A juvenile biography of the first President George Bush
Rating:
5 / 5
Sandra Francis's juvenile biography of George Herbert Walker Bush for the "Our Presidents" series begins by observing that although Bush was considered a hero for his handling of the Persian Gulf War and was skillful in dealing with foreign policy, he only served one term in the White House because of economic and social considerations. To explain how Bush became the first incumbent vice president since Martin Van Buren to be elected to the president, Francis divides his life into four chapters: A Privileged Childhood, The Best of Times, America's Vice President, and The Presidency. Young readers will learn that Bush was the youngest Navy pilot in World War II, started three successful oil companies, and compiled an impressive political resume as a U.S. Congressman, Ambassador to the United Nations, Chairman of the Republican Party, head of the U.S. Liaison Office in the People's Republic of China, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency, and a professor at Rice University before deciding to seek the Republican nomination for President. Ronald Reagan won the nomination instead but selected Bush to be his Vice President.Francis develops Bush's accomplishments as President and if she offers no more explanation for Bill Clinton winning in 1992 beyond the fact that Bush broke his "Read my lips--No new taxes" pledge, she is not alone in having trouble explaining how a President with a popularity rating in the 90s could end up being defeated for reelection. However, Bush does get a small measure of redemption when his son, George W. Bush, was elected President in 2000 (thereby making Al Gore the first incumbent Vice President to lose a Presidential election since Hubert Humphrey). Individual pages in each chapter are devoted to the story of Bush being shot down during World War II (with an actual photo of his being rescued by a submarine), his beloved wife Barbara as "Everybody's Grandmother," and the Persian Gulf War. Many pages contain Interesting Facts in the margin (the Bush rode bicycles in China, Bush hated broccoli, etc.) and the rear of the book contains a Time Line on Bush, Glossary Terms, and a list of Our Presidents.
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