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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com Review
The first of several Y2K biographies on Texas governor George W. Bush offers an in-depth look at both the Republican presidential candidate and his political family: Bill Minutaglio interviewed more than 300 people for First Son, including Bush and many members of his inner circle. The book focuses on the life of "Dubya" (the nickname used by the press and others to distinguish him from his father) and includes a combination of original material and information that has been reported elsewhere. It is neither pro- nor anti-Bush, simply reportorial and largely nonjudgmental. Readers won't find an answer to one of the season's most burning questions: Has Bush ever used illegal drugs? In a preface, Minutaglio piously says he won't stoop to such low levels. Yet one gets the sense that he won't go there because he doesn't have any hard evidence, as stories of Bush's heavy drinking are related without apparent reservation. Minutaglio, a writer for The Dallas Morning News, spends most of his time describing Bush's amazing and unexpected rise to fame. Dubya's own family, for instance, thought that younger brother Jeb would be the first to win an important public office. Yet Dubya exploited his family ties and personal charisma to have a successful business career in the 1980s and then beat a popular incumbent in 1994 to become Texas governor. (Jeb became governor of Florida in 1998, while his brother won a second term in Austin.) Minutaglio's narrative goes light on Bush's gubernatorial record and ends before his formal entry into the presidential race in 1999. Readers hungry for an overview of the man who would be president, however, could do much worse than start by looking here. --John J. Miller
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Publishers Weekly
Reading his own earnest introduction, Minutaglio (a features writer for the Dallas Morning News) explains the tone and methodology of his portrait of Republican presidential front-runner Bush. Though the biography is not officially "authorized," he says, it will not muckrake: there will be no "dollops of drug tales" forthcoming. This fence-sitting posture established, the well-researched facts of Bush's life unfold dispassionately, even in the dramatic bass-voiced reading of actor Born (veteran of TV soap All My Children). First comes Bush's remarkably accomplished family pedigree: from his industrialist great-grandfather to his father the former president. Young Bush (he's referred to as "George W." throughout) is then shown trying to live up to that legacy as he attends Andover, Yale, joins the Texas Air National Guard and goes into the oil business before gingerly entering politics. His reckless early years, marked by hard-drinking, obnoxious behavior and professional lassitude, give way to a more sober adulthood, as Bush learns the political ropes during his father's run for office. Minutaglio's reporting is at its sharpest when describing the delicate maneuverings of campaigning. Even here, however, a real sense of who George W. the person is fails to spark to life. Simultaneous release with the Times Books hardcover. Also available on CD. (Oct.) FYI: Simon & Schuster Audio has just published All The Best, a memoir by President Bush, read by the author with his extended family.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
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› Visit Amazon's Bill Minutaglio Page
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
From inside the Lincoln Town Car, all blue-silver like the river snaking through Willie Nelson's smoky rancho deluxe, it's impossible to miss the cloud cover beginning to burn off over the Texas Hill Country. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
independent oilmen, message discipline, oil game, speculation days, author interview, campaign plane, oil patch, first son Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
George Bush, White House, Prescott Bush, New York, National Guard, Barbara Bush, Ann Richards, United States, Permian Basin, Wall Street, Team Bush, Little George, University of Texas, Big George, New Haven, Lone Star, Texas Rangers, Air Force, Doug Wead, Fort Worth, Harvard Business School, Karl Rove, Clay Johnson, Dorothy Walker Bush, Doug Hannah New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
From inside the Lincoln Town Car, all blue-silver like the river snaking through Willie Nelson's smoky rancho deluxe, it's impossible to miss the cloud cover beginning to burn off over the Texas Hill Country. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
independent oilmen, message discipline, oil game, speculation days, author interview, campaign plane, oil patch, first son Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
George Bush, White House, Prescott Bush, New York, National Guard, Barbara Bush, Ann Richards, United States, Permian Basin, Wall Street, Team Bush, Little George, University of Texas, Big George, New Haven, Lone Star, Texas Rangers, Air Force, Doug Wead, Fort Worth, Harvard Business School, Karl Rove, Clay Johnson, Dorothy Walker Bush, Doug Hannah New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 15
books:
See all 15 books this book cites
- Simply Barbara Bush: A Portrait of America's Candid First Lady by Donnie Radcliffe on 7 pages
- What It Takes: The Way to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer in Back Matter (1), and Back Matter (2)
- The Dream and the Nightmare: The Sixties' Legacy to the Underclass by Myron Magnet on page 290
- The Tragedy of American Compassion by Marvin Olasky on page 289
- A saga of wealth: The rise of the Texas oilmen by James Presley in Back Matter
See all 15 books this book cites
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