Jeb: America's Next Bush (Hardcover)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Love Jeb Bush or hate him, Dáte writes, but "if you want to see what he would do with the nation, take a good look at what he did here in Florida." Though the Palm Beach Post reporter admits he has a bit of an axe to grind after covering the younger Bush for eight years, he says it's on principle alone, as a critic of Jeb's autocratic ruling style, not his policies. As Dáte portrays it, Jeb Bush for president is less a question of "if" than "when." Yet the book is worth close attention regardless of what Jeb decides. Bush's personal story—his youth; his business relationships in Miami before taking office (which weren't always savory); his years spent running a highly secretive administration, obsessed with tax cuts and school vouchers—is a masterful lesson in political ambition. Most compelling is Dáte's examination of the constantly evolving history of the hypercompetitive, hyperpowerful Bush family dynasty; how the family has amassed, wielded and abused political power and entitlement; and how it has evolved after that power and entitlement have been transferred from one generation of leaders to the next. B&w photos. (Feb. 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

As a newspaper journalist, the author closely followed Jeb Bush's eight-year reign as governor of Florida. Now he distills his seemingly encyclopedic knowledge of the man (adding some of his own, often not-so-flattering personal opinions) into a sharply written and somewhat troubling chronicle of Bush's tenure. Date portrays Bush as a man who was groomed almost from birth to take his rightful place as president of the U.S and saw his dream snatched away by his own brother. Jeb also emerges as a man dedicated to serving the people of Florida who occasionally let his political ambition cloud his judgment. Supporters of Jeb Bush might take issue with the author's critical tone, but even they will have to acknowledge that Date has done his homework. It's not a pro-Bush book, but neither is it the kind of hatchet job some readers might expect, and others will crave. David Pitt
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 416 pages
• Publisher: Tarcher (February 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1585425486
• ISBN-13: 978-1585425488
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,052,534 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Jeb Zone, June 20, 2007

By	M. Lane (Ormond Beach, FL USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

S.V. Date is a little like the main character in the Stephen King novel/movie/TV show, "The Dead Zone." Johnny Smith shakes the hand of a regional politician and with that touch knows this man will become president and destroy the world.

Date knows Jeb will run for president. Probably not in 2008, but someday.

And he knows just what a Jeb presidency would be like.

It would be like his governorship -- characterized by a laserlike focus on objectives, a vindictiveness aided by a long memory, obsessive secrecy, ideological certainty, airtight message control, a disdain for legislative-branch give-and-take, and an almost pathological inability to admit mistakes.

No, Jeb won't blow up the world like the King novel president. But Date knows from contact with the man that we would be less of a democracy at the end of his term.

Just so everybody knows what they're getting into.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The real Jeb Bush revealed. Devious man. Very devious man., June 8, 2007

By	Paul D. Harvill (Tallahassee, FL United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Amazon Verified Purchase

The real Jeb Bush revealed...finally !!!!!!!

The author, S.V. Date, whose news beat was Governor Jeb Bush for eight years, is one of America's experts on Jeb and his extended family.

Date is a now former journalist with the Palm Beach Post.

Are those who glorify Jeb Bush willing to enter into the "No Spin Zone"?

Date also wrote another excellent book: "Quiet Passion: A Biography of Bob Graham."

19 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Forewarned is forearmed ..., March 23, 2007

By	a reader (texas) - See all my reviews

This book is a cautionary tale for those contemplating voting yet another Bush into the White House. Read this book and be warned -- an exhaustive, objective look at Jeb by a reporter who knows him well.