there's a great story i tell in the book when he's in kennebunkport and he's asked by reporters what he's doing on vacation in kennebunkport, and he said, i'm going to do some tennis, some golf, some motor boating, some running, some -- some horseshoes. and i'll do a little reading. reading wasn't his top priority either. >> over the years when you looked back at the books that had an impact on a president, what did you find? and the impact on us is people. >> that's my inspiration of writing this book. i was curious if it had an impact. one of the most famous stories is this -- michael harrington wrote about poverty in west virginia. kennedy is supposed to have read that book and it led to the war on poverty. not quite that simple. it didn't happen quite that way. he read a book review by dwight mcdonald in the "new yorker" and that inspires kennedy to tell walter heller who is the chairman of the council of economic advisors to go look to policies that can be used to alleviate poverty. kennedy died in 1963. he said that's not my program. he pursued it as president. >> were there ye

not to give names in the book a onetime georgia and i were sitting on the deck of the house in kennebunkport we have about it is a little rubber boat the children are allowed to use than george loves it when he sees the girls and a boy raised rushing in all but one of the suns with a house-passed was racing around the point we were sitting on the deck having lunch and george said it was ian and his wife june he said fed is the biggest treat it in my life to see those children it is so wonderful. then the boat stopped in george said i may have to go rescue them because he was dying to go out in his book -- in his boat but he got out the binoculars for a grandson got up in urinated over the side. [laughter] and the boat took off again. [laughter] i don't think the little kid ever knew but we had him under our binoculars. [laughter] >> the last book that i read was said to be called by m madam max which is about that john singer sargent painting i thought it was beautiful but by the time i got to the book i did not think it was so beautiful i really didn't i thought the arm looked weird. but i

at our first congregational church in kennebunkport they prayed for her on the sunday after her deathlady wrote that she knew the pain we were suffering. you see my husband died last year. [laughter] that made george very nervous. [laughter] the barbara bush foundation for family literacy got a 500-dollar contribution in memory of millie. it was really sweet. people wrote letters about their dogs death, sent pictures of their dogs or cats either living or dead. millie would not have liked the latter one. my good friend mildred kerr after whom we named -- after millie was named head reporters called to interview her in georgia's george's chief of staff jane becker was interviewed by "people" magazine. both lady said the interviewers said they knew mably had written a book and she had given her proceeds to chair the but they wanted to know the personal side of millie, what she had done lately. millie was a dog. thank god for a sense of humor. however the most important thing i was reminded of is that i am the luckiest woman in the world. i have a husband whom i adore, children that brin