Used price: $0.20
Collectible price: $23.25
Buy one from zShops for: $6.95
Used price: $1.94
Collectible price: $100.00
Used price: $8.00
Buy one from zShops for: $26.95
Used price: $3.95
Buy one from zShops for: $9.72
But that caricature is debunked by Ambling Into History. Bush is far more complicated than that caricature, and Ambling literally takes the reader on Bush's odyssey from the Texas State House to the White House. From the earliest days on the campaign trial to those intense days after Sept. 11, we have a front-row seat as Bush grows from a reluctant and awkward candidate to a supremely confident, yet still awkward, wartime president.
I was especially struck by the chapter about Bush and his father. Bruni brings alive their complicated relationship -- the anger Bush felt at his Dad's loss in 92 to Clinton, as well as the deep pride and protectiveness that the former president felt for his son during the bruising campaign. In particular, Bruni's description of the pride the two men have in each other's accomplishments is as touching as it is poignant.
The book is also an illuminating look inside the modern presidential campaign. Better than anything I have read, it shows how and why reporters become tired of writing about issues, choosing instead to devote so much airtime and print to the candidates' personal styles and verbal gaffes.
Bruni is a first-rate writer with a keen eye for those small, often humorous details that tell so much about a person or a moment. Like its subject, Ambling Into History cannot be easily shoved into this category or placed in that box. But I am sure you will agree Ambling Into History will explain George W. Bush better than anything you have read. And, here is a bonus: it is almost impossible to put down.
Bruni also did a nice job of explaining how the candidate's handlers manage the press coverage and access to their man. He had a nice, lighthearted tone about the plight of the overfed, overmanaged, overtraveled press.
All in all, I don't see how a reader could ask for a lot more from a book of this type - unless they are looking for total praise or total criticism. If that's what you want, this book's not for you. If you want a fair, entertaining look at our president and his campaign to win the office, I'd recommend you read this one.
Used price: $4.25
Collectible price: $3.19
Buy one from zShops for: $5.00
Used price: $1.19
Buy one from zShops for: $14.25
this was a big disappointment as most other Access guides have been great