Rating: 
Summary: A good early introduction to the man
Review: Author Bill Minutaglio began his research during George W. Bush's first term as Governor of Texas, and published his book as the groundswell within the GOP for Bush's nomination for president was starting to crest. While not as muckraking as many of Dubya's critics would prefer, it's not a campaign puff-piece, either. On the whole, it's not a bad introduction to the man, and a fairly insightful look at how the fact of being a Bush has shaped the man's life.George the Elder cut a wide swath through Andover and Yale, was a certified war hero, and a highly visible politician. George the Younger followed his father in many of these paths, dealing with both the blessing and the curse, not only of having a famous dad, but even sharing his name. Being his father's son no doubt opened many doors for George II, but it also seemed to give him the resolution to find ways to strike out on his own and establish himself as his own man. Minutaglio does a good job illustrating some of the ways he achieved, or failed to achieve, this. (When Dubya made his 1992 announcement that he was running for governor, the Houston Chronicle ran a photo of his father by mistake.) I think what I found most interesting in Minutaglio's narrative was his contention that from a relatively early age, Dubya was not only a conservative (more so than his father ever was), but saw himself as caught up in a distinct cultural conflict: Bush's freshman-year clash with Yale chaplain and leftie icon William Sloane Coffin looms large in this book It's fascinating to re-read this book in light of President Bush (the Younger)'s conduct of office in the wake of September 11. More than just the DKE frat boy finally running the biggest club of all, the George W. Bush in these pages is a man who, at his core, has a strong sense of who he is and what he wants to do. As with any president, there will be (and already are) lots and lots of biographies of George W. Bush. I think 'First Son' will stand up as one of the best early efforts.
Rating: 
Summary: Well researched easy reading portrait of potential president
Review: Author clearly did extensive research into George W. Bush, the man. Before this impressive work, all we had was an image of a George-Bush-Sr-wannabe, remarkable considering we are talking about arguably the next leader of the Free World. What results is a clearer picture of the family influences shaping 'George W' and his character. For a political biography, "First Son" is first class, an enjoyable, upbeat and easy read...and maybe one of the most important reads of the election year..
Rating: 
Summary: Family Man
Review: Bill Minutaglio tells the W. story mostly in the context of the Bush family, which strikes me as the right strategy. Bush himself likes to put forward a simple version of his life, but the truth is more interesting: Not just the West Texas childhood, but the adolescence shuttling back and forth from Houston to Andover, etc. First Son gives a sense of the privileges of a family like Bush clan, but also a sense of the expectations. Along the way Minutaglio provides a bit of a crash course on Texas politics, also useful in understanding Bush, his allies, and his enemies. The result is a story told in a fairly straightforward, nearly newspaperish style, and while it's slightly repetitive, the underlying material is good enough to make it a quick and engaging (if not very deep) read. Minutaglio seems fairly determined not to make any overt judgments about his subject, so the book ends up a sort of Rorschach test. It may reinforce whatever views on Bush you have, but I doubt it will change many minds. It's not a classic, and I doubt this will be the last word on Bush, but First Son is a good distillation of the W. story so far.
Rating:
Summary: Informative and Insightful
Review: Bill Minutaglio truly fills in the gaps on the background of the 43rd President of the United States. Answering scores of questions about W's rise to power, while taking the high road in regards to some of the questionable aspects of the past, First Son is a fast paced read. In addition to providing interesting information about America's first family of politics, it provides insight into the President as a leader and a person.
Rating:
Summary: Fascinating and revealing
Review: George W. Bush (hereinafter "W") is so misunderstood and miscast by the national press. They just don't get him. Not smart enough? The guy graduated from Harvard Business School. Not disciplined? He runs marathons and quit smoking and drinking cold turkey. Never "done anything?" The guy put together big deals in baseball and oil and actually met payrolls. How many national media guys have done that? He's a pro and has learned plenty. A dynasty? I think not. He lost his first election. He didn't inherit any votes; he earned them. He's funny and tough. The author looks into the bad stuff: SEC investigation and the drug rumors. Considering how deep he dug he got nothing on W and I think he looked. It is revealing that now rumors are reported as rumors in order to be news. W has some sharp advisers. I recall watching Karl Rove on TV and comparing him to the hyperactive, foaming-at-the-mouth pit bull called Tad Devine. This compassionate conservatism is brillant as the "vision thing" his father allegedly lacked. And with regard to President Bush recall the so-called wimp factor assigned to him by the national press. This against a man who was the youngest WW II aviator and was shot down at sea. W and Rove are right in their characterization of the Ivy League Northeast liberal establishment. They feel that they are smarter than the rest of us and they "feel" guilty about their success so they concoct failed liberal policies to spend other people's money. W knows them all personally so he has a front line view of the whole debacle. ...
Rating:
Summary: Read it, you will be surprised
Review: I am, admitedly, not a George W. Bush fan. However, he is our president, and I felt that it was a good idea to know something about him, aside from his father being George Bush, and that he was the governor of Texas, my home state. This book served that purpose quite well. By the end of the book, I was actually able to relate to this guy, even sympathize with him. It stops with his election as president, so it's hardly a full scale biography, but it's a good start.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining but BIASED!
Review: I bought this book on a lark thinking it might actually be what the cover notes said is was "unbiased", but as soon as I saw Dan Rather's opinion on the book (printed on the back of the paperback I purchased), I should've known this book was not necessarily "the truth" on George W. Bush. Don't believe everything you read or hear from anyone in print or media. I encourage you to be selective and present things in context. . .Speaking of things in context, I really can't trust this book as gospel because Minutaglio quotes sources in such a sporadic way, footnoting the quotes only to look more credible. The quotes are sometimes ridiculous and misplaced, it seems, but albeit, very entertaining. That's just it, this book is entertaining and nothing more except to provide a biased peek at what Minutaglio believes is the driving force and reasons for our President's personality, politics, career choices, and other personal decisions. Juicy. As in gossipy.
Rating:
Summary: Entertaining but BIASED!
Review: I bought this book on a lark thinking it might actually be what the cover notes said is was "unbiased", but as soon as I saw Dan Rather's opinion on the book (printed on the back of the paperback I purchased), I should've known this book was not necessarily "the truth" on George W. Bush. Don't believe everything you read or hear from anyone in print or media. I encourage you to be selective and present things in context. . . Speaking of things in context, I really can't trust this book as gospel because Minutaglio quotes sources in such a sporadic way, footnoting the quotes only to look more credible. The quotes are sometimes ridiculous and misplaced, it seems, but albeit, very entertaining. That's just it, this book is entertaining and nothing more except to provide a biased peek at what Minutaglio believes is the driving force and reasons for our President's personality, politics, career choices, and other personal decisions. Juicy. As in gossipy.
Rating:
Summary: A respectable, but somewhat unfulfilling, biography
Review: I enjoy reading biographies immensely and I have to say that as far as biographies go, this one was disappointing. There was hardly any new information on George W. Bush in this book. More importantly, there was no real analysis of the main character. The author never really seeks to understand or explore his subject. I really hope that another biography of "The First Son" comes out soon. There is much room for improvement.
Rating: 
Summary: Propaganda Piece
Review: I purchased this book hoping to see some real journalism regarding the Bush family and GWB in particular. Instead it read like a media propaganda piece glorifying the Bush dynasty. Where was the info on Harken Energy stock manipulation? On GWB's insurance and securities frauds? On GWB and Cheney taking money from bin Laden's family? ... This book is a whitewash.
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