European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 21, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Gmct1 /1 .�nladanwntfrjhita3��niun he Fili amp to 1jl7tt#crawrbeie Susan Baer the Baltimore Sun n the much anticipated filleting of Nancy Reagan the former first lady is depicted in childhood As Chubby unpopular and Pav tactic. As a Hollywood Starlet we Sec her As conniving talentless and pathetic. As a Mother cold selfish and pathetic and As a first lady greedy domineering deceitful and yes of course pathetic. But then wed already heard All that. If the books by former aides did no to succeed in unmasking Reagan s  her memoirs a my turn a in which she skewers everyone around her and thus herself a certainly did. ,. Still a regardless of whether it is fair accurate or even new a the Success of Kitty Kelley so Nancy Reagan the unauthorized biography appears to have been clinched even before its publication. ,. I it hardly matters that its Appeal lies in its Basic premise and mountains of evidence that Reagan is no barrel of laughs rather than in any value As an insightful and full bodied examination of a powerful Public figure. Or even any value As a / Good read Kelley fails to weave a Rich colourful or even entertaining narrative and instead offers up 500-plus pages of uniformly negative quotes from interviews and previous articles and books. The one Side dress of the Book is no Surprise. But the Parade of damning incidents and quotes is so relentless that it becomes almost tedious. Imagine a foot High stack of National enquirers on the same  hear talc after tale Many of them recycled from other books and articles of Reagan a vanity and materialism her greed and frugality her Reliance on astrology unabashed social climbing Ici Ness As a Boss  As a Mother and total Devotion and domination As wife to Ronald Reagan. A a ? a a a a although some of these anecdotes indeed Are appalling a according to the Book Reagan once turned in her own daughter to the school principal for some plan she was cooking up with a Friend ignored the deaths of her real father and grandmother and took a Baccarat Crystal Jar from the presidential suite of  cd to give to her son As a wedding present a they Are All themes that have been sounded before. There Are of course the few salacious nuggets already much publicized that could be news the suggestion that Reagan and Frank Sinatra car Rich on a Long affair an account by a former Starlet that Ronald Reagan forced himself on her sexually a they Call it Date rape today a she is quoted As saying a statement unattributed that Ronald Reagan was with another woman when his wife gave birth to daughter Patti and a secondhand account of Ronald Reagan then governor of California and his wife trying marijuana at a a party. A a v. But none of these incidents is Ever explored in any depth or confirmed by additional sources. Moreover the Sinatra episode the most sensational is merely implied in ways that Are insulting to the Reader. V a. / a a the authors major assertion that Reagan ran the presidency a was a perhaps the most powerful and influential woman in the history of the United states a As the Book jacket notes a May be something of an overstatement. Indeed the first lady was a Force to be reckoned with at the White House. And in fact its Clear she often controlled the presidents schedule guided by her astrologer and the hiring and firing of staff guided by her gut. But we done to see much of her hand or interest in any . The veracity of the Book especially the Many contributions from unnamed sources has to be questioned in a biography such As this where the intent to unhinged is so obvious and where there a so much Reliance on single sources and secondhand and third hand information. But even buying into the whole shebang jumping in with both feet and gleefully rubbing hands. Together in anticipation of some Breezy gossipy beaches id Reading a Nancy Reagan disappoints. The author has neglected to make much fun out of her monumental attempt to make a Point. We get the Point All right. Heck we got it years ago. \ Kitty Kelley poses besides a advertising placard for her a Nancy Reagan Book. Up on by the associated press a Here did George Washington really sleep who liked Ike More than his wife Tippecanoe and 10 kids too history class was never Ike this. It s a presidential passions a a new Book that looks at the lives and loves of our chief executives from Abe to Zachary. One glance at author Michael John Sullivan Shook will convince you that the Blue room is the most important one in the White House. Tales of closet trysts by Warren Harding nude poolside parties Given by a fkr it s All fair game in this Hook of love and scores. A there s a connection Between Power and sex definitely Quot Sulli an said in a Telephone interview from his los Angeles Home a a it a the ultimate aphrodisiac i believe Kissinger said.�?�. Sullivan who has a master s degree in modern history started out writing a historical treatise on. The Harding presidency. But his efforts focused. On the Seamer Side of White House life after he discovered that Book publishers weren to drooling Oyer a Book on the hard ing years. A a Harding a  a blockbuster Type subject. But i thought his hidden love affairs were so interesting that if you found out the same things about the other presidents and collected it All in one Book it would make a pretty fascinating Book a Sullivan said. And so we read that the real first lady in George Washington s life was Sally Fairfax although their love was never consummated about Dwight Eisenhower s Liaison with his personal As. Sis annl during world War ii that the president with the shortest White House stay William Henry Harrison had the most children 10. Sullivan displays a sense of humor in discussing the presidential philandering. Try these chapter titles a a Paragon of promiscuity Harding a the beast of Buffalo Quot Grover Cleveland a emr. President and his slave mistress Thomas Jefferson and a Jack and the sex goddess you already know this one. A i kept Roy Tongue in my Cheek through several of the chapters a Sullivan confirmed. A even the Book blurbs Are entertaining a Lyndon Johnson was truly a a vice president follow. Ing in a fkr a notorious  the Book is due in stores this month from Sha Polsky publishers of Manhattan. All books reviewed on this Page Are or will shortly be available at stars and stripes bookstores. Page 8 a sunday april 21, 1991