Teens
- Travel
Most talked about in Reagan, Ronald Books
The Man Who Sold the Worldby Kleinknecht
Nation Books; Published: 2008-12-30; Kindle Edition; eBooks
Price in other shops:
Reagan's Disciple: George W. Bush's Troubled Quest for a Presidential Legacyby Lou Cannon, Carl M. Cannon
PublicAffairs; Published: 2008-01-29; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.90
Price in other shops:
President Reagan: The Role Of A Lifetimeby Lou Cannon
PublicAffairs; Published: 2000-04; Paperback; Book
Best price: $9.44
Price in other shops:
An American Life: Ronald Reaganby Ronald Reagan
Simon & Schuster Audio; Published: 2011-01-11; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $8.52
Price in other shops:
The Last Jeffersonian: Ronald Reagan's Dreams of Americaby Steven Greffenius
June, July, & August Books; Published: 2002-03-21; Paperback; Book
Best price: $78.99
Nixon/ Carter/ Reagan (Presidents Who Dared)by Edmund Lindop
21st Century; Published: 1997-12-09; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $4.99
Price in other shops:
Ronald Reagan: From Sports to Movies to Politicsby Libby Hughes
iUniverse, Inc.; Published: 2005-02-01; Paperback; Book
Best price: $12.52
Price in other shops:
Ronald Reagan: America's 40th President (Encyclopedia of Presidents, Second)by Kieran Doherty
Children's Press(CT); Published: 2005-03; Library Binding; Book
Best price: $29.99
Price in other shops:
The Reagan Diariesby Ronald Reagan
Harper Perennial; Published: 2009-05-12; Paperback; Book
Best price: $3.48
Price in other shops:
The Reagan Diaries Extended Selections CDby Ronald Reagan
HarperAudio; Published: 2007-05-22; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $3.99
Price in other shops:
Similar Books and other products
Elvis and Meby Priscilla Beaulieu Presley
Putnam; Published: 1985-09-19; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $12.89
Price in other shops:
On the Outside Looking inby Michael Reagan
Kensington Books; Published: 1988-04-01; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.99
Price in other shops:
Frank Sinatra, The Boudoir Singer: All the Gossip Unfit to Print from the Glory Days of Ol' Blue Eyesby Darwin Porter, Danforth Prince
Blood Moon Productions; Published: 2011-11-08; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $17.49
Price in other shops:
My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reaganby Nancy Reagan
Random House; Published: 1989-10-18; Paperback; Book
Best price: $14.09
Price in other shops:
The Long Goodbyeby Patti Davis
Knopf; Published: 2004-11-16; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $5.67
Price in other shops:
Dear Cary: My Life with Cary Grantby Dyan Cannon
It Books; Published: 2011-09-20; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $13.00
Price in other shops:
My Father at 100by Ron Reagan
Viking Adult; Published: 2011-01-18; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.89
Price in other shops:
The Long Goodbyeby Patti Davis
Plume; Published: 2005-09-27; Paperback; Book
Best price: $6.25
Price in other shops: