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

~ J. H. Hatfield (Author), Mark Crispin Miller (Introduction), Greg Palast (Afterword) "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 bill, presidential exploratory committee, clemency process, White House, Governor Bush, George Bush (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This new edition of the candid and controversial biography of George W. Bush offers an incisive look at Bush’s questionable military history, disastrous business ventures, and the issues surrounding the 2000 presidential election. New essays and illustrations add to this book on the deeds and misdeeds of President 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: 420 pages
• Publisher: Soft Skull Press; Third edition edition (December 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1887128840
• ISBN-13: 978-1887128841
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (80 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #591,342 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

127 of 135 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

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.

135 of 147 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

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.

80 of 86 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fortunate Son - Unfortunate Country, April 14, 2003

By	T. J LeClair "profdragon" (Franklin, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This is one of those books you will love if you don't like the Bush family and their politics. The prose is engaging; The plot turns razor sharp corners at high speed; The revelations are overwhelming.

The questions I asked myself after reading the book are:

Why should I care if the author had a checkered backround?
How many of the facts are true? The ones I could check are.
How did the Bush family manage to suppress the stories in the book?
Why have other politicians been vilified publicly for fewer and less serious infractions?

This is a book as revealing about the political system as it is about the Bush family. By the way, "W" does seem to be a sympathetic if somewhat flawed person in this book which makes one ask why all the hypocracy in trying to suppress it?