Lessons My Father Taught Me By Michael Reagan

Son Reveals Ronald Reagan as Never Before

"Michael Reagan knew Ronald Reagan better than anyone alive today, and this book reveals him as more than just a great leader, but as a good father with a great soul, a role model for all of us. No one has done more to apply Reagan's principles than Michael, and this book is just one more example of that."    --Newt Gingrich, Fmr. Speaker of the House

Michael Reagan realized something. All his life people have been asking him the same question: "What was your dad really like?" So much had been written about his dad's life, his politics, his Hollywood career but little was ever revealed about Ronald Reagan the man, the private man, home with his wife, kids and friends.And nobody alive knows more about who Ronald Reagan really was than his eldest son, Michael.

For the first time, his just-released book Lessons My Father Taught Me: The Strength, Integrity, and Faith of Ronald Reagan reveals Michael's personal insights into the qualities that made his dad - qualities that can help any of us succeed in our relationships and life. Michael says his father was "the greatest man he ever knew."

But their relationship - and his father's relationship with his other children - had been very rocky at times. The family had weathered a bitter divorce when Michael's mother, Jane Wyman, the famous Hollywood actress, decided she no longer wanted to remain with her husband. Michael wanted to show how his father successfully dealt with the personal defeat of that divorce and remained a great father to him and his sister.

He also uses this book to share the true secrets of his dad's greatness - overcoming tremendous obstacles to become a famous actor, governor of California and president.

He is convinced that people in all walks of life can tap into the same power of faith and love that motivated his dad.

In Lessons My Father Taught Me, Michael reveals several very surprising stories about his father - some even quite shocking - and many that have never been disclosed to the public before. The book reveals:

• Michael's years as a "Beverly Hills brat" and how his dad treated him differently than the kids of Bob Hope, Bing Crosby, and other Hollywood stars;
• The big mistake he made with son Ron, Jr. and his failure to "show up;"
• How he discovered a man could express affection without embarrassment;
• The shocking fact that neither Ron nor Patti ever voted for their own father and the surprising reason why;
• Why Ronald Reagan believed "attitude is everything;"
• Reagan's obsession with keeping his charity secret - even from his own family;
• Ronald Reagan's private and "intense" work ethic and why he hid it from the public;
• Reagan's advice always to not only work hard but "work smart;"
• Reagan's obsession with "truth" and why even as an actor he couldn't play an evil character well;
• The important lesson about revealing your "inner truth" to your friends and family to bond and grow;
• His dad's belief that people should be open to "re-creating" their life if facts demanded;
• Time and again, Michael explains how his father used "failure as a launching pad" for his next big success;
• Ronald Reagan had only one reason he wanted to be president, and he revealed it one night to his son;
• A secret promise to his daughter Maureen made Sandra Day O'Connor the first woman Supreme Court justice (it had nothing to do with politics);
• How Reagan surprisingly wasn't bothered by rumors his son Ron might be gay;
• Michael's encounter with actor Alec Baldwin and what he had to say about the former president;
• How optimism can be nurtured and cultivated, it's not always genetic;
• The most important leadership quality his father had;
• The Christian ideals and values shared by his mother, Nelle, that shaped his life and worldview;
• The time Gov. Reagan jumped into a swimming pool wearing his jacket and tie, shocking onlookers;
• Why Reagan wanted to personally meet his would-be assassin John Hinckley and the reason the meeting never took place;
• Dealing with scandal: how Reagan used life principles to put to bed what was to be his Watergate;
• Ethics lessons: his dad revealed scandalous information about JFK to his family and explained why people of "good character" would never make an issue of that publicly;
• ...and much, much more.

Michael Reagan concludes in Lessons My Father Taught Me that his father's ultimate lesson was the "power of one" - that each and every individual has an incredible ability to make themselves a better person while influencing and changing the world.

NOTE: Michael is also available to talk about Donald Trump's candidacy, how his Dad may have felt about the GOP frontrunner, and the impact Trump will have on Ronald Reagan's legacy. Go here to read: "Michael Reagan, son of Ronald, on his relationship with his famous father and the state of politics today."

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Michael Reagan is the eldest son of Ronald Reagan and the chairman of The Reagan Legacy Foundation. Michael, a New York Times bestselling author, is a popular national speaker on issues related to conservative politics. He blogs for Newsmax.com.