NYT: Bush's Official Reading List, and a Racy Omission

[kskiska]

By ELISABETH BUMILLER

If you ask the White House what President Bush is reading these days, the press office will call back with the official list: "His Excellency: George Washington" by Joseph J. Ellis, "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow and, not least, the Bible.

What the official list omits is Tom Wolfe's racy new beer- and sex-soaked novel, "I Am Charlotte Simmons." The president, a fan of Mr. Wolfe, has not only read the book but also is enthusiastically recommending it to friends.

It is unclear exactly what Mr. Bush liked so much about the book, which is told from the point of view of Charlotte Simmons, a young woman from the God-fearing backwoods of North Carolina who is the first in her family to go to college. Charlotte, who is at first shocked by the booze and debauchery she encounters at Mr. Wolfe's Dupont University, modeled on Duke among others, eventually succumbs in a chapter-long deflowering scene at the hands of a drunken fraternity rat. Then she sinks into depression.

Mr. Bush, who was the hard-drinking, hard-partying president of Delta Kappa Epsilon, the jock fraternity at Yale, is also the father of two partying daughters, Jenna and Barbara. Jenna graduated last year from the University of Texas and Barbara from Yale, and on neither campus is the milieu of Charlotte Simmons entirely foreign.

more…
http://nytimes.com/2005/02/07/politics/07letter.html

[Sannum]

2. He can read?

[dflprincess]

6. Perhaps he listened to it on tape

or he's confused and he overheard the twins talking about their college days.

[PartyPooper]

9. Of course, Junior has the abridged "audio" version.

:eyes:

[VegasWolf]

3. Damn, and i thought that he was finally getting around to Leo's

book War and Peace.

[Psephos]

4. Charlotte Simmons is a good book n/t

[genieroze]

5. Where's "My Pet Goat"?

[Redneck Socialist]

7. If he's a fan of The Electric Koolaide Acid Test

that might explain a lot of his behavior.

[liveoaktx]

8. Guardian: Digested "I am Charlotte Simmons"

http://books.guardian.co.uk/digestedread/story/0,6550,1361627,00.html

Well, ah-ull be darned," said Charlotte's mother, "Fancy a hillbilly's daughter go-un to Dupont".
Charlotte grimaced at the way her mammy said ah-ull and go-un. She wished she would shut up. "I am Charlotte Simmons," she said to herself.

The cleverest girl ever to leave Sparta, North Carolina felt crippled inside. Her roommate was so posh.

******NO wonder Shrub relates.

[kskiska]

10. I don't believe he's read any of this stuff

If he can't be bothered to read a newspaper, how can he manage 20-30 pages of a book each day?

[RandomKoolzip]

11. Wolfe's a conservative.

Tommy Wolfe's one of the few "safe" novelists that conswervatives can
call their own. The dude's a major league asshat and a big time repub booster. That cute white tuxedo hides a black, black heart, jim.


Likely we won't be seeing David Foster Wallace or Phillip Roth on Bush's list any time soon.

[Gopens]

12. Sorry, I don't believe for a second that Bush read it

Have you seen the size of that thing? There's no way he has the attention span to slog through it. No way.

The White House is just saying he read it because the book has earned rave reviews in conservative circles. I haven't read it, but I gather poor Charlotte gets all debauched and then pays a big price for it. The right is big on retribution, you know.

[RandomKoolzip]

13. I dunno.....

I think we consistently misunderestimate Bush's intelligence.

[AuntiBush]

14. You know, he reminds me of

a guy I once knew whom was a major alcoholic and druggie. Up and down the ladder and in-between, he'd roam around promoting his AA pride and part-time religious banter. Mr. Holier-than-Thou would forget very quickly 'where he came from,' losing all compassion for others.

One day, we figure him out. If he couldn't have what he truly craved so he'd make sure other's would feel his guilt by preaching to them...

Now, his mind is eroded with anger, and self-righteousness as no one goes near him any longer - he's one mean, angry guy, but hey, he's sober now and better than you. He truly believes in himself, too and believes everyone owes him. It was the drugs and liquor that eroded his mind, and now everyone avoids him.

In the end, we learned he was ignored and mistreated by a dominate mother and father was never ever there.

[Conservativesux]

15. "Dominate mother and father was never ever there"? Sounds like *'s family.

Yikes, I am glad my mother wasnt Barbara * !

I almost feel sorry for *, almost.

[EFerrari]

16. Bush is reading Tom Wolfe and I'm doing brain surgery

Who BELIEVES this cr@p?

lol

[cire4]

17. Too bad he didn't discover the joy of reading sooner

If he did, maybe he would have actually taken a look at that August 2001 PDB.

[Liberty Belle]

18. White House Letter: Why Is Bush Reading Tom Wolfe? Don't Ask!

Feb. 7, 2005

WHITE HOUSE LETTER: WHY IS BUSH READING TOM WOLFE? DON’T ASK

If you ask the White House what President George W. Bush is reading these days, the press office will call back with the official list: "His Excellency: George Washington," by Joseph J. Ellis, "Alexander Hamilton" by Ron Chernow and, not least, the Bible.
.
What the official list omits is Tom Wolfe's racy new beer- and sex-soaked novel, "I Am Charlotte Simmons." The president, a Wolfe fan, has not only read the book but is enthusiastically recommending it to friends.
.
It is unclear exactly what Bush liked so much about the book, which is told from the point of view of a young woman from the God-fearing backwoods of North Carolina, Charlotte Simmons, the first in her family to go to college. Charlotte, who is at first shocked by the booze and debauchery she encounters at Wolfe's Dupont University, modeled on Duke among others, eventually succumbs in a chapter-long deflowering scene at the hands of a drunken fraternity rat. Then she sinks into depression.. . .
.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2005/02/06/news/letter.html

[Skittles]

all f***ing LIES

that bastard reads nothing more than maybe comic books

[Hatalles]

Are you sure Tom Wolfe is a repuke?

http://www.newsmeat.com/fec/bystate_detail.php?city=Evanston&st=IL&last=Wolfe

[RandomKoolzip]

There's more than one Tom Wolfe in the US.

The novelist doesn't live in Evanston.

[MarianJack]

If the Dumbass Actually Read It,...

...he's probably just being nostalgic for his drinkin' gangbang days. What an absolute PUTZ! :puke:

[imenja]

1. I'm relieved to learn he reads at all

[NVMojo]

19. ...as the chimp wanks off happily ever after ....

[RandomKoolzip]

20. Well, Wolfe's one of the few "safe" novelists that conswervatives can

call their own. The dude's a major league asshat and a big time repub booster. That cute white tuxedo hides a black, black heart, jim.

Likely we won't be seeing David Foster Wallace or Phillip Roth on Bush's list any time soon.

[OffWithTheirHeads]

21. Oh please,

that idiot can't grasp the plot of Dick and Jane. Run Spot run! See Dick run. See Dick Dick Condeleesa!

[kskiska]

22. DUPE

Same article, different source.