Award-winning storytelling by Author Michael Archer
Award-winning storytelling by Author Michael Archer
Books and Features
A House Divided: Nevada Senator Bill Raggio and the Fracturing of the GOP (NEW! 2024)
I’m happy to report that my latest book, A House Divided: Nevada Senator Bill Raggio and the Fracturing of the GOP, is now available in the Amazon bookstore.
For more information about purchasing the book or to look inside, please click the button below.
A House Divided is a brisk yet comprehensive account of one of the most significant shifts in U.S. political history as viewed through the career of Nevada's foremost state legislator, Senator Bill Raggio. He was known for his personal charm, exceptional competence, and political finesse, particularly in forging bipartisan alliances on crucial issues benefitting all Nevadans.
A Republican, Raggio championed individual rights, limited government, and fiscal responsibility, but in a way that would, as he often said, deliver "lean government, but not a mean government." He prized civility and respect for government institutions. Ethics and intellect were his guides, not party politics.
As hardliner radical-right factions rose to power within the GOP, Raggio resisted what he considered their extreme policies and unwillingness to compromise across the aisle. For that, he was vilified, driven from his leadership position, and subsequently resigned from his Senate seat yet defiantly continued his struggle for the soul of the GOP.
In 2011, he foresaw a future in which the party would fracture, weakening it to the point where it would no longer align with most American voters. "We have a Republican Party that seems intent on eating its own," he warned. "And it is going to have serious political consequences."
In addition to his extensive academic research, author Michael Archer has included information from his personal interviews with dozens of those on both sides of the issues that drove this dramatic change in the political culture of Nevada and the nation.
A Man of His Word: The Life & Times of Nevada's Senator William J. Raggio (2011)
William J. Raggio is one of Nevada's best known and most admired citizens. A native Nevadan, his public service began in 1952 and ended in 2011, over eighteen years as a prosecutor and more than thirty-eight years as a legislator, achieving national prominence in both sectors and setting a record for the longest serving public official in Nevada's history—fifty-six years! During his tenure as the most influential leader in the history of the Nevada Legislature, he was often referred to by both admirers and critics as "Nevada's Shadow Governor.”
In A Man of His Word, author Michael Archer chronicles the amazing life of this legendary Nevadan—a story set against the backdrop of the continuously evolving political and social structure of Nevada itself. In the end, it proves a cautionary tale of what can happen when civility and compassion in the political arena are replaced by partisanship and extremism, and stands as a tribute to one man’s courage to oppose such forces regardless of the cost.
Khe Sanh Trilogy
A Patch of Ground: Khe Sanh Remembered
The Long Goodbye: Khe Sanh Revisited
The Gunpowder Prince: How Marine Corps Captain Mirza Munir Baig
Saved Khe Sanh
"As long as nations are going to war, a few will do their best to tell their stories. If a few, from every generation, can tell their stories as humbly and well as Mr. Archer tells his, the record of our culture will be thorough and well preserved.” —Caleb Cage, U.S. Military Academy graduate, combat veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom II and co-author of the book The Gods of Diyala.
Political History of Nevada - 2016
Political History of Nevada - 2016
The Political History of Nevada is a collection of facts and interesting accounts of Nevada's political past. First issued in pamphlet form in 1910 by Secretary of State William Douglas, this important reference tool provides readers with political data and election results since Nevada became a state in 1864.
The Political History of Nevada is routinely updated and published and is produced jointly with the Research Division of the Legislative Counsel Bureau. The 2016 edition is available online on both the Secretary of State’s website and the Legislative Counsel Bureau’s website.
Naval History
Political History of Nevada - 2016
Naval History
It's been an honor to have my articles selected to appear in Naval History magazine, a highly respected, peer-reviewed, quarterly publication.
About Author Michael Archer
Michael Archer is an American author and lecturer who has published five books of nonfiction. Three deal with the Vietnam War, particularly the 1968 communist siege of the US Marine base at Khe Sanh and its effect on the lives of those who survived. He has also written two books about Nevada politics as experienced through the life of one of the most influential legislators in Nevada history, State Senator William J. Raggio.
In addition, Michael's articles and essays have appeared in the Nevada Review, Political History of Nevada—2016, and twice in Naval History magazine.
His work has been honored by Foreword Magazine's INDIES Book of the Year Award and received literary awards from the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation in the categories of distinguished biography and feature writing.
Michael served in the United States Marine Corps and fought in South Vietnam. After receiving a B.A. at California State University, Sacramento, he worked in both federal and state government, including nine legislative sessions as a staff member with the Nevada State Senate.
A native of Oakland, California, he has resided in Northern Nevada since 1978.