Book Description

In the early 1960s, Richard Avedon was commissioned by Harper's Bazaar to create Observations, a column that consisted of a series of nine photographic essays. The subject of the first essay was John F. Kennedy and his young family, who sat for formal black-and-white portraits just three weeks prior to Kennedy's presidential inauguration. Six images appeared in the magazine's February 1961 issue.

Customer Reviews (4)

Kinda boring
If you're a photography lover like i am then you appreciate great coffee table books.This one just didn't do it for me.For anyone who finds the Kennedy's interesting this is a decent book with average pictures.I wish that i could recommend a different book to look at but this is the only one that i have.Look around, i'm sure there are better out there.

photos of the Kennedys
Not inpressed and was disappointed in the book. It's good if you want a record of the Kennedys. I found the photos too stiff and lacking in feeling. They left me cold. Avedon could have done better this was handled too much like a fashion shoot.

Kennedy Book
I have read nearly every JFK-Jackie book ever printed.This one was beautiful.I especially loved the baby photos of John and Caroline.

The J.F.K. Family before the the White House
Another book on the Kennedy's but with a difference.This is just a family having there photographs taken.You will see J.F.K.'s lack of relaxing and the easy style of Jackie along with the children.An enjoyable look at the Family.A.T.K. ... Read more

Book Description
President Kennedy is the compelling, dramatic history of JFK's thousand days in office. It illuminates the presidential center of power by providing an indepth look at the day-by-day decisions and dilemmas of the thirty-fifth president as he faced everything from the threat of nuclear war abroad to racial unrest at home.

... Read more

Customer Reviews (28)

highly recommended
As the leading civilian authority on the U.S. Secret Service (and President Kennedy's interaction with the agency), I was much interested in this book by Richard Reeves. I am a big fan of Mr. Reeves---in addition to a great book on Richard Nixon, he is a great writer and speaker. You can't go wrong in purchasing this fine book. vince palamara

Jackie gave this book to her children
Jackie Kennedy is said to have given copies of this book to her children with the advice, "If you want to know your father, he is in this book." Reeves was said to be surprised at her endorsement and commented. "I wasn't terribly flattering to Jackie in the book."
Well worth the read.

A very honest and informative account on President Kennedy
After reading this book, I feel that I come out understanding the Kennedy presidency in better terms. While Sorenson and Schlesinger wrote impeccable accounts on the admininstration, they are somewhat distorted, and make Kennedy out to be a hero. This well-written and higly researched account, I feel to be the definintive account of the administration. It shows the flaws of President Kennedy, and the true personality of the man in the White House, his battle with Addison's disease. Kennedy was a very inexperienced leader at the beginning of his presidency, and I don't feel that it really dawned on him until the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis.

This detailed account covers his meetings with Premier Krushchev, how he dealt with South Vietnam, and the apparent sickness that came upon him after learning of the death of Ngo Din Diem. You also see that Kennedy was very much a womanizer, almost to the point of obsession it seems. This book deserves much attention, and for anybody who has never read about President Kennedy, an excellent start.

Engaging Perspective on JFK's Presidency
This book is a well-written chronological account of Kennedy's presidency. Minimized is the personal gossip and inuendo while highlighted is the decision-making style of JFK and his entourage as events unfold.You get a sense of what it's like being thrust into the vortex of events for which no president is totally prepared.The writer attempts to reveal President Kennedy as both more and less than the Camelot charisma would have you believe.Thoroughly enjoyable and informative must-read addition.

Revealing insight into presidential decision taking
President Kennedy did not have the easiest presidency imaginable: big issues abroad including Cuba, Vietnam, Berlin, the nuclear arms race and test ban treaties with Russia and the highly contradictory issue of integration at home were all begging for his attention and often at the same time. This biography gives a good insight into the way decisions were taken and that there is a lot of on-the-job learning involved. It is in a sense shocking to read that the way a superpower is run is not that much different from the way an average manager runs his group of a few people.

I found it slightly disappointing that this biography deals exclusively with the presidency of Kennedy, not his formative years as a student, a soldier and a senator. But all in all a revealing insight into the presidency of a man who, after his assassination, become a posthumous hero. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Story gems that capture the foibles and follies of humans.
I consider Richard Kennedy one of the best short story writers - bar none. Oliver Hyde's Dishrag concert is the consumate tale of the separation that can come from loss of contact with others. Come again in Spring a clever tale of outtalking death. Crazy in Love is about the joy in finding someone to share your life.Mouse God- well I love to imagine the cat dressed in his mouse fur coat.Best of all is The Porcelain Man- about finding love in people not in fantasy.When my brother was blind and ill- I would read him these stories and they never failed to touch him- make him laugh (from picturing Ben Grizzard flying through the air)and help him accept the inevitable. It seems to me that Kennedy is really in touch with the joys and pains of being human and it comes through in these perfect tales.

Well written stories and well performed!
This audiotape of Richard Kennedy's wonderful stories is magnificent. The storyteller reads them with flair, and is very true to the author's intentions. The tape is engaging, fun, and the storytelling quality of the author is at its best when listened to as stories. Kennedy is one of our best authors for children. Of course, I know of many adults who enjoy them even more! I like to compare Richard Kennedy with Hans Christian Andersen. Kennedy's stories have a fairy tale quality to them, and the personae's voices are strong, clear, and personable. This is excellent stuff! One should both read and listen to these stories! ... Read more

Amazon.com
This intriguing book brings a fresh perspective to bear on the intimate, charged partnership of John and Robert Kennedy. The author, Richard D. Mahoney, whose father was a friend of Bobby's and an appointee of Jack's, has both the academic and political experience necessary to evaluate evidence of the Kennedys' relations with the Mafia, anti-Castro rebels, and other groups lurking in the shadows of American life. He also has a sharp eye for the brothers' differing yet complementary personalities. Jack was intellectual and cheerfully cynical, with a zest for pleasure increased by a life-threatening illness concealed from the public. He looked to passionate, partisan Bobby for bulldog-like political support and used his brother as a "moral compass" when planning his administration's actions on civil rights, the corruption of organized labor, and the containment of Communism. Their powerful father, Joseph--whose deep pockets basically bought Jack the presidency and at the same time compromised it because of Joseph's links to organized crime--looms over the brothers as the author of a Faustian bargain that may well have played a role in JFK's assassination. Mahoney's vivid, compulsively readable text offers suggestive questions rather than definitive answers, but it certainly succeeds as a bracing corrective to "America's inability to see its history as tragedy," a failure Jack and Bobby emphatically did not share. --Wendy Smith Book Description
This intriguing book brings a fresh perspective to bear on the intimate, charged partnership of John and Robert Kennedy. The author, Richard D. Mahoney, whose father was a friend of Bobby's and an appointee of Jack's, has both the academic and political experience necessary to evaluate evidence of the Kennedys' relations with the Mafia, anti-Castro rebels, and other groups lurking in the shadows of American life. He also has a sharp eye for the brothers' differing yet complementary personalities. Jack was intellectual and cheerfully cynical, with a zest for pleasure increased by a life-threatening illness concealed from the public. He looked to passionate, partisan Bobby for bulldog-like political support and used his brother as a "moral compass" when planning his administration's actions on civil rights, the corruption of organized labor, and the containment of Communism. Their powerful father, Joseph--whose deep pockets basically bought Jack the presidency and at the same time compromised it because of Joseph's links to organized crime--looms over the brothers as the author of a Faustian bargain that may well have played a role in JFK's assassination. Mahoney's vivid, compulsively readable text offers suggestive questions rather than definitive answers, but it certainly succeeds as a bracing corrective to "America's inability to see its history as tragedy," a failure Jack and Bobby emphatically did not share. --Wendy Smith ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A fine prose aside from conspiracy hints
Sons and Brothers was a well written biography of the dynamic duo that occupied the White House in the sixties.Aside from brief, and not well provin conspiracy theories, it gave an excellent glimpse into the Kennedy brothers and their politics.I recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in the JFK and RFK. ... Read more

Book Description
Richard Tofel tells the full story of JFK's inaugural address. He draws on original research materials in the Kennedy Library and elsewhere around the country, as well as exclusive interviews. Unlike earlier treatments of the subject, these include extensive and candid conversations with Theodore Sorensen, Kennedy's aide and chief speechwriter, who has never before discussed in detail how the speech came to be written. In the tradition of Lincoln at Gettysburg, Sounding the Trumpet thus reveals many unknown details about this landmark speech. Includes DVD of speech. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A treat for all communicators
Mr. Tofel provides an enjoyable and sympathetic account of how President-elect Kennedy managed the production of this rhetorical bombshell.

Like most presidential speeches, Kennedy's inaugural was a group effort, drawing upon the words and ideas of many gifted people. Tofel does an excellent job of pulling the speech apart, and showing the influence on particular passages of Kennedy's contributors and advisors, and of historical works such as Shakespeare and the Bible.

Lawyers and other communicators will be inspired by Kennedy's ability to fuse all these sources into one of the most invigorating of all Presidential inaugurals.
... Read more

Amazon.com
There are few composers whose critical stock has roller-coastered as dramatically as that of Richard Strauss, both during his lifetime and in the five decades since his death in 1949. Once considered a dangerous firebrand of the avant-garde--his early masterpiece Salome was given the equivalent of an X rating--Strauss remained an exceedingly prolific composer throughout his long career, yet lived to be "written off as an extinct volcano." The painful story of his involvement with the Third Reich further cast a pall over his final years. But in the past two decades, a gradual reassessment has been underway--along with a recuperation of his neglected later works--and the field is ripe for a critically insightful overview of Strauss's achievement.

Such is the goal of Michael Kennedy, a longtime advocate of Strauss, in his new biography, Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma. Kennedy, the Sunday Telegraph's music critic and author of several other musical biographies--including an earlier study of the composer as well as illuminating articles and CD booklets on his music--here undertakes to penetrate the contradictions and see the man whole. Through his impressive access to diaries, letters, and living relatives, he posits an underlying consistency of attitude that made "art the reality in [Strauss's] life." The central enigma about the composer that fascinates Kennedy is the "disparity between man and musician," the paradox that this fundamentally aloof and reserved person, dedicated to bourgeois stability, could produce music of such overpowering passion.

While steering clear of Freudian reductionism, Kennedy reveals the crucial significance of Strauss's mother's nervous instability--she was eventually committed to various sanatoriums--and the centrality of the work ethic inherited from his father. The result was to make music "Strauss's means of escape ... and in much of his music he wore a mask." Yet for all his aloofness, Strauss "let [the mask] slip"--another aspect of the enigma surrounding him--in such compositions as Don Quixote ("the most profound" of his orchestral works) or the pervasively autobiographical Sinfonia Domestica, Intermezzo, and Capriccio, which Kennedy counts as Strauss's greatest achievement for the lyrical stage.

Kennedy is particularly persuasive in his high estimation of the post-Rosenkavalier output and the undiminished quest for artistic innovation that they continued to exemplify--above all in Strauss's development of a fluently conversational style in his operas. Although commentary on individual works involves generally concise summations, many observations sparkle with insight, and Kennedy continually sheds light on neglected gems among Strauss's output. The rapport with Hofmannsthal and his other librettists is admirably clarified, and the remarkably well-read Strauss emerges as a more imposingly intellectual figure, steeped in literature and philosophy, than he is usually depicted. We learn of his obsession with the card game skat and of his disdainful attitude toward the new medium of film. Kennedy similarly demystifies much of the received opinion that has developed around the composer, particularly in his level-headed portrait of his wife, Pauline. The fundamental happiness of their lifelong relationship emerges as a context indispensable to Strauss's creative focus.

Kennedy devotes a significant portion of the book to the composer's position as president of the Reich Music Chamber and subsequent fall from grace both with the Nazis and in world opinion. Here the author aims to offer perspective by carefully detailing the facts and documentary evidence from the time. In his view, Strauss becomes a "tragic figure, symbolising the struggle to preserve beauty and style in Western European culture" against emerging barbarism. Yet, as throughout the book, Kennedy's abiding sympathy with Strauss at times veers close to a kind of special pleading that invites skepticism. For all that, his style is admirably lucid, and his biography largely succeeds in pointing to a greatness that "has not yet been fully understood and discovered." --Thomas May Book Description
Was Richard Strauss the most incandescent composer of the twentieth century or merely a bourgeoisie artist and Nazi sympathizer?For the fifty years since his death on September 8, 1949, Richard Strauss has remained dogmatically elusive in the wider body of musical and historical criticism.Lauded as nothing less than the "greatest musical figure" of his time by Canadian musician, Glenn Gould, in 1962, Strauss also has attracted his share of posthumous epithets: in summary, an artist who lived off his own fat during his later years.As recently as 1995, the English critic Rodney Milnes wrote, "the court of posterity is still reserving judgment." In Richard Strauss: Man, Musician, Enigma, biographer Michael Kennedy demonstrates that the many varying shades of criticism that have painted this figure in the past half century resemble the similar understandings and misunderstandings held by his contemporaries--perceptions that touched almost every aspect of Strauss' life and career. Introducing his detailed work more as a broad explication than a firm answer to the Straussian riddle, Kennedy's scope includes the exuberant, extroverted Strauss of young adulthood as well as the phlegmatic and aloof middle-aged man who resembled a "prosperous bank manager;" the arch-fiend of modernism and the composer who redefined the term; a man who professed to lack all spiritual curiosity and a musician who penned the touching ballet Der Kometentanz; an at times almost humble family man and an artist who claimed to be as interesting as Napoleon and Alexander the Great.Kennedy clearly elucidates his enigmatic subject by building his analysis around the few constants in Strauss' life: his profound admiration for German culture, his dependence on his own family for guidance, and his "Nietzschean total absorption in art."This frame offers everyone from Straussian scholars to general readers an insightful and easy-to-follow biographical narrative. Kennedy also deals at length with Strauss' problematic relationship with Nazi authorities, detailing his incompatible roles as the father-in-law of a Jewish woman and as one of the country's leading composers. Michael Kennedy is the chief music critic of the (London) Sunday Telegraph and the author of many books about music. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

An eye and ear opener - why did it take this long?
I have grown up reading Michael Kennedy's biographies of such great English composers as Vaughan-Williams and Edward Elgar. So I eagerly picked-up his latest biography of Richard Strauss partly because of what I deemed to be Kennedy's objective approach to his subjects, and also because Strauss seemed to be a deeply held secret not meant to be shared with us ordinary listeners (in other words, there wasn't much else available).

Kennedy seems to have slightly more passion for Strauss it turns out than for RVW or Elgar, or at least enough moxy to blow the cover off some well established sacred cows. I know that I was not expecting to read exactly what I read.

If you are even vaguely interested in the music of Strauss or even if you are simply intereted in the history of Germany from 1900 to 1950, then this is a very interesting read.

Very well done!

The best compact introduction to Richard Strauss
Studies of Richard Strauss have a tendency to hover between enthusiasm and mealy-mouthed criticism. Or else they are so voluminous (multiple volumes) that only the most serious scholar or eager enthusiast can imagine plowing through them.Michael Kennedy's volume has two great strengths that place it at the top of the class when it comes to finding a good introduction to Strauss: It is compact, yet invitingly enthusiastic. Kennedy has the knack of highlighting precisely the unique strengths of each different work. Perhaps this is not so rare when he speaks of the leading masterpieces that others praise as well. But it is his special gift that he makes the reader want to listen to those works that have not been blessed with extreme popularity. All of them offer something that sounds interesting and inviting to the music-lover.Not only is it a superb guide to Richard Strauss; I think this book is a veritable model for the way that the non-technical music lover should be introduced to an important composer. ... Read more

Book Description
At thirty-four, better known for his social life than his work as an assistant district attorney, John F. Kennedy, Jr., was still a man in search of his destiny. All that changed in 1995, when Kennedy launched a bold new magazine about American politics, puckishly called George. Over the next four years, Kennedys passionate commitment to the magazineand to the ideals it stood fortransformed him.One witness to this transformation was Richard Blow, an editor and writer who joined George several months before the release of its first issue. During their four years together, Blow observed his boss rise to enormous challengesstarting a risky new business, managing the pressures that attend a high public profile, and beginning life as a married man. With Blow as our surrogate, we see the many sides of Kennedys personality: the rebel who fearlessly takes on politicians and pundits; the gentleman who sends gracious thank-you notes to his colleagues for their wedding gifts; the vulnerable son occasionally at odds with a mythic family legacy; the leader who stays true to his vision, no matter how difficult the circumstances.Simply and sympathetically, Blow offers an affecting portrait of a complicated man at last coming into his ownsometimes gracefully, sometimes under siege, but never without the burden of great expectations. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (65)

While interesting is seemingly irrelevant
Richard Blow is a former coworker of Joh F. Kennedy Jr.who seems to be attempting to make a couple of bucks off of a respected celebrity who has passed on with this book.While Richard obviously knew John, after reading this book it is apparent that he barely knew him outside of work.Judging by the cover and name of this book one would suspect that it is about JFK Jr.In reality this book is about George magazine and Richard's experience working there, with tales of dinner with John placed randomly about.If you are looking for a book that will give you an idea of what type of person JFK Jr. was, I would recommend "The Men We Became" by Robert Littel.He was John's best friend and knows far more about John than nearly anyone else ever did.

Better than most
After reading the sleeper by Robert Littell"The Men We Became", this book wins hands down. First "Littell" criticized "Blow", because he (Blow) signed a confidentiality clause when he signed on for George Magazine. First Littell was a friend of JFK Jr.'s, and he NEVER should have written about him.(He should have had his GOOD friends sign waivers too I guess)As I stated in my review of his book, his REAL friends would never write about his personal life and I do not think that John every alluded to him (Littell) that he wanted him to write about him, he threw that line in to cover himself. However, Mr. Littell is the reason I read the book by Mr. Blow.He trashed his book, so I had to read it. This book I bought, the book by Littell I borrowed. Richard Blow does not hold himself up to be John's best friend, but rather a friendship developed through work.( He was not one of the people invited to the wedding, but certain relatives were not invited because of the small place where it was held.) Mr. Blow does not delve to much into the private life of John, or his marriage to Carolyn Bessette. What is written about Carolyn and John's marriage to her, I think were positives in the book. He painted Carolyn as a nice woman, taken off guard by the complete fasination of her. She seemed to be a helpmate in the beginning of the magazine, but is not portrayed as an overbearing instigator,( again Littell makes her out to be a shrew, weeding out friends, calling people freaks etc..) nor does she come off as cold and indifferent again, the way I felt that Mr. Littell had portrayed her. He showed that the world of journalism is a tough nut for anyone to crack, even with the Kennedy name behind it.After awhile it seemed that even the staff of George were coming to terms with their "celebrity boss". Would the magazine went on if John had lived? No one can ever answer that....but all that were involved really tried to make it work, everyone, not just JFK...

An Unpretentious, Sympathetic Examination Of JFK, Jr.
This book was a non-exploitive story of JFK's last few years in relation to his "George" efforts and peripheral personal and professional life. There are no shocking revelations or cutting evaluations, just an honest presentation of an interesting piece of that young man's life. Be forewarned, however (and the reason I rated this as 3 stars instead of 4): there is not one single photo within, and I believe this is a serious oversight in any biography.

Who's this book about?
Is this book about JFK, Jr. or is it about Richard Blow?After reading this book, it appeared to me that the author just wanted to make sure that in remembering JFK, Jr., that we all remembered that Blow worked with JFK, Jr. It's sad that someone like Blow, who is obviously talented in his own right, would decide to cash in so openly on his association with Kennedy.

the best JFK Jr. book
I'm sure all the controversy helped sales of this book, but it definitely gave me a misleading impresson of both the book and its author. I didn't read American Son for a while after it came out because I was turned off by the controversy. But eventually I broke down and bought it and I'm glad I did. In retrospect, some of the people who trashed the book didn't even seem like they'd read it, but were just reacting to the hype about it, or had some personal ax to grind. (You can definitely tell that some of the reviews on Amazon were written by people with a hidden agenda.) Anyway, American Son is well-written and easy to read, and feels a lot more honest than most of the Kennedy books out there. You really get a sense of what JFK Jr. was like-funny, warm, likeable, but surpringly vulnerable and unsure about his future. Also, I enjoyed reading about what it was like to work at George magazine. I was a charter subscriber, and I always thought it was an underrated magazine. So the book's not just about JFK Jr., but about the magazine business, politics, and New York in the 1990s. I've read all the books about John Jr., and this is definitely the best. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

The human side of a great Senator
Having been a die hard Kennedy fan all of my life, I've read a lot of books.I know that none of them are perfect and I enjoyed this book.Ted Kennedy certainly lived life to the excess, but I guess that was the times. This book is full of examples of a very human man who works to do great things for the American people.

A courageous and honest work
I am a die hard Kennedy fan and this is one of my favorite Kennedy books to date; however, you will appreciate it more if you have a background in "Kennedy history" which helps put some of the Senator's personal problems in perspective. For this purpose, I highly recommend Laurence Leamer's books The Kennedy Men and the Kennedy Women both of which I have also read.

This is a very human story where no details are spared. If you want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly you will definitely enjoy it, but don't pick it up if you can't handle reading about drugs, sex, and extramarital affairs.

Burke is brutally honest about the highs and lows of being the right hand man to arguably the most powerful person in Washington at the time, and the personal sacrifices he had to make in order to perform his job. As Kennedy's Administrative Assistant (Chief of Staff), Burke tucked him into bed at night and woke him up in the morning. He was intimately involved in major family decisions and knew the Senator and his family better than almost anyone else. His book serves as a wise word of caution to anyone who aspires to work on Capitol Hill. Being "in" and having access to the rich and powerful doesn't guarantee happiness and in Burke's case led toself destruction.

After reading Burke's book, I now understand why when I interned in Kennedy's DC office we (the interns) were not allowed to speak to the Senator unless he addressed us first. And because Kennedy would never recognize the vast majority of the 100+ interns working in his offices at any given time, he never said hi to us either. We were told that the Senator's high profile was the reason for this restriction, but after reading Burke's book I'm willing to bet anything that the real reason was that his staff was trying to protect him from his own impulses (i.e. not get near too many attractive women).

I noticed several readers commented that the book didn't focus enough on the Senator's legislative accomplishments and rated it lower because of this. How ridiculous! Burke clearly states that his purpose is not to give a comprehensive chronology of Kennedy's record, but rather to shed light on those aspects of the Senator's life which he was most intimately involved in.

I respect Burke for having the courage to come out with this story. His readiness to own up to his own faults is admirable and as he says at the end of his book, it's important for voters to know just who they are electing. This book has not changed my favorable opinion of the Senator, but it has helped me understand him better.

dirty laundry
The author worked closely with Ted Kennedy through most of the '70s and the very early '80s as a member of his Senate staff and personal go-to guy, and had very personal access to both the Senator and his family.The book is mainly about the Senator's vices and his family's troubles during that period (which the author was deeply involved in).

I was hoping for more politics and policy.The author vaguely alludes to legislative accomplishments, but doesn't really discuss any.From reading the book, I would gather that the time between saving democracy during the Watergate crisis and the 1980 presidential election was one big party, with some family drama thrown in.The section on the 1980 presidential election was good.

It's clear that Kennedy made bad choices in that period, which was, literally for me, a lifetime ago; some were personal, some were political.What struck me was how many of the unattractive features described by the author reminded me of our current president: the sense of entitlement, a lack of accountability, intense competitiveness, demands for loyalty, and a strange snobbishness (Kennedy thought the Carters were unsophisticated but, according to the author, also thought that the hostage crisis couldn't be helped by President Carter's efforts to understand the situation by *gasp* reading books about Iran).On the plus side, both men have a strong devotion to family.

I didn't really like the book; I finished it only because I'd started it, and I didn't have much else handy at the time.If you are interested in Kennedy dirt, though, this book has it in spades. It's not for everyone, but maybe it's for you.

Interesting to a point
The first 100 pages is interesting but then it begins to get repetitive and aimless. It's worth what I paid for it -- got it at the dollar store. Confirms that TK is worse than I thought, but I wonder if he's even worse than Rick knows. Hmmm.

Old history gives me new insight
I found this book at a "free read" and am glad I picked it up.
I feel that Mr. Burke gives what appears to be honest insight into his observation working first from afar then eventually beyond close at hand to Senator Kennedy. I believe the positives of this book far outweigh any negatives one might find in the disclosure of personal family happenings. This book actually has caused me to see Senator Kennedy in a more human, approachable image that as formerly, simply focusing on his family heritage regarding money, fame, etc.My heart goes out to the whole Kennedy family who has suffered tragedy after tragedy in spite of all their wealth which only brings home the truth that money cannot buy happiness.I strongly urge one to read this book.I am glad I did. ... Read more

Book Description
An invaluable book... it approaches the members of the Kennedy family as denizens of history and not of mythology...Whalen makes many fascinating contributions to history. --Chicago Tribune ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Too Dry to Read
This book reads like a a middle school textbook. I found it impossible to read more than a page w/o falling asleep. After a chapter,I gave up. If you want to learn about Joe K.,look elsewhere.

Good PR Job
Back in AD 1964, the sordid details of Joe Kennedy's life were kept secret.So what you have here is a very incomplete picture.But, if you want to understand his stock trading or his ambassadorship to GreatBritain, then this book is for you.But compared to Kearns-Goodwin andKessler, this is very lop-sided.

the kennedys are viewed favorably
oddly, you may be surprised about the kennedy's of massachusetts when you finish Whalen's work.It is possible that many have been quick to judge the family in a negative manner.Whalen, however, certainly points out Joseph Kennedy's very wonderful points including love of his family and gracious help for mankind.His charity for a man who wandered into his office off of the streets of Boston having just lost his son-and Mr. Kennedy buying the man a suit and paying for the funeral of that son-is particularly touching.Also of great interest to anyone interested in making a buck is how Mr. Kennedy made so much money in so many different arenas-sold out and took his profit on to the next venture-a sixth sense he had for making big money!author whalen points out this was almost always the case except his keeping ownership of Chicago's Merchandise Mart in the Kennedy name up, I believe, until currently-1998. Buy this work and then be prepared to not put it down for 48! !hrs.!Of added interest was a historical look at how Joseph Kennedy got into B grade motion picture producing in Hollywood in the early days. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

The human side of a great Senator
Having been a die hard Kennedy fan all of my life, I've read a lot of books.I know that none of them are perfect and I enjoyed this book.Ted Kennedy certainly lived life to the excess, but I guess that was the times. This book is full of examples of a very human man who works to do great things for the American people.

A courageous and honest work
I am a die hard Kennedy fan and this is one of my favorite Kennedy books to date; however, you will appreciate it more if you have a background in "Kennedy history" which helps put some of the Senator's personal problems in perspective. For this purpose, I highly recommend Laurence Leamer's books The Kennedy Men and the Kennedy Women both of which I have also read.

This is a very human story where no details are spared. If you want to hear the good, the bad, and the ugly you will definitely enjoy it, but don't pick it up if you can't handle reading about drugs, sex, and extramarital affairs.

Burke is brutally honest about the highs and lows of being the right hand man to arguably the most powerful person in Washington at the time, and the personal sacrifices he had to make in order to perform his job. As Kennedy's Administrative Assistant (Chief of Staff), Burke tucked him into bed at night and woke him up in the morning. He was intimately involved in major family decisions and knew the Senator and his family better than almost anyone else. His book serves as a wise word of caution to anyone who aspires to work on Capitol Hill. Being "in" and having access to the rich and powerful doesn't guarantee happiness and in Burke's case led toself destruction.

After reading Burke's book, I now understand why when I interned in Kennedy's DC office we (the interns) were not allowed to speak to the Senator unless he addressed us first. And because Kennedy would never recognize the vast majority of the 100+ interns working in his offices at any given time, he never said hi to us either. We were told that the Senator's high profile was the reason for this restriction, but after reading Burke's book I'm willing to bet anything that the real reason was that his staff was trying to protect him from his own impulses (i.e. not get near too many attractive women).

I noticed several readers commented that the book didn't focus enough on the Senator's legislative accomplishments and rated it lower because of this. How ridiculous! Burke clearly states that his purpose is not to give a comprehensive chronology of Kennedy's record, but rather to shed light on those aspects of the Senator's life which he was most intimately involved in.

I respect Burke for having the courage to come out with this story. His readiness to own up to his own faults is admirable and as he says at the end of his book, it's important for voters to know just who they are electing. This book has not changed my favorable opinion of the Senator, but it has helped me understand him better.

dirty laundry
The author worked closely with Ted Kennedy through most of the '70s and the very early '80s as a member of his Senate staff and personal go-to guy, and had very personal access to both the Senator and his family.The book is mainly about the Senator's vices and his family's troubles during that period (which the author was deeply involved in).

I was hoping for more politics and policy.The author vaguely alludes to legislative accomplishments, but doesn't really discuss any.From reading the book, I would gather that the time between saving democracy during the Watergate crisis and the 1980 presidential election was one big party, with some family drama thrown in.The section on the 1980 presidential election was good.

It's clear that Kennedy made bad choices in that period, which was, literally for me, a lifetime ago; some were personal, some were political.What struck me was how many of the unattractive features described by the author reminded me of our current president: the sense of entitlement, a lack of accountability, intense competitiveness, demands for loyalty, and a strange snobbishness (Kennedy thought the Carters were unsophisticated but, according to the author, also thought that the hostage crisis couldn't be helped by President Carter's efforts to understand the situation by *gasp* reading books about Iran).On the plus side, both men have a strong devotion to family.

I didn't really like the book; I finished it only because I'd started it, and I didn't have much else handy at the time.If you are interested in Kennedy dirt, though, this book has it in spades. It's not for everyone, but maybe it's for you.

Interesting to a point
The first 100 pages is interesting but then it begins to get repetitive and aimless. It's worth what I paid for it -- got it at the dollar store. Confirms that TK is worse than I thought, but I wonder if he's even worse than Rick knows. Hmmm.

Old history gives me new insight
I found this book at a "free read" and am glad I picked it up.
I feel that Mr. Burke gives what appears to be honest insight into his observation working first from afar then eventually beyond close at hand to Senator Kennedy. I believe the positives of this book far outweigh any negatives one might find in the disclosure of personal family happenings. This book actually has caused me to see Senator Kennedy in a more human, approachable image that as formerly, simply focusing on his family heritage regarding money, fame, etc.My heart goes out to the whole Kennedy family who has suffered tragedy after tragedy in spite of all their wealth which only brings home the truth that money cannot buy happiness.I strongly urge one to read this book.I am glad I did. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (25)

Not Your Average Children's Story
I love this book.My mother first read it to me when I was about ten, and I enjoyed it so much that I made little clay figures of all the characters, then took pictures of them and sent them to the author.He wrote me back a lovely letter (including a drawing he did of Davy Duck) which is still nestled between the pages of my battered paperback edition.

Over 15 years later, I've picked it up for the second time, and I am every bit as charmed by the story as I ever was, but reading as an adult, I am seeing the story differently.I rather wish that, as a child, someone would have pointed out to me that all the trouble in this book happens because the characters don't communicate important information to one another.

The characters all have distinctive personalities, and are in no way cliche.Can you name any other children's book which contains a character made out of long underwear who is obsessed with numerology?I didn't think so.This book still has the ability to make me laugh out loud, and can just as easily bring a tear to my eye.

If you ever believed your toys could become real with enough love, if you ever wanted to go on a pirate adventure for gold treasure, if you love nursery rhymes and boats and the sea, find yourself a copy of this book!

Don't break your child's heart.
I just finished reading this book. It broke my heart. I won't spoil anything, don't worry. I just don't think this is a good book for young children. It's all fun and adventure till someone gets hurt. That's all I'll tell about the plot. It broke my heart and i don't recomend it for children. I just don't think they're ready for such things unless they have a tendancy to be overly optimistic. If they can find the light in anything then they'll find the light in this book.

Beautiful Classic
This book is one of the most beautifully imaginative stories ever written. I read it over 20 years ago and still remember it with great fondness. It's a wonderful book for girls and boys alike, best for ages 8+.

More Than A Pirate Adventure
My 4 year old son is big into ships, particularly pirate ships.This book captivated him (and his 2 year old brother) every night for over a month.Many of the Mother Goose references were familiar to him and he enjoyed hearing the poems over and over.Pirates became the biggest intrigue and the action had to be edited toward the end.Still, it will be a book I am sure we will read again and again. The song "Greensleeves" has taken on a new meaning in our home and the boys are learning the lyrics, it is now the most requested night lullabye.

Enchanting!
On a whim, I googled this book today to see if I could buy a copy online somewhere. I LOVED this book as a child and feel a strong desire to reread it. Call it 'comfort food'. I was so enamered with the story, the writing, Amy and the Capt, that I was upset when I turned the last page of this book. It is an amazing fantasy- Kennedy pulls your imagination out alongside his. Highly recommened for any age, this story will inspire your child (or yourself) to become an avid reader of fantasy, such as "A Wrinkle in Time", the Narnia Chronicles, etc. Can't wait to get my new copy. ... Read more

Book Description
Cleanth Brooks may have summarized it best: "New Orleans has become one of the cities of the mind, and is therefore immortal." Its writers make it so. Like Richard S. Kennedy's earlier collection Literary New Orleans, these nine essays explore the belletristic Crescent City—its history, authors, myths, and realities. This volume focuses on twentieth-century New Orleans, beginning with modernism's brief blooming in the 1920s, followed by the fading of New Orleans's peculiarly dreamy romanticism and the flourishing of a distinctive realism, and concluding with a recurrence and transformation of the earlier romantic strain in contemporary Gothic and mystery fiction. Literary New Orleans in the Modern World provides chapters in the history of a unique American city, written in the very spirit of New Orleans as it has cast its spell on writers.

AUTHOR BIO: Richard S. Kennedy (1920-2002) was the author of Dreams in the Mirror: A Biography of E. E. Cummings and The Window of Memory: A Literary Biography of Thomas Wolfe. He also edited the collection Literary New Orleans: Essays and Meditations.He was a professor emeritus of English at Temple University in Philadelphia. ... Read more

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Richard S(ylvester) Kennedy, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 1019 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author

Book Description
This digital document, covering the life and work of Richard (Pitt) Kennedy, is an entry from Contemporary Authors, a reference volume published by Thompson Gale. The length of the entry is 556 words. The page length listed above is based on a typical 300-word page. Although the exact content of each entry from this volume can vary, typical entries include the following information:

• Place and date of birth and death (if deceased)
• Family members
• Education
• Professional associations and honors
• Employment
• Writings, including books and periodicals
• A description of the author's work
• References to further readings about the author