George W. Bush's new book of paintings of political prisoners will be out in March

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NEW YORK (AP) — Former President George W. Bush has a new book of oil paintings coming out in March that features portraits of political prisoners and dissidents.

The Penguin Random House imprint Crown announced Wednesday that “The Call of Freedom: Portraits of Political Prisoners and Dissidents” will be released March 9 and coincide with an exhibition of Bush's art at the George W. Bush Presidential Center in Dallas. The new book will include Bush's portraits of such symbols of oppression as the late Mahsa Amini, whose death in 2022 while in the custody of Iranian authorities led to nationwide protests, and the imprisoned Nicaraguan bishop Rolando José Álvarez Lagos.

“The Call of Freedom,” the third collection of Bush's art, will include 44 paintings and biographical sketches of each subject. Former Soviet Union dissident Natan Sharansky is contributing a foreword.

“This book, coupled with our work at the Bush Institute, is a chance for me to send a message that the United States cares deeply about people seeking freedom,” Bush writes in the book. “And hopefully these stories will remind us that we who live in liberty have a duty to stand with those who do not.”

The book champions human rights even as Bush's own record as president has led to frequent criticism, whether the CIA’s use of waterboarding or the abuse of Iraqis at the Abu Ghraib prison.

Bush took up painting after leaving office in 2009. His previous books include “Portraits of Courage: A Commander in Chief’s Tribute to America’s Warriors” and “Out of Many, One: Portraits of America’s Immigrants.”