Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President (Paperback)

by J. H. Hatfield (Author), Mark Crispin Miller (Author), J.H. Hatfield (Author) "ALTHOUGH GEORGE WALKER BUSH HAS ALWAYS FELT UNCOMFORTABLE DISCUSSING HIS PRESTIGIOUS PEDIGREE, HIS ANCESTRAL LINE CAN BE TRACED BACK TO THE FOURTEENTH CENTURY MAKING him..." (more)
Key Phrases: handgun proposal, handgun bill, presidential exploratory committee, White House, George Bush, Governor Bush (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Now president after the most dubious election in American history, George W. Bush is brought to task by controversial author J. H. Hatfield, who examines Bush's past and the questionable business and political practices of the Bush family. This updated edition documents the campaign to discredit and suppress the most talked-about biography of George W. Bush.

From the Publisher
Why was this book burned? What is in it that warrants censure?

Despite a spectacular thrashing in public after Fortunate Son was first released by St. Martin's Press, author J.H. Hatfield has retracted nothing. He stands by his three sources that allege Bush was arrested for cocaine possession in 1972. Underneath heavy fire in the media, the former publisher panicked. But as Jenny Lyn Bader points out in The New York Times, "If he's merely a convicted felon...that doesn't preclude him from being a successful writer. Indeed, St. Martin's Press underestimates the forgiveness of the American people. People might not mind a former convict writing a book as long as the book is really good."

Fortunate Son was #30 on The New York Times Hardcover Nonfiction Best-Seller list. Reader responses on the web show Americans outraged at this title's suppression: some saying that this book has changed their vote, while others don't accept that a meticulous, fact-checking biographer should be "baby seal-clubbed" with allegations about his past.

Soft Skull reprints Fortunate Son to allow the voters to judge for themselves. We hope to prove that democracy can still exist despite the preferences of the privileged. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 440 pages
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press; 2nd edition (July 10, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887128751
• ISBN-13: 978-1887128759
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #979,409 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

125 of 133 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Every American Should Own A Copy of This Book!, May 19, 2003

By	Alex (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President (Paperback)

If you want to find out more about public officials, start with the books they don't want you to read. Fortunate Son, James Hatfield's swan song, amasses the singlemost informative and chilling overview of Bush the Younger, a man of wealth, privilege, and arrogance nearing Shakespearean proportions. In the wake of its destruction by its original publisher, subsequent revival by Soft Skull Press, as well as the tragic suicide of its author, this book has undergone several revisions. This third revision, featuring a new forward by Greg Palast and Mark Crispin Miller, is as outstanding as they come, the antithesis to all of the Neoconservative-sanctioned Bush books flooding the market. Approached as a cautionary tale, Fortunate Son's enormous scope is as insightful as it is well-written. An amazing work by an author whose brilliance resonates through every chapter.

134 of 146 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars well researched biography of George W. Bush, September 9, 2003

By	"truthandjustice" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President (Paperback)

As with any book, like Al Franken's, "Lies....", any attempt to prevent it from being published, makes people want to know why, and that is why I read this book. It is well researched, there are pages and pages of sources to back up his statements. He had tried numerous times to talk to Bush about the book, but was ignored and then he and his family were threatened, they even knew the baby's name, if he published the book. Now that really got my interest. When I started to read the book I was puzzled by their actions. He didn't sound biased, in fact, as you read about Bush in his childhood you got the feeling he kind a liked him. Bush was a little wild growing up, drank a lot and chased women, which a good portion of young men do at that time in their lives. There's even a few stories, if he had wanted to, he could have used malice, but he didn't, in fact, I ended up grinning at a couple of his antics. He was writing a biography and tried to write it as accurate and truthful as he knew how. He told about Bush's drinking problems, how losing his little sister hurt him, about him accepting Jesus and his turning to sobriety and his business deals, etc. As Bush matured, we get a look at a different person, one who doesn't act so christian. The man he has turned into is one that is downright scary for the people of our country. Through the name and position of his father, we find that young Bush is rescued and backed financially by moneyed people. People with money who expected to be rewarded for their generosity and that is repeated over and over. This book clearly shows us an accurate picture of the man in the White House. If there are things in this book that he and his party don't like (and there are many things), it is not the fault of the author, for he just reported the facts, Bush did the deeds. We all, sometime or another, have to reap what we sow. I would recommend that everyone should read this book before the next election so that you will know who this man truly is before deciding your vote.

66 of 70 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Documents Bush's cocaine arrest - brilliant!, February 13, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Fortunate Son: George W. Bush and the Making of an American President (Paperback)

This is the book that (in its last chapter) documents with excruciating detail Dubya's arrest for cocaine possession and subsequent community service punishment...and how he got the records destroyed as governor by taking the unprecedent action of issuing a new driver's license to himself and essentially erasing himself as a person in Texas prior to that time. Devastating and brilliant!