Praise & Reviews
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Praise for Family of Secrets
“Shocking in its disclosures, elegantly crafted, and faultlessly measured in its judgments, Family of Secrets is nothing less than a first historic portrait in full of the Bush dynasty and the era it shaped. From revelation to revelation, insight to insight-from the Kennedy assassination to Watergate to the oil and financial intrigues that lie behind today’s headlines-this is a sweeping drama of money and power, unseen forces, and the emblematic triumph of a lineage that sowed national tragedy. Russ Baker’s Family of Secrets is sure to take its place as one of the most startling and influential works of American history and journalism.”
–Roger Morris, author of Richard Milhous Nixon: The Rise of an American Politician and Partners in Power: The Clintons and Their America
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Praise for Russ Baker
“In an era dominated by corporate journalism and an ideological right-wing media, Russ Baker’s work stands out for its fierce independence, fact-based reporting, and concern for what matters most to our democracy…A lot of us look to Russ to tell us what we didn’t know.”
–Bill Moyers, author and host, Bill Moyers’ Journal (PBS)
“If Russ Baker’s proposed book does nothing more than catalog, analyze, amplify, and contextualize the bewildering array of Bush II crimes and misdemeanors that we already know about, it will perform a needed and valuable service. I ‘m betting that it will show us a good deal more than that-that what we’ve seen so far is smoke, and that Baker will expose the fire.”
–Hendrik Hertzberg, senior editor, the New Yorker
“Russ Baker has the three most important attributes of any great investigative reporter: He is skeptical, he is fearless, and he is indefatigable. Whenever he examines anything-including the most allegedly wellcovered topics-he breaks important new ground.”
–David Margolick, author and contributing editor, Vanity Fair
“This is the right moment for just such a project, I think. The country is waking up asking itself who is this Bush guy and how did he do this number on us. It seems to me that we need a book that narrates what happened and how. As to Russ Baker, he doesn’t need me to say that he is not only among the best at his craft but also a man of rock-solid integrity. I look forward to reading this book.”
–Nicholas von Hoffman, author, columnist, and former Washington Post journalist
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By Skip Robbins, January 6, 2009 @ 2:22 pm
This is fantastic. One of the suspects in the Kennedy assination was the “oil” barrons and this is exactly where “Bush” lived. This group scattered flyers around Dallas stating that “Kennedy” was “WANTED FOR TREASON” and I am one of thoes that have always believed the assination conspiracy came from within this country. The more evidence and information indicates just that. I have now confirmed my own suspicion that the “CIA” and the powerful Republicans were behind the assination. This power and influence stretches into every corner of or government. Let us not foreget Grandpa Bush and the sale of steel to a very “DARK” GROUP OF PEOPLE, namely the Nazi’s during WWII and President Rosevelt stepped in to stop him. This family has been opposed to the America we all knew and loved until their influence strangled the true foundations of this country.
By Skip Markley, March 30, 2009 @ 6:55 am
Doesn’t live up to its hype or its promise on the book jacket.
Here’s the theme of the book… “the Bush family is all about the Bush family.”
Is that some major news flash or breakthrough?
Furthermore, when he starts citing Michael Moore as a credible source, that’s when I decided just to write the book off as
just another Liberal rant.
By Beth Hunter, April 3, 2009 @ 10:08 pm
This is the most important book I’ve read in years, and this is coming from someone who reads a ton of nonfiction on a wide range of political and nonpolitical topics. I knew we were living in the Matrix, but your revelations, Russ, on “Poppy’s” involvement in the Kennedy assassination, the Nixon ouster, the whole Cuba thing, his hidden and major role in the CIA, his vast web of fascinating connections, and just overall, his fake public “record” of his past and who he actually is, really just blows the lid on everything. I knew the JFK assassination was an inside CIA job,but wow; you completely outdid yourself. Skip Markley, by the way, probably doesn’t exist at all, but is just one of a vast web of sock puppets paid to troll blogs to act as a faux counterweight. They give themselves away too easily, though, by avoiding any substantive fact and just throwing out what they think will scare away potential readers of your book, like “Michael Moore.” Oooh, scary. Don’t forget, faux Skip, that no one ever sued Michael Moore for libel. Oops, sorry, that’s a substantive fact. My bad.
By Hanneke Krynen, April 14, 2009 @ 8:55 am
As a regular listener to Alex Jones via the internet (I am in Australia) I was fascinated listening to your interview/discussion about your book. Intrigued. Tried to order on line via Amazon but something went wrong, got a message that they don’t send to Australia. Will look into it again later in the week because I really want to have a copy of the book.
You are a courageous man and want to say: keep up the great work but please: stay Safe!!
Kindest Regards
Hanneke ~ Australia
By dirk, April 23, 2009 @ 12:45 pm
Great book Russ!But remember there all brothers under the skin.(rebublicans/Democrats)I listen to your interview on Alex Jones and Dr Stans.Great interview.We are a Republic not a Democracy though.I thought you would have wrote more about Henry Kissinger in the book?
By Alloy, June 6, 2009 @ 12:50 pm
Thanks for your trackback.. nice site.
By Mark Krone, June 16, 2009 @ 10:34 am
To Skip Markley–
If you think the book has no revelations, than you have NOT read it. Nice try, though.
By Damien Aragon, September 6, 2009 @ 11:44 am
Is Russ Baker a supporter of Obama? Have read first three chapters. The book is not that great so far. The last reference to Obama, p. 476, (yes I skipped around a little) give the appearance of the press investigating Obama and not the Bushes or other conservatives.
I hope I did not waste my money on a book about hating conservatives. I was hoping that the book will shed light on the fact that our government is corrupt no matter which party is in power.
I’m going to try and keep an open mind, but when Russ just blames President Bush for the housing bubble well let’s just say I can already see some leftist leanings in the book.
By 6715 Dartmouth, September 15, 2009 @ 9:12 pm
Thers is so much here; I will focus on only one item. Another book would be needed to adequately praise the details of this monumental effort.
It is about time somebody has chronicled the activities of Bush Sr. His functioning behind the scenes has ALWAYS needed scrutiny. Baker’s professional approach(he focuses on facts and connects the dots) does not get into the fact that there is exists a picture of someone who looks remarkably like Bush just outside the Texas School Book depository after the JFK assassination. Bush denies being in Dallas then but Baker has demolished that lie, even reporting what Hotel he stayed in! SO,what was Bush doing there??
This is just one of hundreds of revelations, adnd his book is requred reading for anybody who wants to learn how the government REALLY works.
By Utah Dentist, October 23, 2009 @ 6:44 am
I’m currently reading the book and haven’t seen anything yet that would surprise me. I’m already wondering whether it was worth the purchase. I’ll keep on reading and hopefully get something out of it.
By College Student, November 8, 2009 @ 10:39 pm
Poorly researched, full of outrageous conspiracy theories and half truths. Its a good read for a laugh, but it doesn’t have any substance. The author of this book tries to Bush to the Kennedy assasination, which is bizarre. How would Bush have benefited from that in any way, it just caused another liberal Democrat, Johnson, to become president. The book is also full of factual inaccuracies. He claims George W. Bush got a girlfriend of his an abortion without providing any evidence. He also rehashes Dan Rather’s discredited claims that Bush dodged the draft. Even if Bush did dodge the draft, I don’t see why it matters, we’ve had other draft dodger in the White House, including Clinton. If I were rating this book I would give it 0 stars.
By Bender, December 17, 2009 @ 12:48 am
I have to agree with what a couple of reviewers have observed: when it’s not sorting facts that have been researched by others, Family of Secrets becomes a miasma of conjecture, innuendo, and smear. Not that it isn’t chock full of interesting facts, and even a couple of truly perplexing facts that Shafer has rediscovered by himself (e.g. Poppy’s fingering call after the JFK assassination), but the overall picture is nebulous and, at times, lurid. In short, while this book accuses no one of anything in particular, it implicates everyone in something - all behind the disingenous cover of just “asking questions.” (I had to laugh when Baker told the interviewer on Greater Boston that he had no agenda in writing this book. Family of Secrets smolders with agenda.) To take but one sample of the sort of “reasoning” that you’ll find in Family: Baker wants us to believe that Prescot Bush had something very significant - Baker doesn’t know precisely what, of course - to do with JFK’s murder. Why? Because, among other things, Prescott was outraged that JFK fired Allen Dulles, Prescott’s old “chum”, from the CIA. How absurd! As if Prescott really gave a damn about his rival Dulles. Chances are that he was delighted to see Dulles fall. But even if P. had been slightly miffed about this, would it have prompted him to reach out a helping hand to those - whoever they were - who (supposedly) took out a contract on JFK’s life? Perhaps Baker will counter that a less compromising relationship is possible: Prescott and Poppy Bush might have known something about a plot, and then just stepped aside. OK. But this places them on the periphery of the action, which amounts to downgrading them from the status of “dark knights of the underworld,” which is how the book aspires to portray them. In sum, if you’re a “deep politics”-cum-factoids kind of person, this book is for you (and of course I’m just a CIA plant). But if you’d like to read a book that’s rationally cohesive, I’d skip this verbose rag.
By Jon, December 28, 2009 @ 5:48 am
Unbelievable!! Documentated facts showing Bush Sr. Was Close friends with a person who was close friends with Lee harvy Oswald. This friend, George de Mohrenschildt, had another friend that owned the book depository building that Oswald shot JFK out of. There is ALOT of information in this book along with many footnotes. This is a great book.
On a side note, one thing that’s not mentioned but alway amazed me was when Cheney shot his friend in the face while hunting. His friend went on national TV and appoligized for Cheney shooting him in the face. I thought to myself “why would you appoligize to someone for shooting you in the face?” I found it telling that after Gary Tredou, the author of dunsbury offered $10,000 to anyone if they could offer proof that George W. Bush completed his Air National Guard training. And even after Media matters offered $50,000 you would think a private eye or detective would have found some sort of proof, but no came forward to claim the prize.
By Tony, January 6, 2010 @ 10:03 pm
I thoroughly enjoyed the book and was fascinated by the ties between George Herbert Walker Bush, the Kennedy assassination, and Watergate. While I know the Bush family is very powerful, I had no idea just how powerful it is.
Just as with the National Guard problem, W’s handlers turned his undisclosed driving under the influence conviction against those who revealed it, claiming it was a below-the-belt attempt to influence the election at the last minute. The fact that W, a presidential candidate, had suffered a misdemeanor conviction and had not disclosed it seemed to get lost in the shuffle.
One factual error I caught concerns Scooter Libby. W. commuted his jail sentence but refused to pardon him. I understand Cheney was furious with W about it.
By Frank, January 16, 2010 @ 10:49 am
I was truly disappointed in the book for a few reasons. I was looking for an objective and factual view of the Bush presidencies. Clearly this was not an objective intrepration of their lives, their terms or their families.
How objective can a writer be if you question a person’s war heroism based on flimsy evidence, re: getting shot down in a fighter jet in WWII? Ostensibly this was done to question his moral character and courage. Have you ever been in a combat situation where losing your life was imminent and your courage was questioned with this flimsy amount of evidence? This did not belong in your book. The tone for the book was now set. You let the reader know early in the book that you don’t care for Poppy then you continued to bash him throughout. It’s tough to believe the many facts you point out after the reader is aware of you purpose in writing the book.
Later in the book you make ostensibly seemingless allegtions about drug use by Laura Bush. What does this have to do with the supposed message you are trying to send about Poppy and W? It doesn’t belong there.
I wanted to hear anout the ties to the CIA, oil and persons in general presented in a factual, objective manner citing hard evidence. Instead, it seems you used this book to pursue a personal agenda, one I did not want to hear about. When you attacked these people, as indicated above, your book sent a clear message that you were there to hurt rather than inform.
Since I purchased this book looking for a non-fiction account of these people I feel I was duped. I paid $30 for this book and I would like to know what your refund policy is.
(I also think your editor should have pointed out that ostensibly was used too often in the book. Perhaps seemingly, apparently, evidently)
By Jim Stefanchik, January 20, 2010 @ 10:09 am
It takes a keen mind to compare and contrast the vastness of lies of comission and omission and it appears that Russ Baker has one. Attempting to ascertain how things work and how things appear to work is a daunting challenge which takes courage and an open mind of which Baker seems to possess. To cop a phrase “The truth is out there” and Baker shines a light on it.
By payday loans, January 24, 2010 @ 9:46 pm
The author of http://www.familyofsecrets.com has written an excellent article. You have made your point and there is not much to argue about. It is like the following universal truth that you can not argue with: The probability you will irrepairably stick your foot in your mouth is directly proportional to the attractiveness of the person you are trying to impress. Thanks for the info.
By Dan Santopole, February 8, 2010 @ 10:49 pm
I applaud you for this book. It is about time the truth is out. It is sad that not everyone will read it but they do not want to know. Keep up the great work.
By insanity, March 9, 2010 @ 10:02 pm
I must say that overall I am really impressed with this blog.It is easy to see that you are passionate about your writing. If only I had your writing ability I look forward to more updates and will be returning.
By Sally, June 18, 2010 @ 9:23 pm
So many coincidences in this book; so many connections. In degrees of separation, these Bushes operate at one degree or two. Do many people out there have a good friend who befriended Lee Harvey Oswald, for example, as an earlier writer pointed out?
By Cookermex, July 25, 2010 @ 3:03 am
Great book! The Bush-Saudi connection explains a lot about the backgrounds of some recent events. Wish there was some mention of the shooting of Reagan in 1981 and the connection between the lone-nut ‘Foster-fan’ gunman and the Bushes. Also missing: the Bush COG-trick; the ousting of Alex Haig; Ollie North and the REX84 (pre-FEMA) project.