First Son : George W. Bush and the Bush Family Dynasty

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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

Book Description

In one of the most unprecedented developments in the history of national politics, George W. Bush abruptly emerged to lead all presidential aspirants in the national polls for the 2000 election. Yet voters know very little about the man, beyond his famous name and his place in one of the nation's most powerful political dynasties.

First Son is a true, riveting family saga about extraordinary power and politics in America and in the unharnessed state--a state of mind--called Texas. The story begins with the turn-of-the-century emergence of the influential Bush-Walker clan and of Prescott Bush, the Connecticut patrician who ingrained in his family an ethos that continues to exert influence on his son, former President George Bush, and his grandsons, George W. and Jeb. How these scions of the Bush dynasty struggle to live up to their enduring legacy is the central theme of this colorful and perceptive portrait the first authentative book on the governor of Texas.

In the past year, award-winning Texas writer Bill Minutaglio has met with George W. Bush and interviewed dozens of people close to him, from his brother Governor Jeb Bush of Florida to uncles and cousins, from current and former political advisers to high-ranking insiders from his father's years in the White House. Fraternity buddies, political operatives, George W.'s employers, and even ardent critics of the Bush family bring this story to life--from the society circles in his native Connecticut to the family compound in Maine to the backwaters of his adopted Texas. The result is a book that is nuanced, insightful, and surprising in the contradictions and complexities it reveals about this man.

First Son vividly reconstructs George W. Bush's boarding-school days at one of the country's most exclusive institutions; his tenure in one of Yale's secret societies and as president of his unfettered fraternity; his attempts to follow his family's million-dollar path into the wide-open Texas oil patch; his role in major league baseball as the public face and head cheerleader for the Texas Rangers; and, finally, his rise to governor of Texas and national political force, executed with more hard-edged calculation than many people realize.

Written with precision, verve, and fair-minded balanace, First Son will be the political story of 2000--the eye-opening tale of a natural-born politician.

From the Hardcover edition.

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The Bush family represents one of America's most formidable political dynasties -- beginning with the election of Prescott Bush to the U.S. Senate in 1948 and continuing through 1998, when George W. Bush won a landslide reelection as Governor of Texas and his younger brother Jeb Bush was elected Governor of Florida. Of course, the generational link between these men is former President George Bush, whose accomplishments have been a daunting factor in the lives of his sons. Veteran Texas reporter and long-time Bush observer Bill Minutaglio has written the most authoritative and insightful work to date on the First Son. Minutaglio interviewed Bush's friends and family, his old drinking buddies and Yale classmates, associates from his days as an oilman and owner of the Texas Rangers, and the politicians who have seen Bush up close in action. Minutaglio even gained access to George W. Bush himself.

Customer Reviews:

Detailed Bio - Unconvincing Thesis.......2006-12-29

Minutaglio provides a detailed life of George W. Bush, from his birth in New Haven Connecticut to his first election as governor of Texas in 1994. (After that he only describes a few events from his eight years as governor and provides a brief afterword about the 2000 presidential campaign that, strangely, concludes without revealing the results of the Supreme Court decision that finalized the election.)

Yet he fails to demonstrate that W. is only, or even largely, the product of the Bush dynasty. He fails to explain why Bush follows more in the new conservative steps of Reagan than in the moderate, non-ideological path of his father Bush 41. He doesn't mention neoconservatism at all, although Condi Rice is mentioned in the last pages. Yes, he does describe important elements of continuity in the dynasty (education at Andover, Yale, and Harvard; work in the West Texas oil fields; and common political experiences), but he fails to examine the very important differences between the two men, differences that may prove to be even more important.

The book also overlooks the role of Bush's faith in God. He describes his 1986 decision to quit drinking as an effort to avoid embarrassing his father and calls his conversion experience an attempt to reach out to the Christian right. For someone like Bush who has been the most open president about his faith since William McKinley, this is a major oversight. Minutaglio should have explained how and why his faith was important to him and his political career.

As a biography the book is fair and even-handed, describing Bush's wayward years, his maturing, and his achievements in business and politics. It provides good insight into how Bush developed as a man and politician. But it stops as Bush begins to emerge on the national stage as Texas governor.

Minutaglio's writing is also repetitive, narrating the same incidents and characterizations at different places in the book. At times it seems disjointed, and he does a poor job of explaining where certain action occurs. But there are also some really funny stories, mostly at Bush's expense, in the book (e.g. the recycled Christmas cards and the cattle guard's uniform).

Overall, a decent and impartial biography of W.'s pre-gubernatorial life, although the indifferent writing makes it a bit plodding to read at times.

UNBIASED?? THE AUTHOR SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF HIMSELF!!.......2006-12-28

THIS IS AN UNADULTERATED PUFF PIECE THAT EITHER HIDES, OBSCURES, IGNORES OR COMPLETELY FABRICATES A NEW HISTORY & PERSONA FOR GEORGE W. BUSH!

PLAIN & SIMPLE...THIS BOOK IS A JOKE...AND A COMPLETE WASTE OF TIME & MONEY (WHICH I'D LOVE TO GET BACK PLEASE!)!!

The history of the Bush/Walker clan and the rise of George W.......2004-09-11

This is a nice book detailing the history of the Bush/Walker clan and the early life of George W. Bush. There is a lot of trash out there about this man and his politics, so it is hard to get a good biography of him. Make no mistakes, Minutaglio reveals a lot of the unsavory side of George W., but it is unbiased and he deals in facts. He also covers the strengths of this man, so the reader can get the good and the bad about him. The author only reveals the facts of his National Guard stint and the glosses over the drug allegations, so the reader cannot judge the current controversy over these allegations. I enjoy a book dealing in facts and not conservative/liberal conjecture. Minutaglio does a good job in this.
I especially like how Minutaglio reveals the personal relationship of George W. with his father. This is probably the most difficult aspect of this book, but the author summarizes their relationship well. Few other authors have attempted this with George W.
For those wanting a good biography of our 43rd President, this is nice book and read. For those wanting to read trash, go elsewhere--there is plenty to pick from.

Entertaining but BIASED!.......2003-07-31

I bought this book on a lark thinking it might actually be what the cover notes said is was "unbiased", but as soon as I saw Dan Rather's opinion on the book (printed on the back of the paperback I purchased), I should've known this book was not necessarily "the truth" on George W. Bush. Don't believe everything you read or hear from anyone in print or media. I encourage you to be selective and present things in context. . .

Speaking of things in context, I really can't trust this book as gospel because Minutaglio quotes sources in such a sporadic way, footnoting the quotes only to look more credible. The quotes are sometimes ridiculous and misplaced, it seems, but albeit, very entertaining.

That's just it, this book is entertaining and nothing more except to provide a biased peek at what Minutaglio believes is the driving force and reasons for our President's personality, politics, career choices, and other personal decisions.

Juicy. As in gossipy.

COME OUT OF THE CLOSET, Mr. Minutglio!.......2003-02-23

Maybe I'm slow...or too trusting. Previous reviewers kept insisting again and again that this book was "unbiased". WRONG. From the first page, the author had an attitude about Bush - and the GOP. It gradually became clear that the author is a passionate Democrat, as he approvingly whitewashed all personal Clinton and Democrat party issues and glorified people like Al Gore. The bias abounds throughout the book... RNC party strategists are called "political terrorists", while their DNC equals are portrayed as sincere victims at each turn of the two year campaign. And you Mom's and Dad's out there, tell me: what parent (such as George, Sr) would hug the son he loves (George W.) on the happiest day of his life, but instead of thinking of the incredibly close relationship of family love, pride, and respect that the father and son have always shared, the father is now thinking only of the three times in a lifetime that father/son had been briefly angry with each other. And why remind the reader again and again, as much as four times over hundreds of pages, of each small tidbit of negative information? Was he afraid we would forget? Why did it take me hundreds of pages of wasted time to finally realize that no matter what the Bushes say or do, this author is biased to hate Bush and the Bush family, and to love Gore - and the Democrats - and the RNC. Period. Every possible issue and personal examination is slanted toward contempt for the one, and pride in the other. BOTTOM LINE: This book was promoted DECEPTIVELY. If Mr. Minitaglio wanted to write a hate-piece, fine - but why not be up front about it? My recommendation for busy people who love to read is simply that you beware. Know before you go. I'm rating the book a 3, because my friends who are Democrats may enjoy this book. (but why waste time, since he is already president and there's nothing you can do about it?) BUT... my Republican friends, STAY AWAY from this book, because it is unfair, duplicitous, full of seething, underhanded bias that Bernard Goldberg courageously exposed in his excellent book "BIAS". The bias peeks out from - and underneath - every sentence. Hope this helps reverent readers like me who just want to read, and who just want the TRUTH.

The Clinton Presidential Center Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes from Family and Friends

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Clinton Center Cookbook Hits the Spot
Cooking in Clinton's Kitchen
Tasty and Profound

The Clinton Presidential Center Cookbook: A Collection of Recipes from Family and Friends

Manufacturer: Sedgewood Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

Reference | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | Encyclopedias | Reference | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 069622156X

Book Description

Recipes for appetizers, beverages, breads, desserts, main dishes, salads, soups, and sides from Hollywood to Little Rock

Many recipes are accompanied by personal stories about the dish from their contributors

Recipes from musicians for all tastes, for instance: BonoÂ's Black Velvet cocktail, Quincy JonesÂ' Chicken Sauerkraut, and Barbara StreisandÂ's Southern Lemon Ice Box Pie

Stars of the Silver Screen let us know what they savor: Chevy Chase contributes Cauliflower Soup with Croutons and Mary Steenburgen gives us Garlic Cheese Grits

Politicos weigh in with top-secret cooking tips: Al Gore, James Carville, Madeleine Albright, and Andrew Cuomo share their favorite dishes

Part of the proceeds will benefit the Cllnton Presidential Foundation and its mission to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and the world to meet the challenges of global interdependence

Customer Reviews:

Clinton Center Cookbook Hits the Spot.......2004-03-27

The Clinton Center Cookbook really hit the spot! Not only did it help cure my hunger...it also cured my boredom! Well written and full of insight, it has made dinner tasty and entertaining. Thank you for writing such a superb book.

Cooking in Clinton's Kitchen.......2004-03-16

The Clinton Foundation's collection of recipes brings out the best of both the political and culinary worlds by sharing delicious recipes worthy of trying out in your own kitchen. Being able to prepare dishes and meals enjoyed by those you admire is simply amazing and worth exploring the recipes in this cookbook.

Kudos to the fantastic Clinton Foundation and the remarkable chefs who made this cookbook possible! This is one cookbook that no one should be without.

Tasty and Profound.......2004-03-16

This book demonstrates President Clinton's extraodrinary ability to extend his personality from the esoteric to the everyday. Equally at home in the Oval Office and in his friends' kitchens, he travels between worlds like no other since Henry V.

Moreover his book's editor seems to understand (as Hemingway did) that, in an unsure and often disconcerting modern world, the basic comfort of good eating cannot be overstated. And no doubt we are in greater need of such comfort in the wake of President Clinton's departure from the Whitehouse.

Book Description

Smithsonian Q & A: Presidential Families looks at the role of the first ladies, the children's struggles and accomplishments, and the influence of extended families on the office of the U.S. presidency. Find out the answers to: Which first lady said "I know what's best for the president, I put him in the White House"? and Who did not have an inaugural ceremony?

Draws the reader behind the doors of the White House with true stories about those who held the highest leadership position in the United States
More than 250 full-color photographs and illustrations, with unique artifacts from the archives of the Smithsonian Institution
Ready Reference section with at-a-glance details on important people and events in White House history

The role of American values in the 2004 election.(Surfing the Net): An article from: Social Education

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The role of American values in the 2004 election.(Surfing the Net): An article from: Social Education
C. Frederick Risinger
Manufacturer: National Council for the Social Studies
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Social Education, published by National Council for the Social Studies on September 1, 2004. The length of the article is 1501 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The role of American values in the 2004 election.(Surfing the Net)
Author: C. Frederick Risinger
Publication: Social Education (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2004
Publisher: National Council for the Social Studies
Volume: 68 Issue: 5 Page: 330(2)

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The Stevensons: A Biography of an American Family.: An article from: Presidential Studies Quarterly

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The Stevensons: A Biography of an American Family.: An article from: Presidential Studies Quarterly
Charles H. Zwicker
Manufacturer: Center for the Study of the Presidency
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Politics | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | e-Docs | Formats | Books

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Presidential Studies Quarterly, published by Center for the Study of the Presidency on March 22, 1998. The length of the article is 743 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The Stevensons: A Biography of an American Family.
Author: Charles H. Zwicker
Publication: Presidential Studies Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: March 22, 1998
Publisher: Center for the Study of the Presidency
Volume: v28 Issue: n2 Page: p460(3)

Article Type: Book Review

Distributed by Thomson Gale

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American Presidential Families
Hugh; Mosley, Charles Brogan
Manufacturer: MacMillan Reference Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000O8ZERW

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American Presidential Families
Hugh Brogan; & Charles Mosley
Manufacturer: ALAN SUTTON
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
ASIN: B000OLOJ8E

A sermon occasioned by the death of Theodore Frelinghuysen: Preached in the North Dutch Church of Newark, N.J., May 11th, 1862

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A sermon occasioned by the death of Theodore Frelinghuysen: Preached in the North Dutch Church of Newark, N.J., May 11th, 1862
William Henry Campbell
Manufacturer: Printed at the Daily Advertiser office
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding

Congresses, Senates, & Legislative Bodies | Government | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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As an Undergraduate reading this..

The Making of the West, Vol. 2
Lynn Hunt , Thomas R. Martin , Barbara H. Rosenwein , R. Po-chia Hsia , and Bonnie G. Smith
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | United States | Americas | History | Subjects | Books
General | World | History | Subjects | Books
All Titles | Qualifying Textbooks - Fall 2007 | Stores | Books
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Sources of The Making of the West, Volume II: Since 1340: Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History

The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History

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The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano: Written by Himself

The Making of the West: Peoples and Cultures, A Concise History, Volume I: To 1740

ASIN: 0312402082

Customer Reviews:

As an Undergraduate reading this.........2007-01-29

When I read this. I'm like what? Just reading the first 10 pages of the beginning I get this confusion. This book is just a bunch of facts stuffed together. In one paragraph you can see different dates jumping around. First it's 1640 then the next setence it goes back to 1590s. What is it saying? Too bad I have to use this book for my class, otherwise I would not recommend it as a reference or textbook for another history class.

The Making of the West, Vol 2: with Reader, Vol 2

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The Making of the West, Vol 2: with Reader, Vol 2
Lynn Hunt
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTF8MM

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The Making of the West, Vol. 2
R. Po-chia; Smith, Bonnie G.; Martin, Thomas R.; Hunt, Lynn; Rosenwein, Barbara H. Hsia
Manufacturer: Bedford/St. Martin's
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OTFCTQ

Amazon.com

"Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," wrote Arthur C. Clarke. The technology that surrounds us now, at the dawn of the 21st century, can seem plenty advanced: a plethora of black (or light gray) boxes doing who knows what to send voices through the air, see pictures in crystal tubes, fly like a bird. We're calling spirits from the vastly deep, and they really come.

If you'd prefer not to do magic, though, this is the book for you. How does a GPS receiver know where you are? What's inside the "not user serviceable" parts of a laser printer? What's the difference between scanning and transmission electron microscopes? The explanations and diagrams in this volume are in Scientific American's distinctive style, clear and simple without being oversimplified. It's not as cute or congenial as David Macauley's The New Way Things Work, but the multicolored pictures are easier to follow and the volume is more information-dense. If you like your technology slightly drier, more technical, and less magical than Macauley provides, How Things Work Today is an excellent guide. --Mary Ellen Curtin

Book Description

Biotechnology, computers, cell phones, and the Internet -- they're all having a major impact on our lives as the twenty-first century begins. Surrounded by today's array of new technologies, it is easy to feel overwhelmed and bewildered. For more than a century, Scientific American has made the machines and technologies that make up our world understandable. In Scientific American: How Things Work Today you'll find over 100 topics explored in easy-to-understand text and made absolutely clear with the aid of more than 600 fully annotated, three-dimensional illustrations and color photographs.

Do you know where all those stairs on the escalator go when they get to the top? Did you know that every time you use a credit card the clerk bounces a signal off a satellite to get an okay for your purchase? Have you ever wondered how your e-mail gets from here to there? Or how the signal finds your cell phone when you're hundreds of miles from home? Scientific American knows, and in Scientific American: How Things Work Today, it tells and shows you how the world around you works, with three-dimensional illustrations, diagrams, and exploded views as well as up-to-the-minute color photographs. And the explanations are in the concise, understandable language that has made Scientific American the most successful popular science magazine in the world.

Scientific American has been the authoritative popular source of science information about how the world works for more than 150 years. Now, in the first book based on the magazine's popular "Working Knowledge" column, Scientific American reveals exactly how the wonders of the modern world work. Assembled by a team of professional science and technology writers, Scientific American: How Things Work Today shows the hidden workings of satellites, the Space Shuttle, subways, sewers, the Internet, electron microscopes, and many of the other systems and devices that help make our world what it is and us who we are. With lavish pictures, photographs, and hundreds of explanations to how our world works, this book is an essential addition to every family's library.

Customer Reviews:

Clear, information-rich, and informative.......2004-08-22

I loved this book. It has huge, very clear cutaway illustrations that show exactly what's behind-the-scenes of a whole range of everyday objects. Lots of different objects are covered, from apparently ordinary things such as subways and elevators to more hi-tech things like computers. It's fascinating to find out what goes on under the covers. There are some quite long essays on everyday materials for people who like more words. There's also quite a handy science section at the back. Given how much information it contains, I thought this book was pretty good value for money.

Not very interesting.......2001-12-29

Written in a very straightforward, boring way. A fair amount of filler. For example, in the section on Subway Stations, one of the items they point out is the "Ticket hall: Passengers buy tickets or tokens from staffed offices or from vending machines." Not very informative...

Any of the David Macaulay books would be much more interesting.

A great book for all ages.......2001-06-10

I have had a blast reading through this book, and have learned more practical knowledge from it than any other that I can remember.

Each pair of pages in the book describes the inner workings of many of the modern machines that we use every day, ranging from microwaves to photocopiers, from your car's turbocharger to suspension bridges. Cut-away diagrams display the innards of these machines, allowing one to see what normally only professionals and enthusiasts deal with.

The book is written in a manner that most pre-teens could understand, yet it contains more information than even the most technologically-advanced buff would ever know. An appendix in the back describes the basic scientific terms that were used through the book, for those who have yet to learn these things, or have forgotten.

I truly loved this book. It is a great feeling to have a basic understanding of how nearly everything we use works. You will never look at an escalator in the same way! This book would make an excellent gift!

Knowledgeable - must have collection.......2000-11-03

for all those who are fascinated by SCIAM's "working knowledge", this book is going to keep you awake nights wondering about escalators, cell phones and holograms. for others who are nevertheless curious, inquisitive and have a scientific bent of mind, this book would be poetry for your brains. read this book and the next time you see a car, you would look beyond the 4 wheels and the steering wheel! amazingly wellwritten.

SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN HOW THINGS WORK TODAY

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SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN HOW THINGS WORK TODAY
Michael & Patel, Mukul, Editors Wright
Manufacturer: Crown
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000OXBOTE

Book Description

Today, environmental concerns are at the forefront of the world's conscience and the historical clash between ``pro-growth'' and ``pro-environment'' perspectives is fading. The environmental business is growing rapidly and needs professionals who can bring something to the table in many disciplines. Explores the many career options available in the exploding field of preserving and protecting the environment.

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