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: 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: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Easy Read Instructive
Review: Easy book to read. Hundreds of letters each standing on its own. The letters span the range of drama from great sorrows to great joys. In between it is light hearted, whimsical, funny and at times deeply insightful. Delivers a more vivid understanding of George Bush than a memoir: 1.Honorable man devoting nearly all his life to country, 2. Striving to engage both political parties to do what is best, 3. All to often pushed aside by the press and both ends of the political spectrum in disbelief. All politics is local. Even more micro, George Bush 41 was the consummate one on one communicator by letters. WWII combat flier, businessman and endless high level government jobs could not keep him from touching thousands of people one at a time through letters. Many letters were responding to people with no chance of winning over. These letters are very instructive in showing the space where he really functioned and probably kept him one of the most well grounded presidents of all time. As a book of letters it is free to cover more ground. Explanations and foot notes are strikingly short and limited through out the book. A typical memoir would take volumes to cover life of George Bush 41 and still touch all the subjects in this book of letters. GHWB's personal relationships with world leaders are authenticated by the relevant letters in this book. We had the right President a critical time. Going into the Gulf War, partisan dissent was astounding and helped to limit the objectives in Iraq. Though blatantly obvious why the Gulf War had to be fought, it was not for many senators. I was disappointed that a greater effort was not make to help the reader understand how so many senators could be so out of touch with the world. Would it be for the following reasons. The average American voter is not that interested in the rest of the world. Those rare moments in history when America is committed to a plan that affects other nations brings about breathtaking changes. The rest of the time our government sits back and tries to lead us in very petty mundane causes. At the time of the Gulf War many senators were saying to hell with the future if the public is not ready, they were certainly not. So often congress looks like a disfunctional family. Allowing the media to lead the public 80% of the time but hopefully by the government at least 20% of the time. The media never takes credit for the ugly stampedes, but is always there to tend the herd. The media is not looking for insight but is looking for the largest number of eyes and ears in the moment and to heck with the future. The media may write or say the dumbest things in the quest for readers and viewers. We have the freedom to overlook much it all the time. While none of us are fully informed we as a nation tend to be headed in the right general direction much of the time. The power to tune the media out is stronger than the abuse of trust by the protected free press. Particularly as past president, the personal letters to many, many members of the press show the powerful impact of the media on government actions. Near the end the book gives much of the bitter taste the media has left in his mouth but then he returns to the restrained high ground. While the press will remain free, we all need to better understand its impact on the political process. It may have made it a better selling book by pulling that punch, but it is less of a service to the nation. As political discourse sinks lower and lower each decade, this book awakens us to the world that could be.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting peek into the mind of 41
Review: First things first, where else could you find a book in which our current President is referred to as "little Googen"? (p.64, hardcover ed.) Since George (HW) Bush is not only a former President but also the father of the current President, "All the Best" is an even more interesting book now than when it was released in 1999. This collection of letters and diary entries is a window into the fascinating life of our 41st President, in his own words. Because it is a collection of letters and other contemporaneous writings, you get a "real time" feel for what was happening at the time, as opposed to memories viewed through a lens of time and perspective. The letters written home during World War II are a great example of this. He was a bit of a fish out of water in basic training, a preppie mixing in with guys from all walks of life and his letters reflect his impressions and observations at the time. And how do you write home to tell your family that your plane was shot down, you ejected, you floated in the ocean for a few hours and were finally rescued by a passing ship? The letter explaining this harrowing experience is in here. Clearly he was very close to his mother and even confided in her his concerns when he thought his girlfriend (soon-to-be wife) Barbara wasn't writing him enough and perhaps had lost interest in him. He came back from the war, married Barbara, went to Yale, they started a family and set out for a career and life in Texas. The letters detailing the Bushes' early years in Texas are particularly interesting because here and there you learn a little tidbit about President George W. Bush as a child. Of course, Barbara Bush also wrote about our current President in her autobiography, but it's interesting to get a father's perspective. There is also the heartbreaking and eloquent letter Bush wrote to his mother about the loss of his daughter, Robin. And throughout is the sense of excitement of living and working in Texas at that time. Businessman, Congressman, Senate candidate, U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., RNC head, liaison in China, CIA Director, Vice President, President, father of two Governors, father of a President. How many people can boast of such a rich variety of experiences? Yet the most engaging parts of the book are those that deal with family and give us more of a sense of former President Bush's personality. Some of the letters are quite funny, especially those written in his post-Presidential days. Whether you choose to read "All the Best" cover to cover, or choose to hunt through the index for what interests you most, you will get a lot out of this multifaceted collection.
Rating:
Summary: Thank you, Mr. Bush
Review: George Bush does not intend to write his memoirs. He feels that his wife's book BARBARA BUSH: A MEMOIR and the book he wrote with Brent Scowcroft A WORLD TRANSFORMED told the story of his family life and his public one. But then his editor suggested that what was missing was "a personal book, a book giving a deeper insight into what his own heartbeat is, what his values are and what has motivated him in life." She suggested he publish a book of the letters he wrote during his life, along with journal entries. It was a brilliant idea! At no time is this book boring. It starts when he was a young man writing letters home to his mother and father while training to fight in World War II. To me, his letters and journal entries sounded just like my dad's. He used the word "swell" a lot, talked about the girl back home and his feelings on the situation he found himself in. There was pride of country and the longing to be able to come back home and continue a normal life. The book continues with letters written during the early years of his marriage, the loss of their daughter and eventually getting into politics. One chapter deals with their stay in China where he was an ambassador. He writes of how it felt to be so far from home, but eager to learn everything about the country they were in and also to be a good representative of the country they came from. The chapters continue with his time as Director of the CIA, vice president, president and then back home to a life with his family in Texas. The letters are very diversified. They are to his mother and father, his wife, his children, grandchildren, friends, but also to other leaders, both home and abroad. Some are written with a sense of humor, a lot of them with love, some to people who had written him critical letters, and some in times of events that were deeply troubling to him. George Bush is a thoroughly decent man who loves his country, his family and his life. That comes through in the book. At some parts, I laughed out loud, at others a tear came to my eye but mostly I felt happy that he allowed these letters and thoughts to be printed.
Rating:
Summary: Suprisingly moving look at the first President Bush
Review: Heard the taped version of MY LIFE IN LETTERS AND OTHER
WRITINGS by George Bush . . . I liked the fact that he was
one of the readers, along with Barbara Bush and other members
of his family . . . since the former president does not plan to write his autobiography, this collection of letters, diary entries and memos--with his accompanying commentary--fills the void . . . I was surprised that I liked this as much as I did . . . it helped me gain insights into his career highlights, but also about Bush the man . . . I found his entries to be most interesting for their candor, poignancy and humor. There were many memorable passages; among them:
* [when the NATIONAL EXAMINER came out with the shocking
news that Saddam Husssein, Queen Elizabeth and Bush were all
blood relatives, he moved quickly to reassure his team]
10-25-90 FROM THE PRESIDENT TO: The Vice President
Sec State
Sec Def
NSC Adviser
Chief of Staff
Director of Central Intelligence Disclaimer--
No decisions I make will be affected by relationship with Saddam
Hussein. The Queen and I would have it no other way. George Bush 8 [to his wife on their anniversary]
January 6, 1994 For: Barbara Pierce From: GHWB Will you marry me? Oops, I forgot, you did that 49 years ago
today! I was very happy on that day in 1945, but I am even
happier today. You have given me joy that few men know. You
have made our boys into men by bawling them out and then,
right away, by loving them. You have helped Doro be the
sweetest greatest daughter in the whole wide world. I have
climbed perhaps the highest mountain in the world, but even
that cannot hold a candle to being Barbara's husband. Mum
used to tell me: "Now, George, don't walk ahead." Little did
she know I was only trying to keep up--keep up with Barbara
Pierce from Onondago Street in Rye New York. I love you! * [on aging from a letter he wrote to his children on 9.23.98]
Then there's memory. I'm still pretty good at faking it. "Well,
I'll be darn, how in the heck are you?" or "long time, no see!"
or "What you been up to?" or if I want to gamble, "How's your
better half?" Careful of this last one at both 73 and 74 though.
The better half crop is getting a little thinner. Death has
claimed some "better halfs" and over the years some have
been dumped.
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: A Keeper
Review: I thought this book was very good. It is Bush's own writings thought out his life. It was very interesting and enjoyable! Easy reading and it shows the real Bush - a true man of integrity!
Rating: 
Summary: Great insight of a true moral, political mind.
Review: If you enjoyed Tom Brokaws "The Greatest Generation" but wanted to see more, you will love this book. President George Bush shows, through his letters, how to assurt, love, and lead. I am 27, and after reading this book I now know that real men can be sincere as well as stolid. Thank you Mr President.
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