George W. Bush

Children's Literature - Joyce Rice

In the introduction to this volume about President George W. Bush, Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. is quoted as saying "leadership is a public transaction with history." That statement reminds the reader that any person who takes on a leadership role in a sense no longer belongs to his small town, or his family, but to history. What he says and how he lives becomes a part of the history of the time in which he lives. President Bush was born in Connecticut to a family that had already made a name for itself in business and public service. He had ancestors who had served in politics, been successful in sports, and had served well in the military. President Bush's father was a well-known politician, had been elected to serve as a vice-president under President Reagan, and later was elected to serve as president, so it is no surprise that this young man would end up as a leader of this great country. This volume is a part of the series "Modern World Leaders" and provides a timeline, bibliography, recommended reading, and an index. It includes coverage on the Iraq war and the flooding of New Orleans as a result of Hurricane Katrina. This is an excellent biography for middle school media collections.