Truly magnificent book, and an overdue evaluation of the tremendous victory over the Soviet Union that was solely due to Reagan's strategic vision. The author repeatedly emphasizes the "negotiated surrender" that Reagan consistently sought across his two terms. Reagan ultimately "...favored diplomacy over war and wanted to partner with a Soviet leader to negotiate arms reductions and reduced tensions, leading ultimately to eliminating nuclear weapons."

Inboden makes extensive use of Reagan's diaries to enlighten his narrative. The author is very fair about noting the weaknesses in Reagan's management style that led to the Iran-Contra fiasco. Yet to the very end of his presidency, Reagan maintained a steadfast focus on achieving the Soviet's "negotiated surrender". This didn't finally occur until the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, a year after the end of his presidency, but it is difficult imagining any other politician of the era achieving the same goal.