Rating: 
Summary: as a bush fan...
Review: .... you may want to look for another book. this one is full of "corrections" of what the actual man himself said. parts about family money made off the holocaust have been edited out, unfortunately. specifically in some letters addressed to leslie baukerberg (his life-long accountant) and tina goethe (his admitted former girlfriend) who both had invested in a brilliant stock some of that same money that granted him the ability to pay off campgain debts! as a fan of bush sr's work in the white house i was shocked to see these glaring omissions from letters i had previously read via the internet. perhaps the best book for this subject is the less-heavily-edited "sons of tommorrows sunshine" compiled by son jeb bush and the late author benjamin kowlestein will guide you more in the history of this man and his family.
Rating: 
Summary: Who knew?
Review: It is hard to believe the same man who said, "This will not stand," is the same guy who wrote such WONDERFUL letters to his children, grandchildren and friends.We have always known that family and friends were very important to the Bush's, but now we understand why. I truly LOVED this book. George Bush has a wonderful style of self-deprecating, "I don't take myself too serious" humor. I could picture all the scenarios he wrote in his diaries from granddaughter Ellie in the bathroom to his discussions with Richard Nixon and Gerald Ford. It's great he was willing to share these letters and thoughts with us. It gave me a greater appreciation of our former president and his family.
Rating:
Summary: as a bush fan...
Review: ...were the ones he wrote to Jennifer Fitzgerald. But, for some reason he didn't include them. Unfortunately, the letters he DID include, to Barbara, etc... are clearly contrived and illustrate how gullible those around him are. George HW Bush's top three priorities in his life has been $, $ and even more $. Also missing were the letters he wrote to the families of the crewmen he abandoned when he jumped from his lightly-damaged plane during WW2. Perhaps he never wrote them?
Rating:
Summary: sappy self-aggrandizement
Review: Horrible book from a terrible man! Why not step outside for a breath of fresh air, instead of subjecting yourself with your nose in this one. And if outside reading it, go inside and do something around the house more productive and gratifying, than reading a self-absored moribund tome to a corrupt, misguided, old man.
Rating:
Summary: Not to be missed
Review: This is one of the best books I have ever read. It is funny, poignant and a revelation of the private man we all only knew publicly. Historians, teachers and the press should be forced to read this so they can teach people the true character of this man. If you liked George Bush before, you will love him after reading this. If you didn't like him before, I suggest you read this and discover who this man really is...you will certainly change your opinion. The letters transported me back to WWII, Watergate, etc...But this isn't as much about a President and his policies as it is about a father, a husband, a son and a friend. I laughed, I cried. Thoroughly enjoyable...the editorial reviews didn't give it enough credit. I was sad when I finished as I wanted more...what more can one say?
Rating:
Summary: It's All About Heartbeat
Review: And you thought Ronald Reagan was the Great Communicator? Pick up this collection of letters from President Bush (version 41) and you'll be amazed - this prolific letter writer put himself at the nexus of many of this past half-century's great events through a diligent practice of correspondence with friends, leaders, benefactors and the general public. And you get the impression that he never considered it a chore. There are important lessons to be learned here. Gene Siskel was quoted once as saying "Everything I got in life happened because I wrote a letter." This book is a living manifesto of that principle. This book is worth every penny. At 600+ pages, it still seems too short. People used to carp at GHWB that he didn't have "the vision thing." But you'll see his vision clearly articulated in these letters. As he puts it in the intro, "It's all about heartbeat." The man has it in spades. Buy it today.
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