Political & Legal Figures - Women's Biography, First Ladies & Families - Biography, Presidents of the United States - Biography, U.S. Politics & Government - 1980-1989, U.S. Politics & Government - 1988-1993

Reflections

Name: Reflections
Author: Barbara Bush
ISBN: 9780743223591

by Barbara Bush

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Overview

Picking up where Barbara Bush: A Memoir left off, Reflections begins with the inauguration of her son, President George W. Bush, in January 2001, and then flashes back eight years to President Clinton's inauguration, when she and her husband President George H. W. Bush were leaving the White House. Drawing on excerpts from her diary, Mrs. Bush chronologically takes us through this time in her life, devoting one chapter to each year. She reveals her and her husband's inner lives through sometimes touching and often hilarious stories about their extensive travels, their hobbies, and their charity work. She discusses her experiences on the campaign trail with her sons, and relates her continuing interactions with VIPs from around the world. Mrs. Bush also touches on more controversial issues, such as her husband's resignation from the NRA, the caning of an American student in Singapore, and the hypocrisy of certain politicians. The extraordinary amount of love she feels for her family and the pride she takes in their many achievements is always clear, particularly when she writes of her relationships with her five children and fourteen grandchildren. In the epilogue, she reflects on the experience of having a president for a son and discusses the family's reactions to September 11, 2001, and its aftermath.

About the Author, Barbara Bush

Barbara Bush was born in Rye, New York, and married George H. W. Bush in 1945. She was First Lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993. She has five children, including President George W. Bush and Florida Governor Jeb Bush, and is the founder of The Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy.

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Editorials

From Barnes & Noble

Picking up where her bestselling A Memoir left off, Barbara Bush's Reflections covers the eight years between her husband George H. W. Bush's leaving office and her son George W. Bush's inauguration. The former First Lady shares touching and often amusing stories about her busy life in the postWhite House years. Not surprisingly, husband George H. W., her five children (including President George W. and Florida Governor Jeb), and her 14 grandchildren frequently occupy center stage in these anecdotes.

The New York Times

The sharp-witted Mrs. Bush — who is known to play tart cop to her husband's genial cop — tries to settle a few scores in this volume, and she occasionally lets slip a telling political remark. She exults in the fact that her son George W. would be running against Al Gore instead of Bill Bradley in the 2000 election because "Al would be easier to beat. Ha." She recounts that her husband once said Yasir Arafat "was charming." And in describing an event she attended with four other former first ladies, she pointedly says nothing about Hillary Rodham Clinton, while lauding the good works of Betty Ford, Rosalynn Carter and Nancy Reagan. — Michiku Kakutani

Library Journal

How listeners respond to this book will probably depend on several factors, including whether or not they were fans of Bush's husband or of her son. Only one other woman in American history has been married to one president and mother to another-Abigail Adams. If one is to believe anecdotal evidence, the two women share a certain feisty attitude. Reflections opens with the inauguration of George W. Bush in January 2001 and flashes back eight years to the defeat of George H.W. Bush. Drawing on excerpts from her diary, the author tells her story chronologically. While her husband was no longer in office, the couple still remained public figures; their speaking and traveling schedules, charitable work, and hobbies kept them busy. Their fundraising activities, in particular, have kept them at the forefront of Republican politics. Bush's work on behalf of literacy has earned praise from both parties. She also discusses her experiences with sons George W. and Jeb (governor of Florida) on the campaign trail. Bush is candid and often humorous in her reading; recommended for public libraries where interest warrants.-Pam Kingsbury, Univ. of North Alabama, Florence Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.