A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century
October 20, 2017 12:00 ET

John Paul II and Ronald Reagan, a pope and a president, two leaders, one spiritual and one temporal, both shot and nearly killed just six weeks apart in 1981 -- only to survive and come together one year later, at the Vatican, in June 1982, where they confided to one another that they believed that God had spared their lives for a special purpose: to confront and defeat an atheistic and genuinely evil Soviet empire. Paul Kengor's new book, A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century, describes this remarkable partnership and how it changed history and the world.

Come join Dr. Kengor as he shares insights based on two decades of declassified (and sometimes still secret) documents and interviews, that detail the extraordinary story of an extraordinary partnership.

Paul Kengor, Ph.D., is professor of political science at Grove City College in Grove City, Pennsylvania, and a New York Times bestselling author of over a dozen books. He is executive director of the Center for Vision & Values at Grove City College and a fellow with Stanford's Hoover Institution. Kengor is an internationally recognized authority on several subjects and a frequent speaker and commentator.

Dr. Kengoris often quoted in sources ranging from USA Today to the Washington Post and has been frequently interviewed by the BBC, MSNBC, NPR, Fox News, EWTN, the Christian Broadcasting Network, by radio hosts like Glenn Beck and Mark Levin, and TV personalities like Megyn Kelly and Bill O'Reilly. His articles have appeared in many publications: the New York Times, National Review, CNN.com, Wall Street Journal, Christianity Today, and others. He is a frequent columnist for the National Catholic Register, Crisis Magazine, and The American Spectator.

Dr. Kengor's books have been published by leading houses such as HarperCollins, Simon & Schuster, Harvard University Press, Oxford University Press, and Ignatius Press.

In 2017, Dr. Kengor released what has been described as his "magnum opus," A Pope and a President: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Extraordinary Untold Story of the 20th Century.

Among his bestsellers are the 2012 book, The Communist, and his 2004 classic, God and Ronald Reagan.

Kengor is a frequent public speaker, with venues that include the Ronald Reagan Library, the Reagan Ranch, the National Press Club, the Heritage Foundation, American Enterprise Institute, the Gerald Ford Library, the National Presbyterian Church, and colleges ranging from the University of Virginia to the College of William & Mary.

Kengor received his doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh's Graduate School of Public and International Affairs and his master's degree from The American University's School of International Service. He also holds an honorary doctorate from Franciscan University (Steubenville, Ohio). He and his wife, Susan, have eight children, two of which are adopted.

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