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A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House
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
Paperback
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
George W. Bush
103 books973 followersGEORGE W. BUSH is the 43rd President of the United States, serving from 2001 to 2009. He previously served as Governor of Texas. He and his wife, Laura, now live in Dallas, where they founded the George W. Bush Presidential Center at Southern Methodist University. President Bush is the author of 41: A Portrait of My Father and his previous book, Decision Points, is the bestselling Presidential memoir of the modern era.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
February 21, 2011
Wow.
One is left wondering if the conservative machine that cranked out this extended brochuere actually believes any of this or if they just expect the moron majority to just buy these books and display thenm, since most don't actually read. This is animatronic prediential biography at its most robotic, insipid, and self-congratulatory. About as candid and honest as a playground bully standing "innocently atop a pile of unconcious "bystanders."
Never forget that Bush's arrival at the WHite HOuse was pelted by rocks and eggs and that they had to drive at highy speeds to outrun potestors. This book would have it otherwise.
Shameful.
One is left wondering if the conservative machine that cranked out this extended brochuere actually believes any of this or if they just expect the moron majority to just buy these books and display thenm, since most don't actually read. This is animatronic prediential biography at its most robotic, insipid, and self-congratulatory. About as candid and honest as a playground bully standing "innocently atop a pile of unconcious "bystanders."
Never forget that Bush's arrival at the WHite HOuse was pelted by rocks and eggs and that they had to drive at highy speeds to outrun potestors. This book would have it otherwise.
Shameful.
January 21, 2024
I enjoyed reading this book very much. It was well written and it was at a nice pace. Only one fault is my pet peeve with jumping around in time.
February 21, 2009
Typically worthless campaign biography, full of things like, "And I guess I've always loved babies, grandmas, and America. If that disqualifies me from receiving your vote, then so be it; I refuse to budge from these principles."
March 6, 2020
While a poorly written book, I can't really blame Bush for it. He didn't write it himself, one of those people he briefly put up for one of the Supreme Court seats ghost-wrote it, Karen Hughes.
July 23, 2019
Politics aside, I have to say that I felt GWB had no issue with making this book understandable. And as a bonus (for my friend Nicole) there ARE actually big words in here (:P).
GWB takes us through his governorship, his brief ownership of a baseball team and some of his other life. In some respects, one could deem that this is Decision Points 0.5 because he also explained some of the decisions he made as Governor of Texas (as his book 'Decision Points' does as well [as President], but I have not read it yet.).
I have to commend him on his difficult decisions pertaining to the Death Penalty in Texas. I imagined myself in those situations and what my feelings on the particular situation of the inmate would be and I eventually came to the conclusion that I have absolutely no idea what I would have done pertaining to the one particular inmate, Karla Faye Tucker, who was on death row but had the world watching because she professed herself to be a born-again Christian and wanted her death sentence to be changed to life in prison. Then again, I'm not in politics nor do I have any desire to be, but at the same time, I have to commend him for how he spent so much time contemplating and seeking information about her before deciding not to give her an extra 30 days of life.
At the same time, I find myself questioning if I even support the death penalty. I'm pretty neutral on it.
In the end, I would say that I did enjoy this book, despite finding the long chapter on the death penalty somewhat disturbing. It was pretty interesting hearing what he did before becoming President because I did not and have never lived in Texas. I don't see me reading this book again though. Also, I don't exactly know what really to say about it because, not to be harsh, the book did kind of go all over the place. One chapter he was governor, the next he owned a baseball team; so it's not chronological. It could be said that this was a diary of reflection while he was running for President though.
I will give it 3 stars.
(Edit: At the time of reading this book, I did not know/realize that certain books 'by' politicians are in fact written by a ghost writer; in some cases, ghost writers. I have since learned that President GWB did not actually write this. Either way, it still gets 3 stars, but has been removed my autobiographies shelf and instead placed in the biographies shelf.)
GWB takes us through his governorship, his brief ownership of a baseball team and some of his other life. In some respects, one could deem that this is Decision Points 0.5 because he also explained some of the decisions he made as Governor of Texas (as his book 'Decision Points' does as well [as President], but I have not read it yet.).
I have to commend him on his difficult decisions pertaining to the Death Penalty in Texas. I imagined myself in those situations and what my feelings on the particular situation of the inmate would be and I eventually came to the conclusion that I have absolutely no idea what I would have done pertaining to the one particular inmate, Karla Faye Tucker, who was on death row but had the world watching because she professed herself to be a born-again Christian and wanted her death sentence to be changed to life in prison. Then again, I'm not in politics nor do I have any desire to be, but at the same time, I have to commend him for how he spent so much time contemplating and seeking information about her before deciding not to give her an extra 30 days of life.
At the same time, I find myself questioning if I even support the death penalty. I'm pretty neutral on it.
In the end, I would say that I did enjoy this book, despite finding the long chapter on the death penalty somewhat disturbing. It was pretty interesting hearing what he did before becoming President because I did not and have never lived in Texas. I don't see me reading this book again though. Also, I don't exactly know what really to say about it because, not to be harsh, the book did kind of go all over the place. One chapter he was governor, the next he owned a baseball team; so it's not chronological. It could be said that this was a diary of reflection while he was running for President though.
I will give it 3 stars.
(Edit: At the time of reading this book, I did not know/realize that certain books 'by' politicians are in fact written by a ghost writer; in some cases, ghost writers. I have since learned that President GWB did not actually write this. Either way, it still gets 3 stars, but has been removed my autobiographies shelf and instead placed in the biographies shelf.)
October 24, 2009
Truthfully, I did like this book for the most part. Some parts were just boring, but I expected that a little. I did enjoy the narration by him and it was interesting to learn of the road that he took that actually led him to the White House. I have always loved the Bush family and have always thought that even though he made some mistakes as President (as they all do) that he did always love the people of this country and felt he was doing what was best for them. I feel like he is a true American and a brave man, and this book affirmed that thinking.
October 8, 2008
worth reading, nothing if not compelling.
November 26, 2015
A pretty darned good book by a man who will be regarded well by history, as opposed to his successor.
May 26, 2022
It seems that everyone running for president writes a book as their campaign begins. This book, published in 1999, was George W. Bush's entry. It was re-published early in 2001 after he became president. I've always liked Bush and this didn't change that. The book, similar to others like it, is one part biography of the early years, one part a detailing of political and life accomplishments, and one part a statement of political and life philosophy as the author heads into a presidential campaign. What is interesting is that the format of the book is very similar to his post-presidential memoir Decision Points. It is not a life story in chronological order, but rather each chapter focuses on a specific event in his life, and in many instances on the specific decisions he had to make and the process by which he arrived at his conclusions. Probably the most fascinating chapter is concerning two cases of capital punishment, and the process by which he decided to either stay the execution of allow it to happen. There are lighter chapters about his family where his humour and commitment to family shines through. Chapters towards the end outline some of his accomplishments as Governor of Texas, his philosophy behind those achievements, and how they might carry forward into a Bush presidency. Here we see his passion for education and literacy and his development of the idea of No Child Left Behind. We also see his embrace of the label Compassionate Conservatism. We also see that foreign affairs was not something high on his agenda, which demonstrate that the events of 9/11 proved a steep learning curve for him. One interesting section is a discussion of Vietnam, and his declaration that the US should never again what he called a "political war", one that they had no intention of trying to win. Of course Bush later brought the US into wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, leaving one to ask if Bush changed his philosophy, or does it simply show that it is much easier to be a Monday Morning Quarterback when one doesn't sit in the big chair in the Oval Office. The Bush presented here is a man who carefully weighs all aspects of a situation, sifts them through his worldview, and comes to a decision that he feels is the right one, holding to it with an almost tenacious certainty. Depending on one's own view, this can either be a determined leadership that a country needs, or a stubborn leadership that can lead to disaster. History will judge which of these applies to the George W. Bush in this volume. (I lean towards the first, while not ignoring instances of the latter)
June 23, 2022
I have read biographies of most of the American presidents. I try to read them in order; it gives the history of America in overlapping 4-year increments from various points of view.
I typically do not like auto-biographies and this is no exception. Don’t get me wrong - I’m a Texan who voted for W every time he ran; I think his ideals are basically sound. However, this book is nothing short of a self-serving memoir to justify his choices in office and raise money for his presidential campaign. If one were to believe everything in this book, W made the right decision every time.
I typically do not like auto-biographies and this is no exception. Don’t get me wrong - I’m a Texan who voted for W every time he ran; I think his ideals are basically sound. However, this book is nothing short of a self-serving memoir to justify his choices in office and raise money for his presidential campaign. If one were to believe everything in this book, W made the right decision every time.
August 22, 2020
This book by George W. Bush is characteristically honest and to the point. As we have come to expect from America’s 43rd president, Bush opens a window to his thinking and the process by which he makes decisions.
I think it is notable that Bush highlights issues on which his teenage daughters disagreed with his decisions as governor of Texas, and how he encouraged them to think freely for themselves.
I think it is notable that Bush highlights issues on which his teenage daughters disagreed with his decisions as governor of Texas, and how he encouraged them to think freely for themselves.
January 17, 2022
A Charge to Keep: My Journey to the White House
This book gives accurate insight into President Bush and politics.
This book gives accurate insight into President Bush and politics.
February 20, 2020
I thought it was a pretty good book but with good details about his life that many of us don’t know a whole lot about. Never really got me hooked completely.
April 2, 2020
Hard to get into the book, too much bragging and repetition, I felt at times like I was reading the same page over and over. Too many details that were not interesting at all.
December 14, 2007
this book was SO bad, yet i couldn't stop reading it. i read it in two days. it read like a long resume. highlighting all his good qualities, everything that has gone well in his career. the only time it addressed anything possibly negative was when it was something that had been well publicized, and so he addressed it to explain it away.
it was written while he was running for pres, so i guess in a sense it was like a long resume.
it did cause me to see bush as more of a human, and just some regular guy. but very much, JUST some regular guy. just some guy that one day decided to run for governor, then later decided to run for pres. just some dude.
it was written while he was running for pres, so i guess in a sense it was like a long resume.
it did cause me to see bush as more of a human, and just some regular guy. but very much, JUST some regular guy. just some guy that one day decided to run for governor, then later decided to run for pres. just some dude.
November 1, 2010
I was not going to give this book so many stars, but then ha to admit that it was very well done. I have to say that he clearly explained where he was coming from with No Child Left Behind and Annual Yearly Progress. I get it now. I hate that it has exposed so much that was going wrong in our public schools. It makes it appear that these accountability programs themselves are failing, but I think many indivudual teachers are the ones who are failing.
I appreciate Bush, as all my friends already know. The final chapter is the finest illumination of a healthy conservative philosophy that I have ever read.
I appreciate Bush, as all my friends already know. The final chapter is the finest illumination of a healthy conservative philosophy that I have ever read.
February 15, 2015
I started this book with no expections--only knowing that it was written by Bush and was less than 400 pages.
I can't remember a time before Bush's presidency. I do remember how eagerly I watched the election of 2004, and how sorry I was to see him leave. As such, I found it very interesting to read a [biography?] by him before he became the President of the United States. The book was easy to read and had lots of interesting information about his background and the decisions he made as the governor of Texas. Interesting, insightful, and instructing.
I can't remember a time before Bush's presidency. I do remember how eagerly I watched the election of 2004, and how sorry I was to see him leave. As such, I found it very interesting to read a [biography?] by him before he became the President of the United States. The book was easy to read and had lots of interesting information about his background and the decisions he made as the governor of Texas. Interesting, insightful, and instructing.
November 20, 2016
A book written by a candidate about the candidate with a view only to win the candidate's next election.
Not particularly insightful. Mildly interesting about growing up in 1950s Texas. Offers an overview of the President's life, even it it is written with a distinct, self serving, pollyannic bent. All national candidates are required to write one of these.
Not particularly insightful. Mildly interesting about growing up in 1950s Texas. Offers an overview of the President's life, even it it is written with a distinct, self serving, pollyannic bent. All national candidates are required to write one of these.
June 12, 2011
This was generally more interesting than I expected it to be; it's a campaign tract, but (like much of Bush's writing and speaking) it comes across as more sincere than polished. It's a great fault for a politician to have!
December 26, 2012
Read this a long, long time ago as a new voter...seemingly preparing myself for my first responsibility. Read it, as I recall, alongside a Molly Ivins book in hopes of, maybe, having the two balance out. Ha. Neither was particularly good.
February 3, 2008
Autobiography by George W. Bush, reveals his path to the White House and how God had prepared him to be President. Talks about his reliance on God to help him make decissions about America.
May 9, 2008
very very good reading
July 14, 2008
I really do not think with hisfamily background that W. was flipping fish in Alaska or selling ping pogs at Sears.
June 5, 2009
I may be biased because I LOVE "W", but this book made me love him more, and understand him more.
June 8, 2010
Fascinating in hindsight to read the words of the man who wanted to be president. Some valuable insights but mostly just a careful piece of campaign literature.
September 9, 2010
I liked learning more about Bush the person, but this was written as a lead-up to his presidential campaign, and I would have liked to read about his actual presidency.
Read
September 18, 2010Just skimmed it. Realized I would prefer to read about him--if at all--by an objective outsider.
Read
July 26, 2011I read this for work.
October 20, 2011
Scary.
December 30, 2012
As a fan of W I must say I enjoyed this book. I like the way he walks you through his decisions and his reasons for what he did. GREAT BOOK
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews