Decision Points

By: George W. Bush

Narrated by: Ron McLarty

Length: 20 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

President George W. Bush describes the critical decisions of his presidency and personal life.

Decision Points is the extraordinary memoir of America’s 43rd president. Shattering the conventions of political autobiography, George W. Bush offers a strikingly candid journey through the defining decisions of his life. In gripping, never-before-heard detail, President Bush brings listeners inside the Texas Governor’s Mansion on the night of the hotly contested 2000 election; aboard Air Force One on 9/11, in the hours after America’s most devastating attack since Pearl Harbor; at the head of the table in the Situation Room in the moments before launching the war in Iraq; and behind the Oval Office desk for his historic and controversial decisions on the financial crisis, Hurricane Katrina, Afghanistan, Iran, and other issues that have shaped the first decade of the 21st century.

President Bush writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his accomplishments reforming education, treating HIV/AIDS in Africa, and safeguarding the country amid chilling warnings of additional terrorist attacks. He also offers intimate new details on his decision to quit drinking, discovery of faith, and relationship with his family.

A groundbreaking new brand of memoir, Decision Points will captivate supporters, surprise critics, and change perspectives on one of the most consequential eras in American history - and the man at the center of events.

©2010 George W. Bush (P)2010 Random House

Decision

I appreciated the leadership of President Bush while he was in office & appreciate the insight into his decision points. Thank you for you humility, honor & integrity. Thank you for the dignity & decorum of your deportment. Thank you for beginning each day at the foot of our Lord. Thank you for rising above the pettiness & self-serving inclinations of this day.
If only our current President had even small measures of any of these traits.
Thank you Mr. President for your service & for this insight into your time of service. An inspiring & enjoyable read!

An honorable man

I loved the fact that former President Bush doesn't pass the blame to others. In fact, I can't think of anything negative that he says about anyone else. I have almost no interest in politics, but found this book to be very interesting and informative. Highly recommended!!

A New Respect

As a somewhat ambivalent supporter of George Bush, and one not very happy with some of his decisions...I came away with a new insight and respect for what happened behind the scenes influencing the decisions made. It was a wonderful book, very well written and kept me totally engaged throughout. I will say this...regardless of which side of the aisle you represent, you will have a new respect for all presidents and what they must endure inside the White House and out.

Decision Points

Informative, well written book. If you get your news from a source other than Fox you are probably of the opinion that President Bush is not capable of writing a book much less one worth reading. If so, you???re dead wrong. The man is pure class. No blame games like what we???re seeing now. So do yourself a favor, listen to what the man has to say, and stop wallowing in media instilled ignorance. He wasn???t perfect but I???d trade to have him back in a heartbeat. He certainly merits 20 hours of your time.

A very candid self reflection

I have always been relatively middle of the road when it comes to politics. I'm typically fiscally conservative while being socially liberal. But I always approach the media (CNN, FOX, MSNBC, whatever) with a great deal of skepticism and distrust. As the media portrayed G.W. Bush as a militant conservative in all aspects, read this book with an OPEN MIND and you'll find that this is just not true. Yes, of course he made many decisions that were conservative, but he also put into action many programs and ideas that fall into the liberal agenda. And whatever your stance on Iraq and Afghanistan, his reasoning and decision making in these wars are fascinating.

I have many friends that hate G.W. Bush, essentially, just because he's Bush and for no substantive reason. This book is not for them. I also have friends that are definitely Democrat in their thinking, and after reading this book they still don't agree with much in the way of his politics, but they but they understand and respect the man.

On the other side of the coin, many conservatives will have severe heartburn with many of the decisions he made that addressed the liberal agenda. They came into this book looking for validation of a very conservative way of thinking. People I know have come away with an "I can't believe he did that" attitude towards some of the more liberal decisions he made.

Regardless, G.W. Bush seems to write this book without regard to station in either the liberal or conservative camps. He plainly outlines his major decisions, explains the thought and research that went into making those decisions, and leaves it to the readers to decide who the man really is.

Enlightening

I thoroughly enjoyed learning about the details and facts surrounding key decisions made by George Bush during his terms as president. This was a very positive book with very little of the negativity that often is involved in partisan politics. It was intriguing to me to learn about the behind-the-scenes information that was used to formulate decisions ranging from 9/11, invading iraq, hurricane Katrina, economic crisis, etc. I came away from this book with an improved image of W.

Good Inside Look at George W. Bush's Presidency

Whatever else it was, the presidency of George W. Bush was packed with major events and issues: 9/11, the war in Iraq, the financial meltdown of 2008. While in office, George W. Bush endured a lot of sharp criticism from the media and from his political opponents. Much of it was shallow and partisan; on occasion, it was well founded. This book provides a useful counterpoint to the criticism. It is Mr. Bush???s personal account of what he knew and what he was thinking when he made the major decisions of his presidency. He does acknowledge some mistakes. He also treats his critics with more respect than they generally showed him. He shares his thinking on major issues and why he disagreed with the critics, rather than engaging in personal attacks.

The writing style seems to be authentic Bush. He shares many personal episodes that add interest to the book. He organized the book around major themes, rather than a simple chronology. That made it more interesting. It is intended to share his perspective on events and issues. It is not an exhaustive treatment of any single issue. For example, one can learn much more about the 2008 financial meltdown in other books. However, I thought this was a very worthwhile read, and left me with increased regard for Mr. Bush.

Very Interesting Read

This is the first Presidential Memoir that I've read. George Bush did not disappoint me in keeping it interesting. I do think it was a bit long, but there was a tremendous amount of information covered and he does an excellent job at clarifying his duties, the choices he made, and why he made those choices. He also shows that he's not afraid to admit that he made mistakes, but they were made with the America's Best Interest at Heart!

Self-serving, but fascinating at times

Of course, Presidential memoirs are self-serving and self-congratulatory. I expected that coming in. But even still, it was hard to swallow W's constant horn tooting. Many point out that he admits mistakes, but even in those instances he tries to explain them away or provide justification. I do get the impression that he really believed in his "freedom agenda" and it doesn't sound so condescending as he explains it.

What I really loved was his level of transparency about the details of his adventures in foreign policy. His descriptions of his interactions with generals and foreign diplomats and politicians was enjoyable. The post-liberation Iraq chapter is particularly fascinating. I feel like he tells us every possible interesting detail that he can, while rightfully leaving some information as confidential. These chapters pushed by review from three stars to four.

Ron McLarty does a great job reading - he sounds just like Bush, and uses the same quirky pronunciations.

the plain truth

I liked George Bush; he is no phony. His book is interesting and easy reading. It should be called "The rest of the story". There can be no doubt he was vilified by a left wing media and a radical far left democrat party. Quite surprising President Bush skips any move to replay anyone. He is a classy guy. If your interested in politics; it gives one a clear picture of what is taking place behind the scenes.