Decision Points
George W. Bush, 2010
★ 3.81 from 43.2k ratings on Goodreads
An unflinching look at the highest levels of power, grappling with financial collapse, foreign wars, and the relentless weight of public expectation. A plain, deliberate voice walks through high-stakes choices, mixing power and moral weight with curiosity about how institutions and people respond under pressure.
Feels like curiosity, defiance and unease. About power, society and morality.
Who it’s for
You may like it if you want a candid insider account of faith, leadership, and hard calls in the White House. Some readers find long stretches dry and thin on detail, and the self-justifying tone can grate if you disagree with his policies.
Why read it
It offers a close view of how one president weighed financial collapse, war, and public expectation, and where his reasoning is clear enough for you to test against your own.
A page from the book
When the market stops following the rules, who is truly responsible for the collapse?
I was furious the situation had reached this point. A relatively small group of people—many on Wall Street, some not—had gambled that the housing market would keep booming forever. It didn’t. In a normal environment, the free market would render its judgment and they could fail. What readers say
Readers find the memoir candid and clarifying, especially on faith, leadership, and hard decisions, and some skeptics say it humanized him. Others call it boring, thin on detail, and too self-justifying, with policy disagreements remaining.
George W. Bush.Bush, a former governor of Texas, developed his political perspective in the state before becoming President in 2001. He was notably a strong supporter of the Free Enterprise Fund.
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Questions readers ask
- Is Decision Points for me?
- You may like it if you want a candid insider account of faith, leadership, and hard calls in the White House. Some readers find long stretches dry and thin on detail, and the self-justifying tone can grate if you disagree with his policies.
- What is Decision Points like?
- A plain, deliberate voice walks through high-stakes choices, mixing power and moral weight with curiosity about how institutions and people respond under pressure. Feels like curiosity, defiance and unease. About power, society and morality.
- What should I read after Decision Points?
- If you liked Decision Points, try The Audacity of Hope (Barack Obama), Trump (Donald Trump with Tony Schwartz) and The Laws of Human Nature (Robert Greene).
A taste of the feed
The difference between being in the house and being present in it.
I reminded the men in the audience that being a father meant more than fathering a child; that even those of us who were physically present in the home are often emotionally absent; that precisely because many of us didn’t have fathers in the house we have to redouble our efforts to break the cycle; and that if we want to pass on high expectations to our children, we have to have higher expectations for ourselves.
The Audacity of Hope · Barack Obama
The case for leaving your door open and your calendar empty.
Most people are surprised by the way I work. I play it very loose. I don’t carry a briefcase. I try not to schedule too many meetings. I leave my door open. You can’t be imaginative or entrepreneurial if you’ve got too much structure. I prefer to come to work each day and just see what develops.
Trump · Donald Trump with Tony Schwartz
He did not want a statue. He wanted a city that could live without him.
“I could give you many other reasons,” he concluded, “why you should feel confident in ultimate victory, if only you will make up your minds not to add to the empire while the war is in progress, and not to go out of your way to involve yourselves in new perils. What I fear is not the enemy’s strategy but our own mistakes.” The novelty of what he was proposing aroused great debate. Neither hawks nor doves were satisfied with his plan, but in the end, his reputation for wisdom carried the day and his strategy was approved. Several months later the fateful war began.
The Laws of Human Nature · Robert Greene
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