Max Boot to speak at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library on his biography, Reagan: His Life and Legend, named a top 10 best book of 2024 by The New York Times
Ann Arbor, MI, September 23, 2026 – The Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library is pleased to
welcome author Max Boot who will present a one-hour program on his book Reagan: His Life
and Legend on October 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Library, 1000 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, MI.
Max Boot, the distinguished political columnist, illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan,
revealing the man behind the mythology. With its revelatory insights, Boot depicts a man with a
good-versus-evil worldview derived from his moralistic upbringing and Hollywood westerns.
Join us for a conversation about the actor-turned-politician whose telegenic leadership ushered in
a transformative conservative era in American politics and remained a man of profound
contradictions, even to those closest to him.
“President Ford described Ronald Reagan as being ‘an extraordinarily effective public
speaker who had a superb knack of exploiting a punch line,’” said Brooke Clement, Director
of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. “I am looking forward to hearing
more about the nation's 40th President at this event!”
Max Boot is a best-selling historian, biographer, and foreign policy analyst. He is the Jeane J.
Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a
columnist for The Washington Post. His last book, Reagan: His Life and Legend, was named one
of the 10 best books of 2024 by The New York Times, which described it as a "landmark work." It
also made best-of-the-year lists at The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Economist, and
Air Mail. His previous biography, The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American
Tragedy in Vietnam, was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in
biography.
Following the program, there will be a book signing and dessert reception.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged:
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/events
About the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum Opened to the public in April
1981, the Gerald R. Ford Library houses archival materials on the life, career, and presidency of
Gerald Ford, the president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. Visitors are invited to explore
free, temporary exhibits and programs. Part of the presidential library system of the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA), a federal agency, the Ford Library is located on
the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Gerald R. Ford Museum,
located in downtown Grand Rapids, allows visitors to experience highlights from the lives of
President Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States (1974–1977), and his wife, Betty
Ford. For more information, visit www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
About the National Archives The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation's
record keeper. It safeguards and manages the official records of the U.S. Government, ensuring
the documentation of our nation's history. For more information, visit www.archives.gov.
About the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation The Gerald R. Ford Presidential
Foundation fosters increased awareness of the life, career, values and legacy of America’s 38th
President. It does so through activities designed to promote the high ideals of integrity, honesty,
and candor that defined President Ford’s extraordinary career of public service. The Foundation
promotes the ideals, values, commitment to public service and historical legacy of President
Gerald R. Ford and further promotes greater civic engagement and recognition of integrity
wherever it exists in the public arena. It supports permanent and changing exhibits designed to
promote historical literacy; conferences; educational outreach and other programs, both scholarly
and popular.
welcome author Max Boot who will present a one-hour program on his book Reagan: His Life
and Legend on October 15 at 6:30 p.m. at the Library, 1000 Beal Ave., Ann Arbor, MI.
Max Boot, the distinguished political columnist, illuminates the untold story of Ronald Reagan,
revealing the man behind the mythology. With its revelatory insights, Boot depicts a man with a
good-versus-evil worldview derived from his moralistic upbringing and Hollywood westerns.
Join us for a conversation about the actor-turned-politician whose telegenic leadership ushered in
a transformative conservative era in American politics and remained a man of profound
contradictions, even to those closest to him.
“President Ford described Ronald Reagan as being ‘an extraordinarily effective public
speaker who had a superb knack of exploiting a punch line,’” said Brooke Clement, Director
of the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library and Museum. “I am looking forward to hearing
more about the nation's 40th President at this event!”
Max Boot is a best-selling historian, biographer, and foreign policy analyst. He is the Jeane J.
Kirkpatrick senior fellow for national security studies at the Council on Foreign Relations and a
columnist for The Washington Post. His last book, Reagan: His Life and Legend, was named one
of the 10 best books of 2024 by The New York Times, which described it as a "landmark work." It
also made best-of-the-year lists at The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Economist, and
Air Mail. His previous biography, The Road Not Taken: Edward Lansdale and the American
Tragedy in Vietnam, was a New York Times bestseller and a finalist for the 2019 Pulitzer Prize in
biography.
Following the program, there will be a book signing and dessert reception.
The event is free and open to the public. Registration is encouraged:
www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov/events
About the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum Opened to the public in April
1981, the Gerald R. Ford Library houses archival materials on the life, career, and presidency of
Gerald Ford, the president of the United States from 1974 to 1977. Visitors are invited to explore
free, temporary exhibits and programs. Part of the presidential library system of the National
Archives and Records Administration (NARA), a federal agency, the Ford Library is located on
the north campus of the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The Gerald R. Ford Museum,
located in downtown Grand Rapids, allows visitors to experience highlights from the lives of
President Gerald Ford, the 38th President of the United States (1974–1977), and his wife, Betty
Ford. For more information, visit www.fordlibrarymuseum.gov.
About the National Archives The National Archives and Records Administration is the nation's
record keeper. It safeguards and manages the official records of the U.S. Government, ensuring
the documentation of our nation's history. For more information, visit www.archives.gov.
About the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation The Gerald R. Ford Presidential
Foundation fosters increased awareness of the life, career, values and legacy of America’s 38th
President. It does so through activities designed to promote the high ideals of integrity, honesty,
and candor that defined President Ford’s extraordinary career of public service. The Foundation
promotes the ideals, values, commitment to public service and historical legacy of President
Gerald R. Ford and further promotes greater civic engagement and recognition of integrity
wherever it exists in the public arena. It supports permanent and changing exhibits designed to
promote historical literacy; conferences; educational outreach and other programs, both scholarly
and popular.
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Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library
-
Terra Brock Special Events Coordinator
- September 28, 2026
- (734) 205-0569
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