About book The Family: The Real Story Of The Bush Dynasty (2004)
Well, this was pretty much trash. Since I listened to it on audio, I guess that it could be classified as "ear candy". In my defense, I needed a book to listen to while en route to Hilton Head that wouldn't distress my husband. So I stooped to his "Bush is an idiot" mentality and picked this up at the library. I will admit that he stayed awake and listened to it on the trip down I-95. Most of the book is a rehash of rumors about the Bush family that have circulated for years. But the information about George Bush's strained relationship with his father was revealing. Aha! The "can I ever make my father proud of me" syndrome. Know it well. This has been widely reported in the press, but you have to feel bad for George W. in his attempts to gain his parent's attention. It must have been horrible for him the evening that he won the governorship of Texas and his brother Jeb lost in Florida to have his father say publicly, "We're proud of George, but our heart is in Florida." Ouch! The other note here, is that it's not always a good thing to have the author read her own book. That voice of Kitty's! Yikes! Maybe Disney should consider her for the voice of one of their new female villans. I need to remember to be checked for scars on my eardrums when I get home.
Okay. This is not my usual kind of thing...Kitty Kelley, the Bush family...however, I read the book by Curtis Sittenfeld, An American Wife....loosely based on Laura Bush. I think that this peaked my interest. Kitty Kelley is reading the audiobook version of this that I am listening to. It's very interesting to hear about a family that is so radically different from my own experience.Who knew that Barbara Bush had such a difficult relationship with her incredibly critical mother? Okay, maybe all of you readers did...But I didn't. And that George had an equally difficult relationship with his father? Listening to a book about people who are privileged, who go to Yale, join skull and bones, go into the oil business....this is the sort of thing I often look for in fiction.I take great pleasure in reading books such as The Talented Mr. Ripley, Snobs, An Inconvenient Woman, One Dangerous Lady, etc. (and even some of the chic lit like The Devil Wears Prada)...books that tell us about the "upper classes". It's very enjoyable to hear about a REAL family like this...I recently listened to Grace and Power that tells us about the Kennedys (Jack and Jackie) and it was very interesting as well.I'm not that far along with this, on disk 2, but I am enjoying the story.
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Ok, I've never read anything by Kitty Kelley before and I was intrigued to see if it is all that it is cracked up to be. Yes, ultimately I liked it; but in truth, I wanted MORE DIRT! I thought it would be really scandalous (and of course from the Bush family perspective it was) but I wanted MORE! There were some very interesting tid-bits that I never knew (especially about Bush 41's love life) but it wasn't all that exciting in the end. My other criticism was that she spent A LOT of time on Prescott Bush, less time on Bush 41 and even less on W. Oh well. It was still worth the read, and I look forward to reading some of her other books (on the Royal family, Frank Sinatra, Oprah, etc)
—Kelly
I was pressed into reading this book as part of my column. It was, as the review suggests, what I expected.---The Family: The real story of the Bush DynastyKitty KelleyDoubledayHardcover $39.95** 1/2A Kitty Kelley biography is like a hurricane. It sweeps across the media landscape, tearing a path that upsets the lives and emotions of those it touches as media outlets devote countless hours to coverage and reaction. Then it's gone, leaving people to pick up the pieces and rebuild, little (if at a
—s
An interesting look at the First Family of America. After Seven years of Bush in the White House, I thought it'd be interesting to find out what makes his family tick. After reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that they are all totally crazy, but that's my opinion and I digress. The author shows how the Bush Family got it's start in politics and money through the Grandfather, Prescott Bush. It should have stopped with him. Instead, we had one president who was constantly vying for his father's love by being likable, athletic, and a goof and another who grew up with deep emotional scars and turned into the man we all love to hate. Bush "41" failed his way to the top and sold out his ethics to do it. This saga continued with the son, Bush "43", who found God, gave up cocaine and booze, and then climbed to the highest office to play God. Chilling story of how someone in this country can fail all the way to the top without Americans even realizing what they are getting themselves into.
—Melissa
