Product Description
Focuses on the late president's role as Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces through such pivotal events as the Bay of Pigs, the Berlin Wall, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and the space program. Tour." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Very good book from JFK's former #1 press secretary
(Andy Hatcher, #2; Malcolm Kilduff, #3)
I recommend this book from Pierre Salinger. It has some very nice pictures and a good text. I especially like the perspective it gives on John F. Kennedy as the leader of the Nation's military might. Of particular note: Salinger states that, in his three years serving President Kennedy [he had also served JFK when Kennedy was a Senator], he may have missed just "two or three trips"...one of them was the ill-fated Texas trip.
[...]

One of the best books on the Kennedy presidency
This book was the first one to explore Kennedy's role as Commander-In-Chief of the armed forces.It also described how foreign events such as the Bay of Pigs invasion, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and theconflict in Vietnam were viewed by the Kremlin and the Pentagon.The bookalso talks about Kennedy's frequent disagreements with the Joint Chiefs ofStaff on military issues and how these problems were handled and resolved. I think that this book is very interesting and worth reading.

Refreshing to read something of JFK other than personal life
Being so close to Pres. Kennedy, Pierre Salinger is well qualified to share his knowledge and experiences during his tenure as Press Secretary.I also found the photos very interesting and inviting; I enjoyed readingthis book very much; enlightening to learn of JFK's harrowing experiencesduring WW2 and the suffering he experienced during that time.He certainlywas a hero in the true sense of the word.It's sad that these years of hislife were not more highlighted, rather than focusing on all his personalescapades.He truly, in my opinion, was a great President; it's tragic hewasn't with us longer.Thank you, Pierre, for a great job! ... Read more

Product Description
The last defining years of John F. Kennedy, Jr.

At thirty-four, John F. Kennedy, Jr. was still a man in search of his destiny. In 1995, all that changed when Kennedy launched George, a bold and irreverent magazine about American politics. Over the next four years, Kennedy's passionate commitment to the magazine-- and to the ideals it stood for-- transformed 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 challenges-- starting a risky new business, managing the pressures that attend a high public profile, and beginning life as a married man.

In American Son, with Blow as our guide, we see the many sides of Kennedy's 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 struggling under the weight of a mythic family legacy. Simply and sympathetically, Richard Blow offers an affecting portrait of a complicated man at last coming into his own-- sometimes gracefully, sometimes under siege, never without the burden of great expectations.

#1 New York Times Bestseller; includes a new introduction
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Customer Reviews (68)

A very personal report
I bought the book when it first came out - 2002, but it lay around unread until 2010. Now retired I have time to read. This book captured what I hope was the real John F Kennedy, Jr. I too felt like I saw him grow up. On TV, I watched him crawl under the desk in the oval office and salute the casket of his father the day he did it. I remember hearing about the magazine GEORGE; I never read it. Even if I had not recognized the characters in this book, I would have enjoyed reading it. Not a page turner, AMERICAN SON is interesting with natural humor. It is a history book written while the memories were fresh.

a book more about the author than john john
Richard Blow is a good writer (see Harvard Rules, Greatest Game).This is a very strange book in which the author waxes more about him and his place in JFK Jr's world, than the Man himself. Blow comes across as an educated posse; he thanks Bernard Bailyn in the acknowledgment section. But unfortunately, the author is no Kennedy.He is a Blow (now Bradley).(At one point, the author waxes poetically about how he wanted his own wedding to be as good as John's, a wedding which Blow was never invited to).In the end, Blow writes as if nothing would make him happier than being John John's full time jock strap sniffer.

As for George Magazine, the advertisers fled in droves for a reason.

This book will entertain you for the three hours it takes for you to read.
If you buy this book for a $1 (plus $3.99 shipping), the book is worth your investment.

On the other hand, I highly recommend Harvard Rules and the Greatest Game.

Another Friend Cashes In
Excellent book. I like reading about the Kennedy's too, I admit and I liked this book, because it did not trash his wife. Poor Carolyn, her so-called friends (Rob Little,Bill Noonan)all wrote about what a shrew she was. oh they sugar-coated it so if you are truly a nit-wit you would not see it (Rob claims his wife adored Carolyn,Billy claims she was "magnificent") but still you get th idea she ruined friendships, could not stop using drugs. Disgusting. Have they thought about the impact of her family? Never mind his they are used to it, but hers, like Carolyn, I do not think they wished to be in the spotlight. This book really captures Carolyn like Carol Raziwell's book did.Richard Blow does them justice and Rob Littel has the nerve to talk about Richard Blow's book. Why because Blow didn't trash them as he did. If you would like to read a book from someone who DID know them without Carolyn being bad-mouthed, this is the book.

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... ... Read more

Product Description
Every move he makes makes news. With a salute, John F. Kennedy, Jr., won the hearts of all America 35 years ago. He's been part of the American scene since the day of his birth and his large, extended family has been plagued by tragedy and tarnished by scandal. In this fascinating, unauthorized biography, the author goes beyond "The Hunk's" exquisite exterior to give us a glimpse into JFK Jr., the man. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Greek God in a Suit
I absolutely loved this book.What is there NOT to love about JFK Jr.He is handsome, big-hearted, and seems as though he is a great guy...not because of his fame but because that is the man his mother raised him to be.I loved reading about his entire life and the pictures.....SMOKIN HOT!!! It leaves you wanting to know more about this fine specimen of manliness!!

2/3 Kennedy Family + 1/3 John Jr. = this book
I bought this book hoping to have a nice memory of a life extinguished in its prime.It wasn't long reading (I read the entire thing in under 2 hours) but it was brief, interesting reading.To my suprise, Idiscovered that this short book gives a tiny glimpse into the Kennedyfamily spanning back to John Jr.'s great-grandparents.I enjoyed theauthor's candid and blunt writing style.He certainly spared no feelingsin writing this book, as you will see when reading about John Jr.'smediocre accomplishments, Jackie's controlling maternal style, and thepresident's wanderings during marriage.The favoritism the family hasenjoyed in the pursuit of different endeavors was especially riveting. (The interesting acquiring of the president's Pulitzer Prize, for example.) I would be untruthful, however, if I didn't admit that I did learn alot from this book.If you don't want to devote days to a heavy biographyon America's Royal Family, but are still interested in some behind thescenes escapades, then I would recommend it.

Prince Charming is much, much better
I read Prince Charming by Wendy Leigh and it is a fabulous beautiful book, a marvellous memorial to John. really worth getting.so don't waste your time with this book. Prince Charming tells the real story. ... Read more

Product Description
A close-up on one of American history's most magical events, JFK's inaugural week, and the creation of the speech that inspired a generation and brought hope to a nation

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country." On the January morning when John F. Kennedy assumed the presidency and stood to speak those words, America was divided, its citizens torn by fears of war. Kennedy's speech-called the finest since Lincoln at Gettysburg and the most memorable of any twentieth-century American politician-did more than reassure: it changed lives, marking the start of a brief, optimistic era of struggle against "tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself."

Ask Not is a beautifully detailed account of the week leading up to the inaugural which stands as one of the most moving spectacles in the history of American politics. At the heart of the narrative is Kennedy's quest to create a speech that would distill American dreams and empower a new generation. Thurston Clarke's portrait of JFK during what intimates called his happiest days is balanced, revealing the President at his most dazzlingly charismatic-and cunningly pragmatic. As the snow covers Washington in a blanket of white, as statesmen and celebrities arrive for candlelit festivities, the perfectionist Kennedy pushes himself to the limit, to find the words that would capture what he most truly believed and which would far outlast his own life. For everyone who seeks to understand the fascination with all things Kennedy, the answer can be found in Ask Not.
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Customer Reviews (17)

The Speech That Opened The Doors Of Camelot
Being a fan of history,good speeches, presidential writings and also of J.F.Kennedy I felt that this would be a good book to read.His most important and most famous speech aside from perhaps his peace speech, the Kennedy inaugural has given rise to an ongoing debate from the time it was spoken to even now as various books continue to dissect and look at it from all angles.The crux of the matter is did Kennedy write it himself or did his principle speech writer Ted Sorensen.Unfortuately,I fear that debate will continue. From the authors point of view he seems convinced that Kennedy was the primary architect with Sorensen giving some support and help when needed.From the research I feel that this may be true, that the initial form and substance of what Kennedy wanted to get across to the public was initially framed by Sorensen but the substance,form,the way is was said, the phrasing and meter, final revisions and editing was all Kennedy.Does or can this book or any other for that matter definitively prove it one way or the other,well no it doesn't nor will any in the future.What the book does give you is a practically day by day almost minute by minute lead up to the actual event the preceeding weeks which led up to that cold January day are looked at and at times I felt I was actually there in the room with Kennedy as he agonized over every line.There were times when I felt the author introjected a bit much including things he could not have known or intimate conversations which were not included in the public record but nevertheless it was a good read. For those who enjoy as I do all things Kennedy you must read this.It was a truly hectic, heady time back then and as far as the actual speech goes it was one of the most beautiful inaugurals of all time clearly outlining Kennedy's goals for the new frontier.From the prepping, to the rewrites, the practice,the politics and seating plans, weather and Robert Frost's goofup due to sunglare at the start to what followed is all there.If you want an enjoyable look at that day and what went into it then read this book and go back to a more exciting hopeful America before it was cut short prematurely by some bullits.Once you start it you won't want to put it down.

John Kennedy and the National Mission
The author's focus on the idea of America having a "national mission" reverberates through the work just as it did through Mr. Kennedy's career.Pushed most aggressively by publishing magnate Henry Luce (think Time Magazine), this is the idea that Americans had a singular destiny and should therefore come together around some great purpose the defines who we are as a nation and people.With the collapse of the Johnson years over Vietnam and the subsequent loss in faith in our leaders due to the war, presidential scandals and the fractionalization of American political life, it seems impossible to believe that there ever was a time when we could unite as a people around any great cause.(The space program might be the last time Americans united at length over any grand policy.)An intimate telling of the preparation of the defining speech of one of our most inspiring speakers, the book is a must for anyone trying to understand Mr. Kennedy and his times.

Part Tedious, Part Fascinating
"Ask Not" is essentially two books in one.First it is a detailed account of the evolution of Kennedy's inaugural address from first draft through all the working iterations to the final oration as delivered by JFK.If you're seeking evidence of who contributed what to the speech (how much was Kennedy, how much was Ted Sorensen, who else was involved?) you'll appreciate the author's forensic examination of every phrase of every paragraph of every draft and rebuttals of previously published accounts of the gestation and development.Frankly I found these passages tedious.I fought through them, however, because interspersed are fascinating accounts of the events of the week of the inauguration and the many personalities involved.In front of the crowds and cameras it was all smiles and congratulations. Behinds the scenes conflicts were raging.Rose Kennedy furious with Jackie for refusing to dine with Lyndon and Lady Bird Johnson, JFK slipping off to his New York Penthouse for a rendezvous with his mistress, Mamie Eisenhower belittling then ignoring Jackie at a Whitehouse meeting while Dwight Eisenhower is hazing the young Kennedy in the Oval office, Eleanor Roosevelt sitting in the crowd instead of on the stand because she couldn't bear to be close to Joe Kennedy, and Nixon having to endure the indignity of being front-row for the swearing-in ceremony of the man he believed stole the presidency from him are just some of the fireworks happening in the background of this idealized moment from our Nation's History.This is not an easy read, but the glimpses of the various complex relationships and insights into JFK's private persona make it worthwhile.

Good But Biased Book
An enjoyable book on one of the most famous political speeches ever. It provides good insight into the development of "Ask Not," but there is an over-arching bias running through the book.

The reader gets the distinct impression that Clarke has decided that Kennedy is THE author of this famous speech and then crafts the evidence to support that theory. Given JFK's symbiotic relationship with special counselor Ted Sorensen, it is just not credible to believe that the tall man from Nebraska did not make the same type of contribution to this speech as he did to the rest of the Kennedy material.

Clarke has an annoying habit of assuming what people may have been thinking about some topic, e.g. Historian Michael Beschloss "presumably relied on Schlesinger" as a source for an anecdote or "White House aide Arthur Schlesinger may have been thinking of (James) Meridith when he concluded ... A Thousand Days, by saying that "the energies Kennedy released, the purpose he inspired, the goals he established would guide the land he loved for years to come." That, like much of his suppositions is quite a jump.

To be fair to Clarke, he does make an excellent effort to present the chronology of the speech development as he sees it. However, in presenting his thesis that Kennedy created the speech almost on his own, he suggests that people like Sorensen, private secretary Evelyn Lincoln and others misremember many of the relevant events. He gets totally hung up on "proving" that it was Kennedy who came up with the "Ask Not" phrase writing "We can assume ..... that Kennedy would have come across" similar historical references or "He must also have been familiar with" a similar exhortation from his prep school headmaster, a suggestion which Sorensen debunks in his 2008 book Counselor: A Life at the Edge of History



Give Clarke credit. A significant amount of research went into this book, but to this reviewer at least he fails to prove his key thesis. He also is not afraid to mention - shall we say, Kennedy's foibles and human weaknesses. I actually reference somewhat humorously (I hope) the brand image that JKF had back in my homeland Ireland when I was growing up in Why Ireland Never Invaded America At the end of the day, it hardly matters who contributed what. The thoughts and philosophy WERE Kennedy. It was a speech that lifted a nation that needed lifting and kudos to everyone involved in its development.

The most famous inaugural speech that made history
This was one of the best books i have read about J.F.K. and was taken back in to the 60's and as if i was there.So uplifting. ... Read more

Product Description
"The subject is an American citizen holding high elected office, married, and father to a young family..."

From its opening line, American Adulterer examines the psychology of a habitual womanizer in hypnotically clinical prose. Like any successful philanderer, the subject must be circumspect in his choice of mistresses and employ careful calculation in their seduction; he must exercise every effort to conceal his affairs from his wife and jealous rivals. But this is no ordinary adulterer. He is the 35th President of the United States, John Fitzgerald Kennedy.

JFK famously confided that if he went three days without a woman, he suffered severe headaches. Acclaimed author Jed Mercurio takes inspiration from the tantalizing details surrounding the President's sex life to conceive this provocatively intimate perspective on Kennedy's affairs. Yet this is not an indictment. Startlingly empathetic, darkly witty and deft, American Adulterer is a moving account of a man not only crippled by back pain, but enduring numerous medical crises, a man overcoming constant suffering to serve as a highly effective Commander-in-Chief, committed to a heroically idealistic vision of America. But each affair propels him into increasingly murky waters. President Kennedy fears losing the wife and children to whom he's devoted and the office to which he's dedicated. This is a stunning portrait of a virtuous man enslaved by an uncontrollable vice and a novel that poses controversial questions about society's evolving fixation on the private lives of public officials and, ultimately, ignites a polemic on monogamy, marriage and family values. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (42)

American Adulterer was just okay, but I'll definitely be reading more about JFK
American Adulterer looks closely at John F. Kennedy's lecherous tendencies while in office. The book tries to make the case that JFK cheated on his wife because he had difficulty concentrating, developed headaches, and in general, had a hard time getting his presidential work done if he didn't have a lot of sex with a lot of different women. Maybe it's because I'm a woman or maybe it's because I don't go for the "boys will be boys" attitude, but I did not buy into the argument that JFK not only "needed" to have a lot of sex, but he "needed" to have sex with a variety of different women. This may have impacted my overall take on the book (note the sarcasm - it definitely impacted by take on the book).

I will say, I was surprised to read that JFK was in almost constant pain because of his Addison's disease, back problems, and bowel issues. I don't know if the book is totally accurate on this point, but in the book he is getting daily injections of painkillers and downing a variety of other medications. He juggled multiple doctors to ensure he got the different treatments he thought he needed. Now, I understand trying to cope with chronic pain and how distracting it can be, but even JFK's myriad health problems seemed to take a back seat to his need to get down with the ladies.

I'll admit there was a little bit of prurient interest in picking this book up. JFK was known as a bit of ladies man so I thought his love life would make for an interesting novel. But my god, it felt like this book was all about sex and his various health problems. Every important point in his presidency (and adult life) was set against the backdrop of his insatiable need to have sex and/or how much pain he was in. If JFK's mental energy was really so strongly focused on sex and pain, I honestly don't know how he accomplished anything.This laser focus made the book feel a little repetitive by the time I got to the end.

In the book's defense, I did want to read more about JFK once I had finished it. I want to find out how much of Mercurio took liberties with the historical record and where he stuck with the truth. I mean, could all of this possibly be true? I find this happens to me pretty regularly - I'll read a historical novel that is just okay, but it drives me to read more about the subject because I want to learn more. I suppose this shouldn't be surprising - I read so many historical novels that they can't all be good. So while the story in American Adulterer wasn't that great it will definitely drive me to pick up a biography or two on JFK (recommendations are welcome).

I was bored by this but my GF LOVED it,
I didn't enjoy this book at all. I really wanted to as I find this fascinating but it was a very dry read for me, reminiscentof a textbook. My friend however LOVED it and just lent it to someone else. She found it very informative and was amazed by the history, partly cuz she didnt grow up in the US.

Well Researched but too Intimate a Portrait of the Man
If the name JFK makes you envision a champion of civil rights, activist for nuclear disarmament, and a handsome, charismatic leader who was brutally snuffed out before his time, after reading American Adulterer, you will never view Jack Kennedy that way again.

Jed Mercurio, a British author with a medical background, offers a fictional glimpse into what could have gone on in the sex life, physical health and mind of JFK. Mercurio portrays Kennedy as such a medically ill person that we wonder how he ever had the clarity of mind to decide whether to wear the white shirt or the blue shirt, let alone to negotiate with Nikita Khrushchev. Kennedy is on a host of medications for his Addison's, thyroid failure, and suffers with severe bouts of stomach distress. This is not to mention the incessant pain from his back, which was injured in his early years playing sports, fractured when PT 109 was blown up by the Japanese, became septic during surgery, and infected during a postop operation for a herniated disc. Wow! How could one person have such bad luck? And how could that man possibly have the drive, and the intellectual rigor, to aspire to the highest office in the land?

I felt very sympathetic towards Kennedy reading about all his ailments, although there was quite a bit of TMI, but the sympathy stopped the minute Mercurio provided a detailed description of Kennedy's affairs. I'm not quite sure how I feel about sex addiction -- is it just a way for powerful men like Tiger Woods to justify their infidelity and exploitation of women because women throw themselves at them? Is it a psychological problem -- a type of sociopathy where an otherwise devoted husband has absolutely no regard for his wife or her feelings? Or is it biological? Do some men (and women) have extraordinary urges for sex that go beyond the "norm"? There are no easy answers but I had an uncomfortable feeling reading this book... that I wasn't sure if I was really entitled to this information. Just because people are famous, or even world leaders, doesn't mean that I should know the intimate details of their physical health or sex life.

On the other hand, Kennedy is part of history. And the old boys' network that kept his secrets is long gone. Maybe we're entitled to know some of this but not all. Although this work clearly took a lot of time and was well researched, it was quite repetitive and too intimate a look at the man for my own taste. Mercurio succeeds in crushing whatever idolization we have about the JFK years and the dreadful assassination. Instead, he is reduced to a skirt chasing invalid. Very sad.


Sigrid Macdonald, Author of Be Your Own Editor

Fact of Fiction
Although some of the facts seem to be correct I think the author wrote this more as fiction

A Mixed Bag (excuse the expression)
I was pretty sick of the repetitions about JFK's need to flush the 'poisons' out of his 'tubing.' Has there every been a more distasteful description of the sex act?

I also found it distasteful to hear this major historical figure called 'the subject.' Is the author a scientist, a dissectionist, a psychotherapist? Maybe all?

But the book did hook me. I learned facts I didn't know about the horrific face off in the ocean between Russia and the US. I was very grateful that we had a president who did not give in to the importunings of all the generals, who were virtually jumping up and down and wetting their pants over the prospect of nuclear war and, if anyone survived, the lucrative contracts that could be awarded to their favorite companies. Now, that's disgusting.

I found the repetitivness of JFK using woman after woman, much like kleenexes, to be depolorable. But I'd much rather have a president who received head in the oval office, but kept his head in the war room rather than the reverse.

There were so many moments of pre-deja vu. 'Did you have sex with that woman?!' That was the mantra of Congress' questions about Bill Clinton and his intern. And there was a threat of the story being broken in 'The Star?' Reminded me of Kenneth Star, who was in charge of exposing Clinton's predilections. Also, the Star Chamber for torturous question sessions by the Inquisition.

The scenes after the baby died were were heartrending. I found it hard to square up that man with the man who continued cavorting in the Mediterranean when Jackie had the miscarriage. What made him so much more sensitive? It couldn't have just been having the FBI scare him to death about disclosures on his refutable health treatment to relive his 'argonic poisons.' (Was that how it was spelled? I read the book in audio form. Anyway, it was a heck of an explanation/excuse for a married man with a sexual addiction.)

But I digress. How did the same man who went without sleep for two nights to stay by a dying baby and grieving wife square up with the man who didn't even trouble to come home when his wife had a miscarriage? Did he fall truly in love with her during the crises they faced? I'd really like to know the magic formula for transforming an s.o.b adulterer into such a loving, caring man.

I did enjoy the book. I learned a lot about that period in history. I still don't understand the man.
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