A piece of American history: The life of one president, viewed through the eyes of another. Both were presidents of the USA: George H.W. Bush and his son George W. Bush. Just before the presidential elections next year, George W. Bush has written about his father: an intimate, sincere, and enlightening exploration of his own roots. The life of George Herbert Walker Bush is a remarkable American story. Due to the attack on Pearl Harbor and against his father's wishes, he postponed his college enrollment and instead flew torpedo bombers in World War II. After surviving numerous combat missions in the Pacific, he returned home to marry Barbara Pierce - a woman who would profoundly influence both her husband and her son over the following decades.