Customer Reviews

First Son: George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This biography ought to be read by everyone, "W" supporter or not. It's insightful, clear, colorful and gives a great sense of background about this man's early years. Minutaglio is a real WRITER who doesn't have any apparent political agenda other than giving readers the information they need to make their own decisions. Since it looks like the man may be president, this book will -- without doubt -- become THE info. source. I've lent it to several friends who also praise it highly. If it were out in paperback, they would have bought copies for themeselves...

It was fascinating to read the true story of the Bush family, not the assumptions often reported. Who knew that he came from such a downtrodden background, worked so hard to rise from the ashes and achieve greatness at Yale? It's no small wonder that we have this great man leading our country through the holy wrath of war!

Like his father, George W. is a stern and honorable, if not particularly well-spoken, fella'. He reads a teleprompter with unequalled ease and skill, a testament to his ability to comfortably rely on others. AS this book shows, these are all traits he learned while growing up with the help of many other wealthy and able men who were able to take the burden off of poor George W.'s shoulders. He truly is great, not to mention lucky, and he has strutted his lightened shoulders into the White House with only the slightest help from his father's friends in the Supreme Court.

Were it not for men like Bill Minutaglio, the world would be in horrible danger of being exposed to the false and misleading face of the truth. Buy this book!

If you are looking for tabloid like Bush Bashing, don't look here (you might try The Father's Son, that one is quite good at trying to instill some what outdated class war fare dribble). This particular book is extremely well balanced. If you love the Bush clan, or hate them, you will find something within. Personally, I found it an insightful and interesting tale of one of our nations most powerful pollitical families. Is George W qualified to be President? Well that is a question that only time will answer. My thoughts are he is as qualified as the guy we have recently given the nod to twice, except, maybe George will actually care more for the country than himself. He does seem to learn and grow. Now that would be a pleasant change. However one thing is for certain, the Bush family is a political dynasty (now more impressive than the Kennedys) and the people of Texas sincerely love both of their Georges.

What an enjoyable, informative read. I didn't know much about George W. Bush other than he's raised a lot of campaign money as a Republican presidential candidate. But like Richard Ben Cramer's classic WHAT IT TAKES, or David Maraniss's FIRST IN HIS CLASS about Bill Clinton's early years, this is a terrific, broad look at the man and where he came from, his family, his personality, his accomplishments and failures. I feel like I know "George W" after reading this book. The author of FIRST SON deserves a tip of the hat, not only for putting together a biography that provides great background on this politician, but also for writing a very entertaining book.

With a style unlike other quicky biographies of public figures, this book gives the curious a look at George W. Bush's life and some discussion of his policy. Party hacks will be disappointed, as the book is short of scandal or on sympathetic appraisal. It does give a good primer on how the scandal stories have never risen above the level of uncomfirmed rumor. One seeking an indepth discussion of policy too, may be disappointed, as the book is light on Bush's accomplishments as governor of Texas. But it is an unbiased analysis of the man's life and his rise to power. I'm sure both Bush's campaign and those running against him will have plenty of good and bad to spread around in the next year. This is a good place to look at the man's life.

Actor Roscoe Born who is Best known for his Emmy Award nominated roles of Robert and Quinn from 1990 and 1991 in the soap opera Santa Barbara reads this audio book with the same acting style and talents he showed in his acting roles.

Minutaglio provides a detailed life of George W. Bush, from his birth in New Haven Connecticut to his first election as governor of Texas in 1994. (After that he only describes a few events from his eight years as governor and provides a brief afterword about the 2000 presidential campaign that, strangely, concludes without revealing the results of the Supreme Court decision that finalized the election.)

Yet he fails to demonstrate that W. is only, or even largely, the product of the Bush dynasty. He fails to explain why Bush follows more in the new conservative steps of Reagan than in the moderate, non-ideological path of his father Bush 41. He doesn't mention neoconservatism at all, although Condi Rice is mentioned in the last pages. Yes, he does describe important elements of continuity in the dynasty (education at Andover, Yale, and Harvard; work in the West Texas oil fields; and common political experiences), but he fails to examine the very important differences between the two men, differences that may prove to be even more important.

The book also overlooks the role of Bush's faith in God. He describes his 1986 decision to quit drinking as an effort to avoid embarrassing his father and calls his conversion experience an attempt to reach out to the Christian right. For someone like Bush who has been the most open president about his faith since William McKinley, this is a major oversight. Minutaglio should have explained how and why his faith was important to him and his political career.

As a biography the book is fair and even-handed, describing Bush's wayward years, his maturing, and his achievements in business and politics. It provides good insight into how Bush developed as a man and politician. But it stops as Bush begins to emerge on the national stage as Texas governor.

Minutaglio's writing is also repetitive, narrating the same incidents and characterizations at different places in the book. At times it seems disjointed, and he does a poor job of explaining where certain action occurs. But there are also some really funny stories, mostly at Bush's expense, in the book (e.g. the recycled Christmas cards and the cattle guard's uniform).

Overall, a decent and impartial biography of W.'s pre-gubernatorial life, although the indifferent writing makes it a bit plodding to read at times.

It seems to be the current trend for anyone in national politics to be as polarizing as possible, with half the country thinking they are great, and the other half hating them. This is certainly the case for George W. Bush. The 9/11 attacks have changed the course of his presidency considerably, but it is still essential to get some perspective on his pre-presidential years, and how he coped with his dynastic legacy. This book is perfect for that, not only because it has plenty of detail about his relationship with his family, but because it's conversational tone is very fair minded. The author examines all sides of President Bush, and while he does not shy away from Bush's failings, he also does not indulge in speculation or gossip. The author's casual story-telling style allows the reader to really get to know Bush, but without the more prurient feelings one gets from a psycho-analytical study. It only goes to the inauguration, and it does not offer any sort of in-depth policy analysis of the President's time as governor of Texas, but it is a quick read, and a good character study.

This is a nice book detailing the history of the Bush/Walker clan and the early life of George W. Bush. There is a lot of trash out there about this man and his politics, so it is hard to get a good biography of him. Make no mistakes, Minutaglio reveals a lot of the unsavory side of George W., but it is unbiased and he deals in facts. He also covers the strengths of this man, so the reader can get the good and the bad about him. The author only reveals the facts of his National Guard stint and the glosses over the drug allegations, so the reader cannot judge the current controversy over these allegations. I enjoy a book dealing in facts and not conservative/liberal conjecture. Minutaglio does a good job in this.
I especially like how Minutaglio reveals the personal relationship of George W. with his father. This is probably the most difficult aspect of this book, but the author summarizes their relationship well. Few other authors have attempted this with George W.
For those wanting a good biography of our 43rd President, this is nice book and read. For those wanting to read trash, go elsewhere--there is plenty to pick from.

Bill Minutaglio truly fills in the gaps on the background of the 43rd President of the United States. Answering scores of questions about W's rise to power, while taking the high road in regards to some of the questionable aspects of the past, First Son is a fast paced read. In addition to providing interesting information about America's first family of politics, it provides insight into the President as a leader and a person.