Will '41: A Portrait of my Father' reveal a different side of George W. Bush?

George W. Bush's biography of his father will be published Nov. 11 by Crown, with a planned first printing of 1 million copies.

Former President George W. Bush is gearing up for a media blitz for his forthcoming biography of his father, President George H.W. Bush.

Get ready to see a whole lot more of George W. Bush this November.

The former President is gearing up for a media blitz for his forthcoming biography of his father, President George H.W. Bush. The much anticipated bio - "41: A Portrait of my Father," will be published Nov. 11 by Crown, with a planned first printing of 1 million copies.

This is the only presidential biography of a father written by his son, and the closest thing to an autobiography of Bush 41, since he has never written a memoir. As such, publisher Crown expects the book to do well and has lined up a series of headline interviews and promo events for the book.

CBS News will broadcast the first interviews, conducted by Bob Schieffer, on Sunday, November 9, followed by The Today show, which will feature the author on November 10, by Savannah Guthrie. For publication day, Nov. 11, both former presidents will be on "Today" for a discussion with George W. Bush's daughter and "Today" correspondent Jenna Bush Hager.

Hungry for more?

Other appearances by George W. Bush announced Tuesday by Crown Publishers include interviews on the Fox News Channel and NPR and a private event at the George Bush Presidential Library and Museum in Texas, reports the AP.

And according to Crown, there will be plenty of speeches and public book signings in the weeks to come - that's a lot of media appearances for a person who goes to lengths to stay out of the spotlight recently.

Of course, all the better to drum up attention for a book that's expected to do very well.

“A unique and intimate biography, 41: A PORTRAIT OF MY FATHER covers the entire scope of the elder President Bush's life and career, including his service in the Pacific during World War II, his pioneering work in the Texas oil business, and his political rise as a Congressman, U.S. Representative to China and the United Nations, CIA Director, Vice President, and President,” Crown said in a statement. “In addition, George W. Bush discusses his father's influence on him throughout his own life, from his childhood in West Texas to his early campaign trips with his father, and from his decision to go into politics to his own two-term Presidency."

Surprisingly, the book may offers readers insight not only into Bush Sr., but Bush Jr., the author, as well.

“It's … the kind of potentially revealing project we would not have expected from a president who abhorred introspection and discussions of his relationship with his father when he was in the White House,” Reuters columnist Steven Brill said in a piece about the forthcoming book. “Which … suggests that we may be seeing a weightier side of George W. Bush in his post-presidency.”

“Given the relationship between author and subject, [the biography] is certain to be a best seller,” Brill concluded.

You've read  of  free articles. Subscribe to continue.
Real news can be honest, hopeful, credible, constructive.
What is the Monitor difference? Tackling the tough headlines – with humanity. Listening to sources – with respect. Seeing the story that others are missing by reporting what so often gets overlooked: the values that connect us. That’s Monitor reporting – news that changes how you see the world.

Dear Reader,

About a year ago, I happened upon this statement about the Monitor in the Harvard Business Review – under the charming heading of “do things that don’t interest you”:

“Many things that end up” being meaningful, writes social scientist Joseph Grenny, “have come from conference workshops, articles, or online videos that began as a chore and ended with an insight. My work in Kenya, for example, was heavily influenced by a Christian Science Monitor article I had forced myself to read 10 years earlier. Sometimes, we call things ‘boring’ simply because they lie outside the box we are currently in.”

If you were to come up with a punchline to a joke about the Monitor, that would probably be it. We’re seen as being global, fair, insightful, and perhaps a bit too earnest. We’re the bran muffin of journalism.

But you know what? We change lives. And I’m going to argue that we change lives precisely because we force open that too-small box that most human beings think they live in.

The Monitor is a peculiar little publication that’s hard for the world to figure out. We’re run by a church, but we’re not only for church members and we’re not about converting people. We’re known as being fair even as the world becomes as polarized as at any time since the newspaper’s founding in 1908.

We have a mission beyond circulation, we want to bridge divides. We’re about kicking down the door of thought everywhere and saying, “You are bigger and more capable than you realize. And we can prove it.”

If you’re looking for bran muffin journalism, you can subscribe to the Monitor for $15. You’ll get the Monitor Weekly magazine, the Monitor Daily email, and unlimited access to CSMonitor.com.

QR Code to Will '41: A Portrait of my Father' reveal a different side of George W. Bush?
Read this article in
https://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2014/1031/Will-41-A-Portrait-of-my-Father-reveal-a-different-side-of-George-W.-Bush
QR Code to Subscription page
Start your subscription today
https://www.csmonitor.com/subscribe