George H. W. Bush (1924–2018)

Apparently this book has been on my "to read" shelf since February 2001, which may well be a record for me. I picked it up the other night when I couldn't sleep, since sometimes a bit of non-fiction that is easily broken up into small pieces (like letters or short essays) does the trick. This didn't, largely because Bush's letters seem like they were written from a different world. They sparkle with humanity and humor and general good-naturedness, and even where he held positions I have show more never agreed with, I did not feel that he came at them from a place of meanness or hatred of those who didn't agree with him. And there were some real chucklers in here, from his file on who fell asleep during White House meetings to his granddaughter ribbing him about failing to flush the toilet and his amusement at bringing Dana Carvey to the White House. Of course these are selected and curated to present himself in the best light, so one must take that for what it is, but as a look back at the political culture of the second half of the last century, it is worth a read for sure. show less

A World Transformed is a combined memoir of former president George Bush and his national security adviser Brent Scowcroft. It is unusual among presidential memoirs not only in that Bush wrote it with a member of his administration, but that it focuses solely on foreign policy.

Bush and Scowcroft take four events during Bush's presidency and describe how they dealt with those events, both internally and with allies and foes. Those events are the Eastern European revolutions of the late-80s, show more the question of German unification, the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait, and the collapse of the Soviet Union.

George Bush was president during one of the most tumultuous periods in modern world history. The U.S.-Soviet competition was one of the primary drivers of international relations in the last half of the twentieth century. While that competition had already started to fade by the time he took office, his memoir shows how he deftly handled the eventual ending of that competition. The ability to empathize with one's opposites in another government is an almost necessary skill to have if a president is going to be successful in his foreign policy. The episodes involving German unification and the possible secession of Lithuania from the Soviet Union show that Bush and Scowcroft had that ability in spades.

A World Transformed is a key resource for anyone interested in understanding the final days of the Cold War. show less

Bush here is much more personable and likeable then his public persona and his lack of first rate speaking abilities would indicate; also, he is a very pious individual which comes across clearly in these writings. The man was a true military hero and the youngest fighter pilot in World War II. He was head of the Republican National Committee in 1974 during the Watergate disaster and his letter to his sons was very touching and moving. One other minor note, he actually had the support of show more Jack Welch during his run for the presidency. show less

As far as presidential memoirs go, this one isn't bad. Rather than attempting to rewrite history, Fmr. President Bush takes a selection of letters from his time as a public servant and publishes them in the book as a way to tell his story. It is an interesting way to see the highlighted life of this man. It's a quick and easy read if you want to learn about how George H.W. Bush views himself and his work.