Book Review: Decision Points

Month: January
Book: Decision Points
Author: George W. Bush
Length: 512 pages
Start Date: January 7
End Date: February 14
Enjoyment*: 3.5 out of 5
Value: 5 out of 5

Being a hesitant reader of non-fiction, I began my 2011 year of non-fiction reading with some trepidation. But I have great respect for President George W. Bush and thought his new release Decision Points would be a good way to begin. I was right.

The first couple chapters were particularly enjoyable for me. President Bush writes the way he talks - just a good ol' boy from Texas telling stories while leaned against his truck in the middle of a pasture. There is nothing pretentious about Decision Points, and I like that. As I read about Bush's family and history, I laughed, I cried, and I became increasingly impressed by what he's made of. As it turns out, he's not just a good ol' boy from Texas. He's an incredible leader of great intelligence, wisdom, and compassion. He comes from a strong family. I was reminded that so often good leaders have a Peter personality, as I like to call it. They just go for it, and it gets them into trouble until they learn to harness their passions. But once they figure it out, they are unstoppable.

The book is not laid out in chronological order as many non-fiction books are. Rather chapters are grouped by topic. This was so helpful to me since so much happened in Bush's eight years in office. As the title indicates, this is a book about how President Bush made decisions. From choosing his staff to visiting New Orleans to sending troops to Iraq, he explains and analyzes his own decisions. One of my favorite aspects of the book is that while he does defend his choices and actions, he also willingly acknowledges when he was wrong.

After several chapters of Iraq, Afghanistan, Katrina, September 11, the financial crisis, and others, I grew weary. Although it was refreshing to hear Bush's side of the story without any media spin, it became a bit tedious and hard to finish just because of difficult topics. Throughout the book, though, Bush's love for people and country shines through, making it worth the effort of reading. And I just kept thinking that he lived this all day every day for eight years. If he did that, couldn't I make it through a few hundred pages of, in comparison, very light reading? My respect and appreciation for President Bush grew exponentially.

Overall I highly recommend the book. I may not have particularly enjoyed reading the second half of Decision Points; but truth and history, though not always easy, are always valuable. I give it a 3.5 out of 5 on my Enjoyment Scale and a 5 out of 5 on my Value Scale*.


*My rating scales aren't in the least bit scientific. It's just whatever I feel at the moment. So it is likely that my ratings of other books won't be consistent with this rating. As a matter of fact, I might make up completely different scales for other books.