My Turn (memoir)
Encyclopedia
My Turn: The Memoirs of Nancy Reagan is an autobiography authored by former First Lady of the United States
Nancy Reagan
. It was published by Random House
in 1989.
.
, a former news columnist and current television pundit on Fox News, Reagan's book was a confirmation of many speculated reports about the Reagan White House. Mrs. Reagan argues against the media about her image, saying she was not "as bad, or as extreme in my power or my weakness, as I was depicted." She comments on President Reagan's White House staff frequently: of James Baker
, former White House Chief of Staff
, she says that "his main interest was Jim Baker"; Michael Deaver
, a Reagan adviser for two decades, "caught a bad case of Potomac fever"; William Clark
, a Reagan staffer, was a "bad choice" for top positions within the administration and a "user" who unjustly spoke for President Reagan. Donald Regan
, former Treasury Secretary and White House Chief of Staff whom often had a contested relationship with Nancy Reagan, was talked about in detail. Mrs. Reagan denied forming a plan to oust him from the staff, saying that there was not "a plot to get rid of Don Regan. There was no cabal. I wasn't in cahoots with anybody to bring about his downfall." On the Cold War
front, Mrs. Reagan takes credit for assembling a meeting in Geneva between her husband and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
.
, Joan Quigley
, but says it only started after the 1981 attempt on President Reagan's life
. She argued that "No political decision was ever based [on astrology]". She also writes about how after the shooting, she became very fretful and worried about her husband every time he left the White House. She wrote, "I'm a worrier, and now I really had something to worry about: that it might happen again, and that this time, I would lose him forever. Astrology was simply one of the ways I coped with the fear I felt after my husband almost died."
, Michael
, Patti
, and Ron
. The most-publicized controversy erupted between Nancy and her daughter Patti. Mrs. Reagan wrote of it, "there is still time for us to improve our relationship, and now that our public years are over, I'm hoping Patti and I will be able to reach some kind of understanding." This was written in 1989 and Mrs. Reagan and her daughter have since reconciled. However in the book, she faults her for not attending her grandmother's funeral, and for being a difficult child.
Regarding Michael, Mrs. Reagan speaks of a controversy between them. In 1984, the first lady said on television that she and Michael were in an "estrangement right now". Michael responded that Nancy was trying to cover up for the fact she had not met his daughter, Ashley, who had been born nearly a year earlier. They have also made peace.
Reagan was thought to be closest to her stepdaughter, Maureen, during her White House years.
First Lady of the United States
First Lady of the United States is the title of the hostess of the White House. Because this position is traditionally filled by the wife of the president of the United States, the title is most often applied to the wife of a sitting president. The current first lady is Michelle Obama.-Current:The...
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Reagan
Nancy Davis Reagan is the widow of former United States President Ronald Reagan and was First Lady of the United States from 1981 to 1989....
. It was published by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
in 1989.
Content
The A-1 Women's Discount Bookstore states that "My Turn is the memoir of one of the most fascinating, controversial, and enigmatic first ladies in American history." Mrs. Reagan recalls her influence within the Reagan administration, her love of her husband, strained relationship with family members, and her bout with breast cancerBreast cancer
Breast cancer is cancer originating from breast tissue, most commonly from the inner lining of milk ducts or the lobules that supply the ducts with milk. Cancers originating from ducts are known as ductal carcinomas; those originating from lobules are known as lobular carcinomas...
.
The White House staff
According to Fred BarnesFred Barnes (journalist)
Frederic W. Barnes is an American political commentator. He is the executive editor of the news publication The Weekly Standard and regularly appears on the Fox News Channel program Special Report with Bret Baier...
, a former news columnist and current television pundit on Fox News, Reagan's book was a confirmation of many speculated reports about the Reagan White House. Mrs. Reagan argues against the media about her image, saying she was not "as bad, or as extreme in my power or my weakness, as I was depicted." She comments on President Reagan's White House staff frequently: of James Baker
James Baker
James Addison Baker, III is an American attorney, politician and political advisor.Baker served as the Chief of Staff in President Ronald Reagan's first administration and in the final year of the administration of President George H. W. Bush...
, former White House Chief of Staff
White House Chief of Staff
The White House Chief of Staff is the highest ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President.The current White House Chief of Staff is Bill Daley.-History:...
, she says that "his main interest was Jim Baker"; Michael Deaver
Michael Deaver
Michael Keith Deaver was a member of President Ronald Reagan's White House staff serving as White House Deputy Chief of Staff under James Baker III and Donald Regan from January 1981 until May 1985.-Early life:...
, a Reagan adviser for two decades, "caught a bad case of Potomac fever"; William Clark
William P. Clark, Jr.
William Patrick Clark, Jr. , American politician, served under President Ronald Reagan as the Deputy Secretary of State from 1981 to 1982, United States National Security Advisor from 1982 to 1983, and the Secretary of the Interior from 1983 until 1985.- Life and career :A devout Catholic, former...
, a Reagan staffer, was a "bad choice" for top positions within the administration and a "user" who unjustly spoke for President Reagan. Donald Regan
Donald Regan
Donald Thomas Regan ,was the 66th United States Secretary of the Treasury, from 1981 to 1985, and Chief of Staff from 1985 to 1987 in the Ronald Reagan Administration, where he advocated "Reaganomics" and tax cuts to create jobs and stimulate production.-Early life:Born in Cambridge, Massachusetts,...
, former Treasury Secretary and White House Chief of Staff whom often had a contested relationship with Nancy Reagan, was talked about in detail. Mrs. Reagan denied forming a plan to oust him from the staff, saying that there was not "a plot to get rid of Don Regan. There was no cabal. I wasn't in cahoots with anybody to bring about his downfall." On the Cold War
Cold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
front, Mrs. Reagan takes credit for assembling a meeting in Geneva between her husband and Soviet General Secretary Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
.
Her husband
One of the most discussed matters in the book is her husband, and how much influence she exerted over him while in office. In the book, she explains that she found it proper and just to talk to the president and advise him on anything. She admits that she consulted an astrologerAstrologer
An astrologer practices one or more forms of astrology. Typically an astrologer draws a horoscope for the time of an event, such as a person's birth, and interprets celestial points and their placements at the time of the event to better understand someone, determine the auspiciousness of an...
, Joan Quigley
Joan Quigley
Joan Quigley , of San Francisco, is an astrologer best known for her astrological advice to the Reagan White House in the 1980s...
, but says it only started after the 1981 attempt on President Reagan's life
Reagan assassination attempt
The Reagan assassination attempt occurred on Monday, March 30, 1981, just 69 days into the presidency of Ronald Reagan. While leaving a speaking engagement at the Washington Hilton Hotel in Washington, D.C., President Reagan and three others were shot and wounded by John Hinckley, Jr...
. She argued that "No political decision was ever based [on astrology]". She also writes about how after the shooting, she became very fretful and worried about her husband every time he left the White House. She wrote, "I'm a worrier, and now I really had something to worry about: that it might happen again, and that this time, I would lose him forever. Astrology was simply one of the ways I coped with the fear I felt after my husband almost died."
Her children
Perhaps the most recorded problem of Mrs. Reagan's was that of her children and stepchildren, MaureenMaureen Reagan
Maureen Elizabeth Reagan was the first child of former President Ronald Reagan and his first wife, Jane Wyman...
, Michael
Michael Reagan
Michael Edward Reagan is a former American radio host and Republican strategist. His nationally syndicated radio show, The Michael Reagan Talk Show, aired on stations throughout the United States on the Premiere Radio Networks before being dropped, after which it moved to Radio America...
, Patti
Patti Davis
Patti Davis is an American actress and author. She is the daughter of former President of the United States Ronald Reagan and Reagan's second wife, First Lady Nancy Reagan...
, and Ron
Ron Reagan
Ronald Prescott "Ron" Reagan sometimes known as Ronald Reagan, Jr., is a former talk radio host and chief political analyst for KIRO radio in Seattle until his show was canceled on August 8, 2007...
. The most-publicized controversy erupted between Nancy and her daughter Patti. Mrs. Reagan wrote of it, "there is still time for us to improve our relationship, and now that our public years are over, I'm hoping Patti and I will be able to reach some kind of understanding." This was written in 1989 and Mrs. Reagan and her daughter have since reconciled. However in the book, she faults her for not attending her grandmother's funeral, and for being a difficult child.
Regarding Michael, Mrs. Reagan speaks of a controversy between them. In 1984, the first lady said on television that she and Michael were in an "estrangement right now". Michael responded that Nancy was trying to cover up for the fact she had not met his daughter, Ashley, who had been born nearly a year earlier. They have also made peace.
Reagan was thought to be closest to her stepdaughter, Maureen, during her White House years.