Customer Reviews

All The Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(7)

 

 

As a collector of presidential biographies and memoirs, without a doubt All the Best by George Bush is the finest, most genuine, most personal look into the life of a President that I have ever encountered. The Bush letters, diary entries, official memoranda, and other sources cited offer the reader a "window on the soul" of our 41st President, and reveal a strength, an unrelenting decency, and an advanced sense of humor that many never knew existed (because the national media couldn't understand it). All the Best is a great book from one of the 20th Century's great statesmen.

In an era where politicians are looked upon with a great deal of contempt and are portrayed (sometimes rightfully so) as cold and heartless, along comes a book to buck the trend. President Bush opens himself up to the reader to get a glimpse of his thoughts and the events going on around him. It is very revealing in parts, and generally shows his maturation and perhaps some change in perspective as the years progress. Pres. Bush does not hide the fact that he is an emotional man, and that is expressed very well in this book. One can't help but be touched by the humor, sadness, insightful opinion, and lightheartedness this collection of letters encompasses. Fair warning to those expecting a book that is "wonkish" in policy and serious reading: this is not that kind of book. Nor does it pretend to be, and that's what makes it enjoyable. If you were expecting more serious material from President Bush, I suggest you try "A World Transformed", which he co-authored with Gen. Brent Scowcroft. All in all, "All The Best..." is a nice read, and should appeal to a wider audience than most memoir/autobiographical pieces from our political figures.

This is an intriguing and enticing look at former President George Bush through five plus decades of letters and diaries. The writings demonstrate that Mr. Bush's personal life mirror his public demeanor as a quiet, uncomplicated individual who strongly believes in family values. The entries include impressions of world leaders of the past two decades, adding to the interest.

Anyone seeking dirty laundry and partisan politics needs to skip this memoir. Instead, Mr. Bush treats everyone except the nagging press as a friend. The book serves as a refreshing look inside the guts of the former President as well as how he perceived some of his colleagues and events on the world stage. Fans of autobiographies, the American presidency, and American history will gain much pleasure from this memoir that is much more interesting than the sanitized version of greatness that many of the modern day autobiographies present. Mr. Bush shows his pride of simply being Mr. Bush.

Harriet Klausner

I really enjoyed this book (which I received as a gift). In short, what you get are the letters of a good decent man. I found it insightful, particularly in an age where we communicate via short terse emails. As expected, Bush haters will hate it and Bush lovers will love it. I fall somewhere in the middle, but have concluded that if I ever got the chance to recast my vote in the Bush-Clinton affair..this time I would side with George (sorry bubba) Character does matter.

Unlike biographies and autobiographies which allow time to alter the perspective of events in the mind of the author, reading about George H.W. Bush's life through his letters and diary entries allows one to see events from the perspective Bush saw them as they were happening. I found this to be a refreshing approach to a life many may find in contradiction. I was in high school during the Bush presidency and watched, in amazment, the world as I knew it, change right before my eyes. While this book may not provide a look at the "real" George Bush (can any book really do that?), it does provide a glimpse into, perhaps, what it was that helped him steer us through those world changing events and make us a stronger country.

Many of us know someone that is a letter writer who, for them any reason to write a letter is a good one. It quickly becomes clear that George Bush is one of those people. Most of the letters and diary entries are heartwarming and reveal a strong, kind and patriotic person with a soft heart who tries to keep his priorities straight, despite the pressures that come from the life he chose. While some of the letters are a little dry, there are many which will lighten your spirit and wet your eyes. But most of all, they demonstrate what kind of heart a leader should have and renew ones faith that there people in government who, for good or bad, are trying to do their best to make decisions which will benefit our country and its citizens.

Too bad the US voters didn't get to know this George Bush. Perhaps that draft-dodging adulterous hick wouldn't be President... I digress. This book should be required reading for any number of people. Couples, politicians, children would benefit from spending a few hours reading these letters. I laughed out loud so many times that my wife eventually asked me to read entire sections of the book to her. We cried together as we read of the heartbreak he and his family experienced. This book is a wonderful gift from a man whose lifetime of achievements, both personal and professional, made our country a better place.

In his letters former president George Bush shows us a great deal about who he is as a person, the nature of his character. We find a very gentle, articulate man with a deep sense of courage. These are shown in the two letters which stand out in my mind as I write this. The first is a tender letter about the death of his child, Robin. In it he shows himself to be a man who feels deeply, but also a man who has used his grief to grow into a compassionate person rather than one who is bitter. Another letter which showed me much about who this man really is was a letter he wrote in response to criticism he had received regarding what was viewed by one person, who had lost a loved one, as a cold and insincere attitude at the memorial service. His kindness and willingness to apologize for behavior which to me seemed to have been both appropriate and sincere said much about a man who is comfortable enough with himself to be humble in the true definition of that word. The letters in this book are interesting and uplifting. They gave me a sense of faith in this country's potential for great leaders.

Eizabeth Skoglund author of Divine Recycling: Living Above Your Circumstances

These letters serve as a wonderfully personal account of a man who is clearly dedicated to his family and public service. If anything, it is clear that the former is more important than the latter when one reads this volume. I should stress that this praise is made by someone who actively worked for President Bush's defeat and has no desire to see his son in the White House. Yet in reading this book, it is impossible not to have respect for the former President. While in one sense the lack of vision that he was often criticized for is apparent, it is also clear that his view of public service as a means of making America a better place comes through clearly. As the letters take the reader from the South Pacific and Texas to Congress and the UN to China and the CIA and finally to the White House, the reader sees a man acting to protect and improve America as he most sees fit. At the same time, a very humorous side of Mr. Bush is readily apparent. If you want a definitive biography of George Bush, this is not it; if you want some deep interpretation of his political philosophy, you will not find it here (if it really exists at all); but if you want to better understand the man and and someone who believes that a noble vision of public service still exists, READ THIS BOOK.

I think the reviewer below who had such problems with believing these letters are real is just a poor victim of today's politics. So many Americans, thanks to Clinton and the like, cannot believe anyone involved in politics can be "good", decent, honest, and a true family man. President Bush was so far above in every way our current administration, and reading this book made it hurt all over again, remembering his loss to the embarassing president who currently holds office.

Regardless of the one bitter review you may have read on this page, this book is something every American ought to read. You get to the core of the man. Of course you do not get ever detail of his life, no book could give that. You also don't walk away with a full picture of President Bush. But, as he says himself, this is his heartbeat. You get a glimpse of what makes him tick. Mr. Bush being pulled in every way imaginable rarely caved. He exemplifies leadership, character and commitment to principles. How this would be a different time had 47% of American voters not been hood-winked by the current occupant of the White House in 1992.