Bush and Obama

Yea r
2006 95

Mr. George W. Bush

Mr. Karl Rove

110

Team of Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin (yes, he read it too) Andrew Carnegie by David Nasaw (?) Mark Twain by Ron Powers (?) The Big Bam by Leigh Montville (?) King Leopold's Ghost by Adam o!hs!hild (?) A Godly Hero A Life of !illiam "ennings Bryan by Mi!hael Ka"in (?) H#ey Long by #$ arry %illiams (?) Lyndon &ohnson (no idea whi!h o' the many bios) Genghis Khan and the Making of the Modern !orld by &a!( %eather'ord (?) A History of the $nglish%&peaking 'eoples &in(e )*++ by Andrew Roberts Manh#nt The ),%-ay Chase for Lin(oln's Killer by &ames L$ )wanson Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbri!( .e/t by Mi!hael *ri!hton $/e(#tive 'ower by +in!e ,lynn 'oint of 0mpa(t by )te-hen .nter The &tranger by Albert *am.s /ight Travis McGee novels by &ohn D$ Ma!Donald

2007

51
The Great 1pheaval Ameri(a and the Birth of the Modern !orld by &ay %ini( Khr#sh(hev's Cold !ar by Ale(sandr ,.rsen(o and #imothy Na'tali -ean A(heson by Robert L$ 0eisner (?) Mellon An Ameri(an Life by David *annadine (?) Rog#e Regime Kim "ong 0l and the Looming Threat of .orth Korea by &as-er 0e!(er The &hia Revival by +ali Nasr Ana's &tory by &enna 0.sh (his da.ghter)

76

200

!0

6!
The Coldest !inter Ameri(a and the Korean !ar by David alberstam The -ay of Battle The !ar in &i(ily and 0taly by Ri!( At(inson The &panish Civil !ar by .gh #homas

Gettys2#rg by )te-hen %$ )ears 3ienna )4)5 by David King 'ersonal Memoirs by 1lysses )$ Grant Ameri(an Lion Andrew "a(kson in the !hite Ho#se by &on Mea!ham Tried 2y !ar A2raham Lin(oln as Commander in Chief by &ames M$ M!Pherson 'risoner !itho#t a .ame6 Cell !itho#t a .#m2er by &a!obo #immerman

"m #odos$ Mr. Bush leu a B%bl&a de 'a(a a 'a(a.

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2P3N32N D/*/M0/R 45, 4667

Bush Is a Book Lover

A glimpse of what the president has been reading.

By KARL ROVE

%ith only 'ive days le't, my lead is ins.rmo.ntable$ #he !om-etition !an8t !at!h .-$ And 'or the third year in a row, 38ll tri.m-h$ 3n se!ond -la!e will be the -resident o' the 1nited )tates$ 2.r !ontest is not abo.t s-orts or -oliti!s$ 3t8s abo.t boo(s$ 3t all started on New 9ear8s /ve in 466:$ President 0.sh as(ed what my New 9ear8s resol.tions were$ 3 told him that as a reg.lar reader who8d gotten o.t o' the habit, my goal was to read a boo( a wee( in 4665$ #hree days later, we were in the 2val 2''i!e when he 'i;ed me in his sights and said, <38m on my se!ond$ %here are yo.?< Mr$ 0.sh had t.rned my resol.tion into a !ontest$ 0y !oin!iden!e, we were both reading Doris Kearns Goodwin8s <#eam o' Rivals$< #he -resident =.m-ed to a slim early lead and remained ahead .ntil Mar!h, when 3 moved de!isively in 'ront$ #he !om-etition soon s-.n o.t o' !ontrol$ %e (e-t tra!( not =.st o' boo(s read, b.t also the n.mber o' -ages and later the !ombined si"e o' ea!h boo(8s -ages >> its <#otal Lateral Area$<

%e re!ommended vol.mes to ea!h other ('or e;am-le, he en!o.raged me to read a Mao biogra-hy? 3 s.ggested a boo( on Re!onstr.!tion8s .nha--y end)$ %e dis!.ssed the boo(s and wrote than(>yo. notes to some a.thors$ At year8s end, 3 de'eated the -resident, @@6 boo(s to A:$ My tro-hy loo(s s.s-i!io.sly li(e those given o.t at =.nior bowling 'inals$ #he -resident lamely insisted he8d lost be!a.se he8d been b.sy as Leader o' the ,ree %orld$ Mr$ 0.sh8s 4665 reading list shows his literary tastes$ #he non'i!tion ran 'rom biogra-hies o' Abraham Lin!oln, Andrew *arnegie, Mar( #wain, 0abe R.th, King Leo-old, %illiam &ennings 0ryan, .ey Long, L0& and Genghis Khan to Andrew Roberts8s <A istory o' the /nglish )-ea(ing Peo-les )in!e @A66,< &ames L$ )wanson8s <Manh.nt,< and Nathaniel Philbri!(8s <May'lower$< 0esides eight #ravis M!Gee novels by &ohn D$ Ma!Donald, Mr$ 0.sh ta!(led Mi!hael *ri!hton8s <Ne;t,< +in!e ,lynn8s </;e!.tive Power,< )te-hen 3m-a!t,< and Albert *am.s8s <#he )tranger,< among others$ ,i'ty>eight o' the boo(s he read that year were non'i!tion$ Nearly hal' o' his 4665 reading was history and biogra-hy, with another eight vol.mes on !.rrent events (mostly the Mideast) and si; on s-orts$ #o my s.r-rise, the -resident demanded a remat!h in 466B$ #ho.gh the overall -a!e slowed, he on!e more !ame in se!ond in o.r two>man ra!e, reading :@ boo(s to my B5$ is list was -arti!.larly wide>ranging that year, 'rom history (<#he Great 1-heaval< and <Khr.sh!hev8s *old %ar<), biogra-hi!al (Dean A!heson and Andrew Mellon), and !.rrent a''airs (in!l.ding <Rog.e Regime< and <#he )hia Revival<)$ e read one boo( meant 'or yo.ng ad.lts, his da.ghter &enna8s e;!ellent <Ana8s )tory$< A gl.tton 'or -.nishment, Mr$ 0.sh insisted on another remat!h in 4667$ 0.t it will be a three> -eat 'or meC as o' today, his total is D6 vol.mes to my 5D$ is reading this year in!l.ded a heavy dose o' history >> in!l.ding David alberstam8s <#he *oldest %inter,< Ri!( At(inson8s <Day o' 0attle,< .gh #homas8s <)-anish *ivil %ar,< )te-hen %$ )ears8s <Gettysb.rg< and David King8s <+ienna @7@D$< #here8s also -lenty o' biogra-hy >> in!l.ding 1$)$ Grant8s <Personal Memoirs<? &on Mea!ham8s <Ameri!an Lion<? &ames M$ M!Pherson8s <#ried by %arC Abraham Lin!oln as *ommander in *hie'< and &a!obo #imerman8s <Prisoner %itho.t a Name, *ell %itho.t a N.mber$< /a!h year, the -resident also read the 0ible 'rom !over to !over, along with a daily devotional$ #he reading !om-etition reveals Mr$ 0.sh8s 'o!.s on goals$ 3t8s not abo.t winning$ A good> nat.red !om-etition hel-s (ee- him !entered and ma(es -ossible a !lear mind and a high .nter8s <Point o'

level o' energy$ e reads instead o' wat!hing #+$ e reads on Air ,or!e 2ne and to rela; and be!a.se he8s !.rio.s$ enormo.s res-onsibilities$ 3n the E: years 38ve (nown George %$ 0.sh, he8s always had a boo( nearby$ e -lays .e reads abo.t the tas(s at hand, o'ten -i!(ing vol.mes be!a.se o' the relevan!e to his !hallenges$ And he8s rightC 38ve won be!a.se he has a real =ob with

being a good ol8 boy 'rom Midland, #e;as, b.t he was a history ma=or at 9ale and grad.ated 'rom arvard 0.siness )!hool$ 9o. don8t ma(e it thro.gh either .nless yo. are a reader$ #here is a myth -er-et.ated by 0.sh !riti!s that he wo.ld rather b.rn a boo( than read one$ Li(e so many !ari!at.res o' the -ast eight years, this one is not only wrong, b.t also the o--osite o' the tr.th and eviden!e that bitterness !an devo.r a small>minded !riti!$ Mr$ 0.sh loves boo(s, learns 'rom them, and is intelle!t.ally engaged by them$ ,or two terms in the %hite o.se, Mr$ 0.sh has been in the arena, (ee-ing Ameri!a sa'e

and 'a!ing down enormo.s !hallenges, all the while a!ting with dignity$ And when on &an$ 46 he 'lies 'rom %ashington to #e;as one last time, he will do so as he arrived >> with 'riends and a boo( nearby$ Mr. Rove is the former senior adviser and deputy chief of staff to President George W. Bush.

Mr. Bara'/ Obama

In October 2008, the New York Times asked Obama to provide a list of books and writers that were significant to him. ere goes ! "alph #aldo $merson, Thomas %efferson, &ark Twain, 'braham (incoln, %ames )aldwin, #. $. ). *+)ois, Souls of Black Folk, &artin (+ther -ing,s Letter From Birmingham Jail, Toni &orrison,s Song of Solomon, .raham .reene,s The Power and the Glory and The Quiet American, *oris (essing,s The Golden Note ook! 'le/ander 0ol1henits2n,s "ancer #ard, %ohn 0teinbeck,s $n %u ious Battle, "obert 3aro,s Power Broker, 0t+ds Terkel,s #orking, 'dam 0mith,s #ealth of Nations and Theory of &oral Sentiments, and also "obert 4enn #arren,sAll the 'ing(s &en ! a novel abo+t a corr+pt 0o+thern governor 5"od )lago6evich an2one78. 'nd then there were his theolog2 and philosoph2 infl+ences ! 9riedrich Niet1sche, "einhold Nieb+hr and 4a+l Tillich.