The autobiography of George W Bush will go on sale in November, offering the former United States president’s take on the September 11 terrorist attacks, as well as personal issues such as his battle with alcoholism.
The cover of the book, entitled Decision Points, features Bush standing alone in the White House’s rose garden colonnade holding a presidential briefing book.
Bush has said the book will not be a memoir but an account of key decisions in his presidency and personal life. According to Crown Publishers, it will offer “gripping, never-before-heard detail” on 9/11 and the 2000 presidential election as well as his decision to quit drinking and insights into his family life.
“Since leaving the Oval Office, President Bush has given virtually no interviews or public speeches about his presidency,” Crown said in a statement. “Instead, he has spent almost every day writing Decision Points.”
A publishing industry source said Bush had completed a first draft and was editing the manuscript at his office in Dallas. A former White House speechwriter, Chris Michel, is helping. The source was unsure whether Bush had compared notes with his wife, Laura Bush, whose memoir comes out on May 4.
Bush was known for not acknowledging errors, but Crown said he “writes honestly and directly about his flaws and mistakes, as well as his historic achievements”.
The former president will promote Decision Points through a tour of the US.
The tome will sell for $35. One thousand signed, clothbound copies will also be available for $350 each. – guardian.co.uk