Ronnie and Jesse

Ronnie and Jesse aren't lovers; their prospective clash in 1970 for the governorship of California makes this dual biography and scrutiny of California's volatile politics a ripe worm for political early birds anticipating a contest of national interest. Although one suspects that Cannon (an award-winning journalist) would cast his ballot for Mr. Unruh, his treatment of both contenders is frank and fair and there are no obvious breaches of objectivity. The material on Reagan sheds no significant new light on a career already well chronicled in William Boyarsky's The Rise of Ronald Reagan (1968), though there is much intimate detail (and he was a fine actor!).