The Man I Knew

The Man I Knew (2021) is the simultaneously heartwarming, tear-jerking, and surprising story of George H. W. Bush’s life after the White House. Many people are aware of President Bush’s accomplishments as a politician – shepherding the US through the end of the Cold War, successfully navigating the Gulf War, and signing the Americans With Disabilities Act into law, to name but a few. But this isn’t the story of George Bush the politician –⁠ it’s the story of George Bush the husband, friend, and father.

• Fans of the Bush family and other prominent Republicans
• Democrats who want to get to know someone on the other side of the aisle
• Memoir-lovers

Jean Becker served as George H. W. Bush’s chief of staff –⁠ and good friend –⁠ from 1994 through to Bush’s death in 2018. Before that, she was a journalist and spent three years as First Lady Barbara Bush’s deputy press secretary. She edited and did research for All the Best, George Bush: My Life in Letters and Other Writings; Barbara Bush, A Memoir; and Reflections.