Destiny and Power- The American odyssey of George Herbert walker bush

Advance praise for Destiny and Power by Jon Meacham, author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

and American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House

"The more time passes, the more the dust settles, the clearer it becomes that

George H. W. Bush and the strengths of character he brought to his long service to this country deserve more attention and appreciation. And now comes Destiny and Power, Jon Meacham's altogether fair, insightful biography of the forty-first president-a portrait made especially compelling by the author's remarkable access to Bush's private White House diaries. This is a timely, first-rate book!"

-DAVID MCCULLOUGH

"What a spectacular and moving portrait this is not only of a remarkably classy man but of the era that shaped him! It is hard to imagine a biographer more fitted than Jon Meacham to write what will surely be the definitive work on George Herbert Walker Bush."

-DORIS KEARNS GOODWIN

"This astonishing book is both timely and timeless. Based on candid interviews and intimate letters and diaries, it provides a deep insight into the character of George H. W. Bush, flavored with colorful anecdotes depicting his relationships with people ranging from Gorbachev and Reagan to his sons George and Jeb. The result is a fascinating and insightful portrayal of the life of an exemplary American citizen."

-WALTER ISAACSON

"Jon Meacham's timely and intimate biography of George Bush 41 is a welcome reminder of this modest president's call to service, from the cockpits of World War II to the Oval Office and the end of the Cold War. Here you'll meet a man of patrician manners, wartime heroics, Texas assimilation, party and personal loyalty, with a refined sense of power that carried him into history. Meet the George Bush you didn't know."

-TOM BROKAW

"This riveting biography by the incomparable Jon Meacham gives George H. W. Bush his well-deserved place in history. Destiny and Power is full of surprises, revealing 41's important role in scene after crucial historical scene of the past seven decades. President Bush used to say that he could never quite convey his 'heartbeat to Americans. Now, using a treasure of heretofore unseen diaries and other documents, as well as his own detailed interviews, Meacham takes us behind closed doors to show us what this sometimes misunderstood leader was really like."

-MICHAEL BESCHLOSS