-
Your next favorite book
is waiting.
Summary | Excerpt | Reviews | Beyond the book | Read-Alikes | Genres & Themes | Author Bio
Bush at War, Part III
by Bob Woodward
Book Reviewed by:Bob Woodward's latest book on the Bush administration (following
Bush at War, 2002; and Plan of Attack, 2004) doesn't pick up where
Plan of Attack left off but instead sweeps back to offer an overview of
the Presidential life and times of George W. Bush, from the days when he first
thought seriously about running for President, through the recruitment of his
national security team, the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and his second term as
President. As such, State of Denial is not the third part of a
trilogy, as it's being billed by the publisher, but an authoritative standalone
account of the road Bush and his White House cohorts have traveled to get to
this point.
The media reviews for State of Denial are mixed. While most praise
the book itself, a number of reviewers comment on the considerable delta between
Woodward's depiction of Bush in his first two books and his portrayal of him in
State of Denial. Rick Perlstein writing for the
New York Observer
asks, "Considering that the subject and
substance of Mr. Woodward’s three books overlap, doesn’t the revision indict the
originals? If Part III is the better book because it’s a more accurate portrayal
of the Bush administration's abject failures and inadequacies, doesn't that make
the author look worse? What was he withholding? What was the eureka moment?"
Perlstein has a point. Woodward's portrayal of Bush as an intellectually
incurious man whose religious convictions make him disinclined to deviate from
his chosen path even if, in Bush's words, "Laura and Barney are the only ones
who support me" (Barney being the presidential dog), stands in contrast to the
resolute leader of Bush at War (2002), standing firm at the helm of his
country. As Perlstein asks, "Why couldn’t Mr. Woodward have exploited his
unique insider access to alert the Washington establishment sooner about the
danger of harboring this feckless man-child in their midst? ... Or to put it in a way Bob Woodward would find familiar: What did the reporter
know and when did he know it?"
Putting aside comparisons between Woodward's earlier books on the Bush
administration and looking just at State of Denial, most reviewers agree
that it offers a valuable nonpartisan primer on the Executive branch of the
United States in the early years of the 21st century. While the overall
picture that Woodward paints is hardly new, he fleshes out each chapter with
previously untold anecdotes of incompetence, that enrich the reader's
understanding of the inner workings of the current White House, led by a man who
not that long ago admitted that he doesn't "have the foggiest idea about international, foreign policy."
Interesting Links
A short history of Iraq, attached to the review of The End of Iraq by Peter
W Galbraith
The sidebar to Blood Brothers by Michael Weisskopf with details of
the coalition and civilian body count in Iraq to date.
This review
first ran in the September 20, 2007
issue of BookBrowse Recommends.
If you liked State of Denial, try these:
by Mahvish Khan
Published 2009
Outraged that her country was illegally imprisoning people at Guantanamo, Mahvish Khan volunteered to translate for the prisoners. Her story is a challenging, brave, and essential test of who she is —and who we are.
by Robert Kagan
Published 2007
From the author of the immensely influential and best-selling Of Paradise and Power—a major reevaluation of America’s place in the world from the colonial era to the turn of the twentieth century.
by Thomas E. Ricks
Published 2007
A masterful and explosive description of the planning and execution of the American military invasion and occupation of Iraq, based on the unprecedented candor of key participants.
 (1).gif)
I like a thin book because it will steady a table...
Click Here to find out who said this, as well as discovering other famous literary quotes!
Can you name the title?
Test your book knowledge with our daily trivia challenge!
Your guide toexceptional books
BookBrowse seeks out and recommends the best in contemporary fiction and nonfiction—books that not only engage and entertain but also deepen our understanding of ourselves and the world around us.
