THE LIBRARY JOURNAL, MARCH 1, 2005

TROY, GIL. Morning in America: How Ronald Reagan Invented the 1980s. Princeton Univ. Apr. 2005. c.406p. index. ISBN 0-691-09645-7. $29.95. HIST

Reviewed by Thomas J. Baldino, Wilkes Univ., Wilkes-Barre, PA

Upon the recent death of Ronald Reagan, much of what was said and written tended to be sentimental and complimentary, though a few critical views were heard. Here, Troy (history, McGill Univ.; Mr. and Mrs. President: From the Trumans to the Clintons) provides a balanced, thoughtful, and thoroughly entertaining account of Reagan's legacy that is somewhat reminiscent of David Halberstam's The Fifties. Each year of the 1980s is covered in a single chapter, which chronicles significant political events while weaving in social and cultural developments.

Troy argues that Reagan's sunny optimism, following the dour years of the Carter administration, renewed Americans' sense of hope. Reagan, however, was far too comfortable entertaining the public to be a true revolutionary. His easygoing disposition and aversion to conflict made him a better conciliator than a reformer. Reagan was also more effective at stigmatizing liberalism as a failed ideology than he was at destroying it, so when confronted with the difficult choices of gutting major welfare programs, he couldn't act. This book is sure to become popular and deserves a large audience. Enthusiastically recommended.