Barbara Bush: A Biography

The subject of this biography did not make herself available for interview--but ``her White House Press Office was of great help to me,'' assures Kilian ( What Was Watergate? ) innocently. Scores of Barbara Bush's friends--childhood companions, finishing-school chums, political colleagues--go on record here (unsurprisingly?) to express their loyalty and admiration. There are few warts, indeed, in the composite that emerges of a first lady who is often more popular than her husband. Much is made of Barbara Bush's symbolism as a wife and mother who puts home and family first; her articulation of traditional values; and her advocacy of reading. The well-known facts of the Bushes' affluent background, their wartime romance and their companionable rise through the political ranks are recounted in the personal anecdotes and reminiscences. The vicissitudes of family life--a child's early death; a son's involvement in a banking scandal; a daughter's divorce--are, by contrast, only lightly touched on. Photos not seen by PW. (June)