First Son

October 4, 1999
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.

October 1, 1999
Veteran Texas journalist Minutaglio has written the first extensive political biography of Gov. George W. Bush, the leading contender for the Republican presidential nomination in 2000. The author traces the Bush family history from Prescott to George to First Son. This family dynasty has been of great assistance to George W., as he is called, in his rise in business and politics. While giving surprisingly little attention to George W.'s performance as governor of Texas (a serious flaw), the author focuses on his development as a young man and emergence into the national political limelight. Like the senior Bush, George W. has ample experience, but he has left few footprints along the way. This self-styled "compassionate conservative" seems more the pragmatic conservative, fashioning his message to fit the needs of the moment. Here, Minutaglio presents a positively Clintonesque portrait of a perpetual politician with few core beliefs but a knack for getting elected. A very important book that may be more in demand as primaries near.--Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount Univ., Los Angeles

Copyright 1999 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 15, 1999
"Dubya," as commentators have dubbed him, here gets the first biographical exam of his 53-year-long life. From hundreds of interviews, though not with George W. himself, Minutaglio narrates a coherent story of what makes the Republican presidential contender tick. His mainspring is his dad, the ex-prez. And Bush "fils" discovered that the Bush name could be a dubious blessing. Although George W. grew up in Texas, his political opponents pounded him, like they did his father, as an effete Yankee outsider. Not without reason, as he spent years in elite New England schools. The way Minutaglio puts together the schooling years in the 1960s and 1970s well illustrates the hell-raising habits the mature Bush says he has left behind. The book reveals nothing unusual, however, such as alleged drug use--just your standard frat-house beer blasts and concomitant initiation ceremonies. The important aspect of these events in shaping Bush's outlook is that his enthusiasm for them ran counter to the trend of the times: the practices of the frat house he led were criticized in the "New York Times." As Minutaglio then chronicles, the political career his parents expected took time to materialize. After graduation came the "nomadic" years, as George W. calls them--weekend warrioring in the Texas Air National Guard; working in low-level jobs; some oil entrepreneuring. After losing a congressional contest in 1978, George W. got serious, got married, got rich, and got elected as governor of Texas. More a timely than a torrid read, Minutaglio's extensive reportage displays diligence and a certain bounce in its narrative that will pull politicos through it. ((Reviewed September 15, 1999))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1999, American Library Association.)