February 2011 was the one hundredth anniversary of Ronald Reagan's birth. My Father at 100 is his son's (and namesake's) intimate and nicely done memoir of life with and around the former actor, Governor and President, and coming to terms with his roots. Ronald Reagan was the president of my youth and naturally I admired him. That admiration has only grown with time (perhaps more out of a sense of nostalgia than anything else, but even so).
Aside from the content, this book is special to me in another way. As for most bibliophiles, books are for me markers in time. I can look at a book on my bookshelf (which contains roughly 1,500 books) and recall not only its content but also when I read it and why. My Father at 100 was given to me by my daughter, whom I love and cherish, on, appropriately enough, Father's Day. With the book came a wonderful card and the following hand inscribed note from my little princess, which will forever tie this book and her together.
"Dear Daddy,
"Thank you for teaching me everything I know. You mean the world to me and I love you so much. Growing up, you have taught me so much from academics to softball and I know that there is still more to come. I know this past year has been a hard year for me in school, but you never stopped believing in me. Thank you so much for everything you do. I am so proud of you and I love you so very much. Happy Father's Day, daddy. I love you."
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