Customer Reviews

My Father, My President: A Personal Account of the Life of George H. W. Bush

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Suppose, gentle reader, that you are not a professional writer, and your father suddenly asks you to write a book about his life.

Hmmm, how do you go about it? Where do you start?

Then add one small complication: Your father has been President of the United States.

Doro Bush Koch took on this unprecedented task, surely an offer she could not refuse. Her solution is to write a daughter's-eye portrait of the man and to leave the pontificating about events and policies largely to those actually involved in such things. Her book gives as much space to doormen, cooks and butlers as it does to the likes of Bill Clinton and Mikhail Gorbachev.

No one will be surprised that the former President emerges as a devoted family man, upright, honest and fun-loving. Even his political opponents join in the chorus. George H. W. Bush, now 82 years old and rather lightly regarded by political historians, has inspired an affectionate brief in his own defense.

Doro (her actual name is Dorothy, but the family adopted the shorter form early on) went about her job with zest and efficiency. Her list of interviewees runs to 133 names, and another 167 people sent comments by letter. Half or more of her text consists of verbatim excerpts from their responses.

One could hardly expect a balanced appraisal, given the circumstances of the book's creation. Once you concede that point, the book earns a place on your bookshelf by its folksy personal tone. Doro shows genuine affection for her father, excusing his personality quirks and giving him the benefit of every doubt.

The policy wonks she contacted, friends and enemies alike, praise his good qualities and tend to applaud his performance as President. He is given credit several times, for example, for starting the process of dismantling the Soviet Union and opening up eastern Europe in the late 1980s, surely a debatable point. His opponents are --- again understandably --- depicted as mean-spirited and mendacious. The nasty media take their lumps too.

All this halo-polishing can become a bit tiresome. Perhaps the severest critic involved is Bush himself ("...I think I was maybe a couple of quarts low on charisma"). One admirer put it concisely: "he was a master of the small gesture." He himself admitted that he was not comfortable with "soaring rhetoric."

The most interesting and revealing pages of this book are the excerpts from Bush's private diaries and informal notes to friends. These show us a very human and attractive side of the man's nature.

He was considerate and often witty, even when delivering bad news. Two days before Richard Nixon resigned in 1974, Bush sent him a formal letter suggesting in statesmanlike phrases that he must take that fateful step ("....this letter is made much more difficult because of the gratitude I will always have for you..."). It was a hard thing for Bush to do, but he did it with some style.

Doro has ably presented one side of the "Bush-41" story for the record. Historians and others will surely continue to debate the pros and cons of his Presidency. What she has done that they cannot is to make her father live as a human being. Her emphasis on family doings, horseshoe tournaments, golf and fishing gives her book both color and personality.

--- Reviewed by Robert Finn [...]

Doro Bush Koch, the only remaining daughter of George H.W. Bush, was asked to write this personal memoir about her father. Doro, as a loving daughter, is far from objective about her famous dad, but that's what makes this book interesting. She starts out by recounting some history about her great-grandparents and grandparents, includes some anecdotes and incidents from her father's growing-up years, and then continues with his life as a businessman, diplomat, politician, and eventually as President. She is knowledgable about the many issues which her father faced as President, and recounts his triumphs and missteps, complete with attacks on him by political enemies and the press. She also includes many stories by friends and fellow politicians who portray him as a thoughtful and caring man who, even in the midst of his own trials, never failed to reach out to others who were having difficult times. One example of the President's thoughtfulness is that the Bushes would stay at the White House Christmas Eve so that the staff which would accompany them to Camp David for Christmas could spend some holiday time with their families. Koch includes many examples of personal correspondence (his preferred way of communicating) with his children and grandchildren which are very touching and which show that he lived up to his credo of "Faith, Family, and Friends." Along the way, the reader gets glimpses of Doro's other famous relatives, but her father is definitely the focus of this loving tribute.

Doro Bush Koch has assembled a charming collection of personal anecdotes, from the public and private lives of George H. W. Bush (41). One clear lesson: 41's public and private personae are entirely congruent. Prominant Democrats and Republicans and plain old personal friends ALL have resounding complements for, and fond memories of, 41. This easy read is an important reminder that American politics does occasionally attract great people to serve.

Has anyone but me noticed that the reviewer, Reed Business Information, has never met a book about Republicans/conservatives that they like?

Anyway, "My Father, My President" is written by the daughter of a famous man, who happened to serve 8 years as Vice President and 4 years as President, among other public service positions. President Bush 41 has made it very plain that he will not write his memoirs, as most Presidents have rushed to do when they're out of office. Dorothy, or Doro, his daughter, has put together her recollections along with those of hundreds of President Bush's family, friends, political friends/foes, etc. She has not delved deeply into politics and I don't think that was her intention.

I've read a lot about many presidents and thought this might be like the others, but My Father, My President is a very interesting read, and her observations and insights into her father do not vary much from what others have written of President Bush 41.

If you enjoy a good read, put your personal politics aside and spend time with My Father, My President.

Doro Bush Koch has compiled a very special account of not only her father, but her entire family. It is obvious that this was a passionate labor of love project. The detailed amount of research for this book proves that the author did not rush pell-mell into this project. Personal notes and letters are included. The results of her interviews with a multitude of political and world leaders add stories and point of views of others. An added bonus are the numerous personal family photos and annual nonce Christmas cards that allows the reader a peek into the private lives of the Bush Family. If you are a political fanatic or just want to know more about the Bush Family journey from several generations, then you will enjoy this book.

Review by:
Pamela Jarmon-Wade

Whatever your politics-you will enjoy the story that Doro Bush Kich has written about her father. It is a story written about a father who is truly loved and admired by his daughter. I enjoyed the ancedotes about growing up in a famous family and how the lessons that President George H.W. Bush learned from his wonderful mother stayed with him throughout his life. She always told him to be humble and think of others. From the ancedotes in the book-he took those lessons to heart. There are several examples of his kindness and thoughtfulness sprinkled throughout the book-many are well known stories and some haven't been heard before. There are good times and bad recounted in this book (as in all family stories). Mrs. Bush Koch lists all the people in the back of the book who have been quoted, told her stories and written her letters about her dad-they come from both sides of the aisle. This is a great addition to my library of presidential biographies.

I just finished the book and enjoyed it. I have always had great respect for George Bush Sr. and I think Doro did a good job of bringing to light his kind, respectful ways. I really think history will judge him well. However, most of the book were things I have already read but at the same time, I enjoyed reading what it was like growing up with him as a father.

I am very grateful to Doro Bush Koch for writing this biography of her father, "41". The view I had of George H.W. Bush before reading this was very one dimensional, influenced heavily through media coverage of his presidency. After seeing the man behind the media image, I respect President Bush more than just about any other human being. This is a portrait of a man who truly put country and others before self. You really get a personal sense of the fun side as well as the emotional side of a man that really was never fully conveyed across our TV screens or in the newspapers.

I am especially appreciative of learning the truth about that media story about Bush being surprised or in awe of scanner technology, as if he didn't realize it existed. I've believed that mistruth since first hearing it, and regret having repeated it myself to others over the years.

A great book, not at all a stuffy, dry bio...I heartily recommend it!

President George H. W. Bush's daughter, Doro, writes engagingly and as you would expect, warmly, about her father, the 41st President of the United States. This book, the author's first, is interesting, includes a lot of anecdotes that until now have not found their way to the printed page, and is, in a word, enjoyable.

"41," as they call him now, used to be called "Mr. Resume." President Bush's record of accomplishment, beginning with heroic WWII flying experience through his years as Vice President and President are amazing. He's lived an incredible life and whatever one thinks of his politics, this book shines a light on a caring, loyal man who possessed ambition both to serve his family and his country.

I highly recommend this book.

This book is long, but it is written very well and definitely worth the time to read. Being a "daddy's girl" and about the same age as Ms. Koch, I can relate to her words in more ways than I care to tell. It is an excellent account of Mr. Bush's presidency as well as his life. I have always respected the Bush family, and this book definitely solidifies that respect.