Destined for Destiny: The Unauthorized Autobiography of George W. Bush [AUDIOBOOK] [UNABRIDGED] (Audio CD)

~ (Author), Peter Hilleren (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The authors maintain the satirical Web site WeeklyRadioAddress. com, which presents bogus audio clips, press releases and public policy directives in an uncannily official manner. In this "unauthorized autobiography" of George W. Bush (with Dikkers, editor-in-chief of the Onion, portraying W), the distinguished pair of pranksters manages to serve up consistently entertaining and well-engineered—if not particularly inventive—political humor. Many of the recurring gags (sheltered prep-school privilege, a spotty résumé, a dogmatic worldview, lack of cultural sophistication) will no doubt generate hearty chuckles among listeners, especially those outside the committed GOP partisan tent. Yet, in today's bold new era of "fake journalism" led by Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert, it somehow fails to deliver a stinging knockout blow against the neo-con orthodoxy of the White House inner sanctum. Dikkers, Hilleren and S&S Audio do merit special recognition for innovation in the multimedia format of the bonus fifth disk, which offers iPod-ready MP3 files for easy downloading. The disk also contains documents and photos from the hardcover edition, a video retrospective and ersatz "noted presidential speeches and addresses."
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Underscore unauthorized. Dikkers, founder and editor in chief of the satirical publication theOnion, and Hilleren, former public radio producer, joined to craft this humorous look at the life of President George W. Bush, as if penned by the forty-third president himself. They chronicle Bush's privileged childhood, his uninspiring academic performance, and his rise to wealth and influence in business and, finally, politics with the help of family connections. Written in imitation of Bush's breezy style, the facts are all there, but the tone is heavily satiric. Illustrations include a report card with grades altered, a loyalty oath signed by Laura Bush, and--after Bush's proclaimed religious conversion--the presence of Jesus in photographs of his life from babyhood through the presidential swearing-in ceremony through his speech at ground zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. Bush detractors will find this book hilarious; his fans will be apoplectic. Vanessa Bush
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio; Unabridged edition (October 17, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743565576
• ISBN-13: 978-0743565578
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 5.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #508,972 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 45 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Red, White and True, October 22, 2006

By	W.C. Snelgrove (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Destined for Destiny: The Unauthorized Autobiography of George W. Bush (Hardcover)

Not since THE LITTLE GOAT has one single epitome so greatly exemplified the triumph of the human spirit. With disarming, almost childlike grace and vocabulary here is the story of "George W. Bush" in his own inimitable and endearingly simplistic idom. Hear the tale of his humble rise from a childhood of extreme economic privilege, which few could imagine, let alone endure. Then of his remarkable military record and distinguished business career which explain his appeal to the average, (and even below average) citizen. Then finally of his truly stunning rise to become our 44th or 45th President, (I'm not sure which). Page after page we are left wondering what the American people ever did to deserve such a book, let alone the man himself. I highly reccomend this book, as you will be filled with new found inspiration and a hunger for free hot dogs. I myself bought the audio book, since some of the werds in the printid version looked to diffikult to understamd.

32 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eerily so like Dubya wrote this, October 30, 2006

By	M. ORIAS "puccagirl73" (San Jose, CA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Give me a break people. The Chapter on Laura is not to be taken seriously. I mean no one has really taken a potshot at her, since she is not as controversial as Hillary or Nancy. LOL I turned heads at Borders when I was laughing out loud as I read it, so I definitely bought the book. Look at the pictures in the middle first because they are just creepy, hilarious, but creepy, perfect for Halloween.
This book is so much written in Dubya's signature English, it's scary, the authors were definitely channeling him. ;D

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A little too true to life, October 18, 2006

By	Count de Schaumbergh "militant moderate" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Destined for Destiny: The Unauthorized Autobiography of George W. Bush (Hardcover)

Obviously, if you're a fan of the weekly satire at weeklyradioaddress.com, then this book is for you. But the book succeeds on its own (lack of) merits, and while it's clear some people will call it mean for the stuff on Laura, that's probably the funniest part of the book. Why has Laura been off-limits? Hillary, Nancy, Rosalyn sure weren't. I think people are overprotective because they feel a little bit sorry for her...

Anyhow, the book is savage, but the attacks would seem harmless if the book wasn't so eerily dead-on in its voice. What sticks with you is that a real Presidential autobiography (one that wasn't ghostwritten) would sound a lot like this.

And the pictures are fantastic.