What It Takes

“What it Takes is unvarnished; it really shows you the intertwining politics and personalities of the participants in a campaign which had open competitive primary races on both sides. The book portrays three Democrats and three Republicans. It’s a fascinating read.” Read more...

The best books on Joe Biden

Ronald A. Klain, Lawyer

“This is about the 1988 presidential campaign and is one of the great political books. Cramer was a Yale classmate of George H Bush and so had better access again to the family. It’s really about the father, about George H, and George W plays only a small role, but it has very revelatory scenes in it showing how George W was acting out and was the troublemaker and the reckless one, the black sheep, and how the rest of the family dealt with it. In 1986 George H was trying to get his campaign started and it’s about how people reacted to him and about Prescott Bush, his father, and the sense of this political family dynasty. It’s a great read and he tells the story of the rise of George H better than anyone else has ever told it.” Read more...

The best books on George W Bush

Jacob Weisberg, Journalist