A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House
by George W. Bush, Mickey Herskowitz
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Book Summary Information
Author: George W. Bush, Mickey HerskowitzEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2001-01-23
ISBN: 0060957921
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Book Reviews of A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House
Book Review: A Book Every American Should Read
Summary: 5 Stars
This book is phenomenal! I came across this best seller for the first time while trying to secure a copy of what I thought would be George W. Bush's first book, being released later this year. In the end, I was glad not to have read it when it first came out because now I have an opportunity to read without wondering whether the author really meant his words, or was simply painting a convenient picture so as to influence the reader with deceit.
Every American that cares about truth and about being fair should read this book. In A Charge to Keep, our 43rd President shares the road and set of values that took him to hold office as the 43rd President of the United States. You will learn about the principles that guide him, such as honesty, persistence, fairness, his ups and downs in business ventures, and much more. All this is presented with a frank, fresh sense of humor that will have you not wanting to put this book down for a minute and laughing to your own enjoyment.
Having held President Bush in the highest regard since I first heard him laying down his vision for America and saw that straight-forward look on his face, so uniquely his, I still didn't have a factual, from-the-horse's-mouth understanding of him, just my feelings and perceptions of him. A Charge to Keep gave me the factual insight I was missing.
In a Charge to Keep you will find that there was always a deep conviction behind his decisions and policies such as no child left behind, the death penalty, and others. I gathered that his recognition of the dignity in every individual is what guides everything that he does. Policies that encouraged that dignity to the forefront and made it bear fruit was his way of making us all aware that we all have a value, something to contribute as individuals and should therefore not make mindless decisions because we all then have to live with the consequences as a nation.
This book is so full of informative details both at a personal and political level, it is nothing less than a treat. In the end, you will be sad to know you are reading the last page. But then, right there, there is a big surprise, something that will keep you thinking and reflecting, putting the mirror right in front of you--Can't tell you what it is, though. Go and find out for yourself.
I am one of many Americans who agree with the President's decision to invade Iraq and also believe we are better, safer, because of it. You don't like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's menacing speeches against Israel? Well, I didn't like Hussein's menacing threats, and attacks on his neighbors and his own people year in and out. We paid a costly price for it, but we did it under his leadership and children being born in Iraq these days have a better chance to live a decent life in freedom.
When some political strategists dare to ask, with the aim to hurt, or simply hoping the listener doesn't remember his/her life during the Bush years and hope all the noise around us since end of 2007, wrapped in lies and hatred, cloud our good judgment, "Do you want us to go back to the Bush years?" My immediate answer is, Yes, please do let me." Please do take me back to the time when there was a taste in the air of dignity, of a pursuit of what was good and right, of hope, of expectation from the individual to put their dignifying worth at work, to contribute, to be part of something dignifying. I do remember the Bush years. I do remember how he kept the economy going during time of war, in spite of us being attacked in our own land, his leadership got us through much better off than any other celebrated leaders. He was a man for history, not because he said he would be one or claimed by others to be one. History was what he made; the good kind, that is.
If you are one of those people who may not have honestly agreed with President Bush, or have not heard much good about him, and perhaps have jumped in the "I hate Bush" wagon for the fun of it, without giving it much thought or study, I would like you to imagine people at work (if you have one these days) or in the neighborhood saying awful things about you repeatedly in increasing numbers. Wouldn't you like a new individual coming into that environment to at least give you a chance and get to know you directly and make a judgment based on his/her experience instead of mindlessly jumping into the "I hate him/her" wagon? I know I would, so I apply the same rule when making judgments about public figures.
We all should celebrate each other's dignity and I don't think we have been fair to President Bush in this regard. So, read A Charge to Keep and get to know the man I so highly respect to call my living hero. You don't have to call him so, but after reading this book, I am sure you will be inspired and remember what we had during the Bush years and proudly ask for more. Go and find out what our 43rd President is doing these days and you will find the same man, trying to keep his charge, as we all should be doing along with him.
Summary of A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House
I was not elected to serve one party, but to serve one nation. The president of the United States is the president of every single American, every race and every background. Whether you voted for me or not, I will do my best to serve your interests, and I will work to earn your respect.
I will be guided by President Jefferson's sense of purpose: to stand for principle, to be reasonable in manner, and, above all, to do great good for the cause of freedom and harmony.
The presidency is more than an honor, it is more than an office. It is a charge to keep, and I will give it my all.
--George W. Bush, December 13, 2000, Texas House of Representatives
In A Charge to Keep, George W, Bush offers readers a warm, insightful, and honest look at the personal and political experiences that have shaped his values and led to his decision to run for president. The George W. Bush who leaps off these pages has his mother's wit and down-to-earth personality, his father's energy and competitive drive, and his own unique style and philosophy.
Written with his long term communications director, Karen Hughes, A Charge to Keep is a revealing look into the background, philosophy, family, and heart of our new president.
The political biography, complete with life-altering turning points and a political philosophy for leading the United States into greatness, has become obligatory for those running for president--just one more thing to check off the "to do" list on the way to the Oval Office. A Charge to Keep is George W. Bush's offering: a light and breezy book mixing personal and political remembrances that proves heavy on chatty anecdotes and light on policy prescriptions. If you read the last chapter you'll sort of learn where George W. stands on most things, but still not really discern how he would actually run the country. There are no revelations, either personal or political: Bush's wild side and youthful indiscretions, like stealing a Christmas wreath from a New Haven hotel for his Yale fraternity, are touched on lightly when he discusses them at all. A Charge to Keep is so upbeat and positive, in describing the Houston woman to whom he was engaged in college and from whom he "gradually drifted apart," Bush says simply: "I still think the world of her, and our parting was friendly. We were very young, we lived in different places, and we gradually developed different lives."
George W. has been labeled a lightweight by some; A Charge to Keep will do nothing to dispel that notion. It features lots of Bush family memories and numerous mentions of George W.'s famous parents, including letters from his president father. George W. has followed closely in his father's footsteps, attending the same prep school and college. He even belonged to the same secret society at Yale, Skull and Bones. From college it was on to flight school and the Texas Air National Guard, Harvard Business School, and then (again, like his father) the Texas oil business and politics. George W. seems mostly in sync with his father on policy issues as well. "A thousand points of light" is transformed slightly to become "compassionate conservative," which pops up in the final chapter more than 10 times. Readers will come away knowing many of the experiences and events that have helped shaped George W., but his future is still an open book. --Linda Killian
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