Fortunate Son

Blurb

Fortunate Son is a controversial biography of the former American president George W. Bush by J.H. Hatfield. The book was published in 1999 during the run-up to Bush's candidacy in the United States 2000 Presidential Election by St. Martin's Press, and retracted by the publisher.
The book alleges that Bush received preferential treatment throughout his life, from his early schooling at Andover, Yale and Harvard, to his business connections in Midland, Texas, and his personal ownership interest in the Texas Rangers baseball team, to his candidacy for Governor and President. Hatfield argues that Bush succeeded in life not on merit, but on family connections alone, as a member of a modern oligarchy.
Soon after the book's release, The Dallas Morning News reported that Hatfield was a paroled felon who had been convicted in 1988 of paying a hit man $5,000 to murder his former boss with a car bomb. It was also revealed that Hatfield pleaded guilty to embezzlement in 1992. Hatfield at first denied the allegations when his publisher confronted him, but he eventually owned up to his criminal history.
Bush stated, regarding Hatfield: