That Printer of Udell’s: A book that changed Reagan’s life, and mine

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My husband Jim and I hadn’t seen the new Reagan movie yet. We thought we were just watching another film until it became more than that. The movie is well done and worth seeing, but the book I read after watching the movie is what most impacted my thoughts, and hopefully my choices in the future.

In the movie, Reagan’s mom and her preacher give a young Ron the book That Printer of Udell’s by Harold Bell Wright. It is such a brief moment in the movie that it would be easy to miss, but I was fascinated by the idea that a book changed Reagan’s life. I asked Jim to back up the movie and hit the pause button so I could write the title down. When the movie was over, I downloaded the book.

That Printer of Udell’s

This is what President Reagan’s presidential library said about the book: “After reading this book at age 11, Ronald Reagan said it had a lasting impact on his life, shaping his own moral sense.” 

Ronald Reagan wrote a letter to Harold Bell Wright’s daughter-in-law in 1984 and told her, “I found a role model in that traveling printer whom Harold Bell Wright had brought to life. He set me on a course I’ve tried to follow even unto this day. I shall always be grateful.”

John Fund, a Wall Street Journal columnist, said, “Many of Reagan’s accomplishments, as well as his outlook on life, can be traced back to that dog-eared copy of That Printer of Udell’s.

Why did this book change Reagan’s life?

I have always been a fan of President Reagan. He is the president who shaped my ideas of what an American leader should be. After hearing that this book changed his life, I knew I wanted to read it.  This is a synopsis of the book from his presidential library:

Ronald Reagan noted that this book provided a lasting impact on his life, shaping his own moral sense. He identified with the central character, Dick Falkner. Falkner’s childhood was one of poverty and abuse from an alcoholic father. Recognizing his life for what it was, he ran away from his home, but he could not run away from all of his problems. Sixteen years later he found himself hungry of body and empty of spirit in a small Midwestern town.

Eventually, he is taken in by George Udell, a local printer and a kind-hearted man. George Udell gives the young man a job, and something more important: spiritual support. Through hard work and Christian morals, the man who becomes known as “that printer of Udell’s” rises above his past to a new life with God, doing what he could to change the lives of the town people.

Why did this book impact Ronald Reagan as it did?

The library says this about Ronald Reagan’s mom and dad, Jack and Nelle:

Jack was born in Fulton, Illinois on July 13, 1883, and raised in the Catholic Church. Nelle was born in Fulton, Illinois on July 24, 1883. The two were married in November 1904. Jack worked as a salesman most of his adult life and suffered from alcoholism. Nelle was deeply religious, and active in the Disciples of Christ Church.

The movie depicts Reagan’s mom and her pastor giving him the book so that he can understand he has choices to make about his future. He can follow in his father’s footsteps, or he can follow in his heavenly Father’s footsteps.

Ronald Reagan would be the first to say that he did not live a perfect life. Neither does the main character of the book. But, as the book makes clear, God and his true followers offer the grace we need to make mistakes and then move forward with better choices.

The book kept me home from church

That statement may seem like an odd thing for me to put in my blog post. Did I make a wrong choice after reading a book about making God-driven choices?

It was Sunday morning, and I woke up at 4:30 a.m. because I wanted to finish reading the book before church. I finished the final page at 6:30 a.m., leaving me plenty of time to get ready. People who know me know that I am a stickler for defining “on time” as five minutes early. In contrast, one of the most frequent arguments I have with my husband is because I married a man who thinks, “I can get one more thing done, before I have to leave.” I hate to be late. He hates to waste even one minute of time being early. We have been married for forty-four years so I don’t think either of us will change on this subject, so we now try to accept our differences.

Interestingly, on Sunday morning both of us were having the same struggle. He was rushing through some important moments with God, trying to be ready for church. I was also struggling with a multitude of God–driven thoughts about the book I just finished in order to get to church. Jim and I sat down together, talked, prayed, and both agreed we were supposed to stay home that morning. 

Sunday mornings are sacred times for worship. Why did God lead us both to stay home?

I want to recommend to you That Printer of Udell’s

If you have been a reader for a while, you know that I believe there is only one perfect Book. I would never say that a work of fiction should be considered in the same way as the Bible. However, That Printer of Udell’s is an inspired novel, even in its imperfection. It was published in 1902, and there are words and phrases about people that would not be acceptable today and might keep some from recommending the book. I recommend the book anyway because if you read carefully, you will see the author is often commending the character of the people, using words that were considered acceptable in 1902. It would be a shame to miss the message of this book because of when it was written. 

C. S. Lewis was referring to the wisdom of timeless literature when he said, “It is a good rule after reading a new book, never to allow yourself another new one till you have read an old one in between.” This “old” book is one of the best books I’ve read in my lifetime.

This week, I will teach some of my favorite verses in the Bible. I often quote Colossians 3:23–24, which says, “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.” Sunday morning, serving Jesus meant to sit quietly at his feet and listen. I’m still processing all that came from that time of spiritual worship and meditation.

Sometimes worship is about being alone with God and allowing his Spirit to author your thoughts and ideas. I can honestly say I hope everyone who reads this blog post will download That Printer of Udell’s. The book changed Ronald Reagan’s life, and I believe it will likely change each of our lives as well. It is a book about practical Christianity and the hard work it takes to live in this world with God-authored priorities. Living with those sacrificial Christian priorities is “our spiritual act of worship” (Romans 12:1–2).

Your life has infinite possibilities

In the book, Udell’s printer, the son of an alcoholic, works his way from homelessness to spiritual strength because of God. One of my favorite quotes comes from Udell himself. He greatly admired his employee’s difficult yet successful journey in life and said, “Truly, the possibilities of life are infinite. The power of the human soul cannot be measured, and no man guesses the real strength of his closest friend.”

This book is about the strength each of us has available to us through our closest friend, Jesus Christ. That Printer of Udell’s is literature, a work of fiction. But it is a work of fiction that God used to change a man like Ronald Reagan and a woman like myself. “The possibilities of life are infinite.”  

Have any of us reached our God-given capacities yet? This book can help us consider that question and then aim for God’s answers. 

Posted by Janet Denison

Janet Denison teaches others to live an authentic faith through her writing, speaking, and teaching ministry. She blogs weekly at JanetDenison.org and often at ChristianParenting.org. She is also the author of The Songs Tell the Story and Content to Be Good, Called to Be Godly, among other books. Janet and her husband, Dr. Jim Denison, live in Dallas, Texas. When they’re not writing or ministering to others, they enjoy spending time with their grown children and their four still-growing grandchildren.