In new book, Laura Bush writes of guilt, losing faith for many years after ‘63 fatal accident

Laura Bush discusses fatal crash in her new book

NEW YORK — Former U.S. first lady Laura Bush is going public about a car crash in Midland, Texas, that claimed the life of a high school friend when she was 17.

In her new book, “Spoken from the Heart,” she describes being wracked by guilt and losing her faith for many years after she ran a stop sign and slammed into another car in 1963.

The book is scheduled to be released in May. The New York Times says it obtained a copy at a bookstore.

Bush bristles at criticism thrown at her husband, former President George W. Bush. She says his New Orleans flyover after Hurricane Katrina was in the best interest of victims and aid workers.

She criticizes Democrats for calling her husband “an incompetent leader” and a “loser.” She says that was “uncalled for.”

Information from: The New York Times, www.nytimes.com