christopherwilson13's review against another edition
4.0
I had to read this for work and honestly wasn't even planning on putting it here but it was pretty solid stuff. Would recommend if you ever want to read 600 pages about Bush 41.
weejane's review against another edition
5.0
4.5. I wish the end had focused less on GWB, and now about GHWB's thoughts on Obama and his successor. But overall an excellent biography on a downplayed president.
stephen11's review against another edition
5.0
Very enlightening to read. This was a man, a president whom I now know I miss. A gentleman and a hero. Quiet and polite, yet still driven and competitive. He is the model I see as a great president. Very loving and emotional, with great strength of character. Obama is a closest to the Bush Sr. ideal to date.
I thoroughly enjoyed this biography.
I thoroughly enjoyed this biography.
makraemer's review against another edition
4.0
Very well done and well researched account of Bush 41. Always liked him, like him more now.
jeremyanderberg's review against another edition
4.0
I came away from Meacham's Destiny & Power with more respect for Bush than any of the other presidents I've read about thus far. He was a fundamentally decent man through and through. Jeb Bush, after being in politics himself, once marveled at the fact that America, even 30 years ago, would elect such a good human as his dad.
And while his legacy has generally been as a failed one-term president tucked between Reagan (who defines the 80s) and Clinton (who defines the 90s), Meacham convincingly writes that he deserves much more.
When Bush lost in '92, it was really a generational changing of the guard from WWII's Greatest Generation (Bush volunteered for WWII service and was shot down over the Pacific) to the Baby Boomers. Bush is the first to admit that he didn't run a good campaign. But his heart wasn't in it. After holding the highest mantle for 4 years, he was tired. Sick of the partisan bickering and how politics was put ahead of making the country a better place.
When it comes to presidential legacies, time is everything. Clinton's seems to only get more tarnished (deservedly so), while Bush's seems to be on the rise. Yes, he followed Reagan's coattails, but was a decidedly different kind of conservative who made plenty of enemies in his own party. He ushered in the end of the Cold War and navigated what post-Soviet world leadership should look like, successfully and quickly got Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait — and didn't get stuck there (as his son would a decade later), got the Americans With Disabilities Act passed, and never even sniffed at any kind of scandal.
Destiny & Power is just a superb biography of a man who has been serially and seriously underrated as POTUS. Books can and do have effects on presidential legacies (see McCullough's Truman); here's to hoping that this one can do that for the late, great George Herbert Walker Bush.
And while his legacy has generally been as a failed one-term president tucked between Reagan (who defines the 80s) and Clinton (who defines the 90s), Meacham convincingly writes that he deserves much more.
When Bush lost in '92, it was really a generational changing of the guard from WWII's Greatest Generation (Bush volunteered for WWII service and was shot down over the Pacific) to the Baby Boomers. Bush is the first to admit that he didn't run a good campaign. But his heart wasn't in it. After holding the highest mantle for 4 years, he was tired. Sick of the partisan bickering and how politics was put ahead of making the country a better place.
When it comes to presidential legacies, time is everything. Clinton's seems to only get more tarnished (deservedly so), while Bush's seems to be on the rise. Yes, he followed Reagan's coattails, but was a decidedly different kind of conservative who made plenty of enemies in his own party. He ushered in the end of the Cold War and navigated what post-Soviet world leadership should look like, successfully and quickly got Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait — and didn't get stuck there (as his son would a decade later), got the Americans With Disabilities Act passed, and never even sniffed at any kind of scandal.
Destiny & Power is just a superb biography of a man who has been serially and seriously underrated as POTUS. Books can and do have effects on presidential legacies (see McCullough's Truman); here's to hoping that this one can do that for the late, great George Herbert Walker Bush.
icgerrard's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 It's a good biography. However, it is also extremely unreflective. As other reviewers have mentioned, you get the distinct impression that Meacham really liked Bush personally, from all the interviews, and that any complexity of character was lost. The one thing you learn about Bush in this book above all other things is that he was just *such a nice guy* who tried *so hard* to do the *right thing* in spite of the media and whatever else was making it difficult. I've read a lot of biographies of presidents and I can't think of one that was so invested in you seeing how *nice* and *good* the subject was. Very one dimensional. And didn't make me feel like I learned much about him or the time. Unfortunately, there are not a lot of options when it comes to biographies of George HW Bush yet, so I think this is probably still the best available one.
spinnerroweok's review against another edition
5.0
This was a really good book on President Bush. The ending seemed to meander a bit, but the rest of it was a good solid biography that didn't gloss over his youth or pre-presidential days. Meacham also provides some good analysis, although he does seem to repeat himself at the end. Meacham really digs to find Bush 41's opinions on 43's presidency, but no matter what he tries, he comes up with the same thing, Bush let Bush be Bush. (I'll let you parse that one out.)
I am always a bit hesitant reading of those who presided during my life, afraid that it might seem less interesting after hearing of many of the topics on the news, but Meacham draws back the curtain and gives us an inside look at some of the events of Bush's presidency.
I recommend.
I am always a bit hesitant reading of those who presided during my life, afraid that it might seem less interesting after hearing of many of the topics on the news, but Meacham draws back the curtain and gives us an inside look at some of the events of Bush's presidency.
I recommend.
tyberius's review against another edition
WWII fighter pilot, US Congressman, UN Ambassador to China, RNC Chair, CIA Director, 2 term VP, 1 term POTUS. If only all leaders had a similar breadth and depth of experience.
After reading this, I've never had more respect for a Republican, particularly on the foreign policy front. Bush was a diplomat and a statesman. I enjoyed reading about his interactions with Thatcher, Major, Mitterand, Kohl, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin as they related to the fall of the Berlin Wall, dealing with Soviet satellite state independence, and a Soviet coup. I also found his day to day evolving thoughts on Desert Shield/Storm fascinating.
While his domestic policy legacy is a bit murkier, mostly due to image problems regarding his an inability to articulate a clear agenda, the "Read My Lips" reversal, and the rise of the Gingrich brand of partisan conservatism, he did make a lasting impact on environmental issues and disability rights that would have a hard time making it onto a GOP platform today.
While the author deserves credit for his research and ability to craft a quality narrative, it should be noted that much of this book was possible due to GHWB's extensive written correspondence and diaries. It is a shame that the age of Men of Letters has so diminished.
After reading this, I've never had more respect for a Republican, particularly on the foreign policy front. Bush was a diplomat and a statesman. I enjoyed reading about his interactions with Thatcher, Major, Mitterand, Kohl, Gorbachev, and Yeltsin as they related to the fall of the Berlin Wall, dealing with Soviet satellite state independence, and a Soviet coup. I also found his day to day evolving thoughts on Desert Shield/Storm fascinating.
While his domestic policy legacy is a bit murkier, mostly due to image problems regarding his an inability to articulate a clear agenda, the "Read My Lips" reversal, and the rise of the Gingrich brand of partisan conservatism, he did make a lasting impact on environmental issues and disability rights that would have a hard time making it onto a GOP platform today.
While the author deserves credit for his research and ability to craft a quality narrative, it should be noted that much of this book was possible due to GHWB's extensive written correspondence and diaries. It is a shame that the age of Men of Letters has so diminished.