Gil Troy, a native of Queens, New York, is Professor of History at McGill University. He is the author of Mr. and Mrs. President: From the Trumans to the Clintons (Kansas), an updated, paperback edition of Affairs of State: The Rise and Rejection of the Presidential Couple Since World War II (Free Press); and of See How They Ran: The Changing Role of the Presidential Candidate (Free Press).

"One of Troy's key points is that our memory of Reagan makes his reign seem either more idyllic or more tyrannical than it was in reality. . .. Gil Troy has given us a fascinating look at a crucial decade."---Timothy Barney, Rhetoric and Public Affairs --- "Troy's book . . . cannot help being engaging, packed as it is with memorabilia of the Reagan years. . . . Troy . . . makes a communitarian critique of the Reagan era. He is on solid ground in contending that America became more individualistic and materialistic under Regan, and also in noting that the trend predated and postdated his presidency."---Ramesh Ponnuru, Claremont Review of Books --- "Troy not only captures Reagan the leader but also the watershed decade he dominated and defined."---Bill Pierce, Toronto Sun --- "Reagan remains our national Rorschach test, a good guide to what we think about the issues of our time. . . . With a year-by-year analysis of the 80's, set in the context of popular culture, Mr. Troy measures the social and cultural consequences of Reagan's free-market agenda. Optimism, individualism, consumerism and even hedonism promote prosperity. But they can--and Mr. Troy believes they did--dilute a sense of community and civic virtue, devalue a nation's social capital, and accelerate the descent into alienation and cynicism."---Glenn C. Altschuler, New York Observer --- "A valuable and enjoyable book. . . . Troy's readable book is impressive in its integration of political and social history, while he rightly recognizes that popular culture can provide an effective gauge of the public mood. Thus, he effectively uses the television series Hill Street Blues to illustrate attitudes towards crime and race, and throughout, he uses television, film, and popular music. Troy is anything but a Reagan cheerleader, and he stresses the still contentious nature of the Reagan record."---Philip Jenkins, Books & Culture --- "A balanced, thoughtful, and thoroughly entertaining account of Reagan's legacy. . . . This book is sure to become popular and deserves a large audience. Enthusiastically recommended." --- "The main thing Troy has produced is a portrait of the United States in the 1980s in all of its color and texture. . . . [T]he book is a mine of information on U.S. popular culture, presented by one who lived through those times."---Norman Webster, Montreal Gazette --- "[A] masterly study of Ronald Reagan's presidency--the best single book we have on his administration to date."---David Turner, Raleigh News & Observer --- "Morning in America is the rarest of academic histories: insightful, energetic, and a joy to read."---Peter Schweizer, The New York Sun --- "A lively, sprawling work that sees Reagan's reflection in everything from '80s TV shows such as Dynasty to the rejection of 'New Coke' by consumers to the creation of CNN and USA TODAY. . . . He may have disregarded the rise of AIDS and seemed clueless about the rise in homelessness during his watch, but he also helped create 'an Era of Good Feelings' that left most Americans feeling better about themselves and their country."---Susan Page, USA TODAY