Ronald Reagan is thought of as a Californian, a westerner, but the values that guided him all his life are straight out of the American heartland where he was born and spent the first twenty-one years of his life: northwestern Illinois. He was the product of four generations of rural settlers. The characteristics associated with him - self-reliance, self-confidence, modesty, optimism, loyalty, tolerance, determination, good humor, and reverence for God - all came from his teachers, clergy, role models, the circumstances of his youth, and especially his parents. Reagan's Roots traces the development of all these elements of his character so that the reader will come away with a better understanding of what made this man a successful and beloved president.