Family of Secrets

The Bush Dynasty, the Powerful Forces That Put It in the White House, and What Their Influence Means for America

By: Russ Baker

Narrated by: Oliver Wyman

Length: 24 hrs and 6 mins

Publisher's summary

French philosopher Jean Paul Sartre said that "words are loaded pistols". In the hands of Russ Baker, they are hydrogen bombs. Throughout Family of Secrets, he explodes the myths and lies that powerful forces have perpetrated on the American consciousness. He digs beneath the surface in a form of journalistic archeology to reveal the hidden history of one of America's most powerful families, leaving no stone unturned. Moreover, he names all of his sources and documents the materials he relies on to unmask the hypocrisy behind the myth.

From Prescott Bush's ties to Nazi Germany to Poppy Bush's secret role in the Watergate scandal that ousted Richard Nixon, which was, in fact, a "silent coup", to George W. Bush's deceit in launching the war in Iraq, Russ Baker unmasks the truth with a relentless brilliance unmatched by his peers. His publisher, Bloomsbury, is to be congratulated for its confidence in Russ Baker at a time when most publishers are hedging their bets and looking over their shoulders in acts of self-censorship.

Baker's revelations about George W. Bush's private life is worth the price of the audiobook alone. Here is Bush, forcing himself on a Danish beauty, stripping to the nude, while getting another girlfriend he knocks up an abortion, and then later, as president, opposing abortion and cutting funding for organizations that provide information about birth control. How he managed to get the Danish beauty to go on record, as he does with other key players in Watergate and the Kennedy assassination, is nothing short of astonishing.

He traces the true history of Poppy Bush's career, from his early ties to the CIA he pretended never existed, while declaring himself "out of the loop", to his strange phone call from Dallas to the FBI on the day of Kennedy's assassination, pointing a finger at a suspect who was in fact totally innocent, to his manipulation of Watergate to get rid of Nixon. It's a secret story forced out of the shadows by the powerful documentation of Baker in this tour de force, which will keep you listening in astonishment.

What he discloses is America's War of the Roses, as powerful families fight to the death for ultimate power. The history of Lee Harvey Osward in the world of wealth, power, and intelligence that was Dallas at the time is amazing. The anodyne courses in political science and history at American colleges and universities need very much to inject Family of Secrets into the curriculum so young Americans can be more able to understand what America is truly about. It puts the dots together in a way that makes any further naivety among Americans impossible. What he tells us simply cannot be ignored.

Family of Secrets takes to what Cyril Connolly so aptly described as the "blood crossroads of literature and politics". After Family of Secrets, neither will ever be the same.

©2009 Russ Baker (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A tour de force... Family of Secrets has made me rethink even those events I witnessed with my own eyes.” (Dan Rather)

“One of the most important books of the past ten years.” (Gore Vidal)

“Shocking in its disclosures, elegantly crafted, and faultlessly measured in its judgments, Family of Secrets is nothing less than a first historic portrait in full of the Bush dynasty and the era it shaped. From revelation to revelation, insight to insight—from the Kennedy assassination to Watergate to the oil and financial intrigues that lie behind today's headlines—this is a sweeping drama of money and power, unseen forces, and the emblematic triumph of a lineage that sowed national tragedy. Russ Baker’s Family of Secrets is sure to take its place as one of the most startling and influential works of American history and journalism.” (Roger Morris, former senior staff member, National Security Council, and author of Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician and Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America)

Surprise surprise!

I thought this was fascinating and more people should learn some of this stuff. Entertaining the idea of listening to it again

A Real Eye Opener

This book was well researched and well documented and also the narration was excellent. I learned a great deal of things that I never would have known had it not been for this book It's very frustrating to think that our government is being run and has been run in such a way that is detrimental to us, to our integrity, and two general life in America. Greed once again shows it's ugly head In some of our most prominent leaders.

A must read for every freedom loving American.

An eye-opening expose of the Bush's eras. The information is more relevant than ever before to every freedom loving American.

Some content was opinion

Much of this is worthwhile, but some percentage was simply the rantings of a devote and practicing Leftist.

Hard to stomach but a must listen.

Any additional comments?

History will tell the truth eventually I hope. This book is one I will re listen to again. Wish it blew open 9-11 more with the tie in between it and the Bush family.

A Revelation

if you are prepared to have the scales drop from your eyes and see anew this is the book for that journey.

Well researched

Great narration. One of a few books that have changed my perception of our federal government. A must read or listen.

Highly recommend

This is a very detailed breakdown of an American political dynasty that more people need to know about. The story follows a bit of a nonlinear structure and it can get a little jumbled sometimes. However, I can hardly blame the author because the scope of this topic is so enormous

Enlightening

Well researched and developed. Although I was often feeling pretty disgusted with the information, I always wanted to hear what was next.

A good book

A good book but could have used a bit more editing. Too much repetition in some areas, like the National Guard story as well as too much focus on other players. But good if not aware of Bush and workings of oligarchy and national security state.