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Kennedy: The Classic Biography
by Ted Sorensen“A brilliant and essential document about the man, the President, and his times. In all the millions of words which have been written about the martyred President, this book must remain unique. . . . It is John F. Kennedy’s life, his personality, his thinking which informed his action and that action itself described with honest and candor which illuminate and enliven the crowded pages of this book. Sorensen has managed to portray Kennedy in realistic human terms and not as the hero of a myth. . . . It is the richness of detail, anecdotes, incidents, conversations, descriptions rather than any gossip or startling revelations which gives the book its compelling readability.” — Los Angeles TimesThe classic, intimate, and #1 national bestselling biography of JFK by his great advisor Ted Sorensen.In January 1953, freshman senator John F. Kennedy of Massachusetts hired a twenty-four-year-old from Nebraska as his Number Two legislative assistant—on a trial basis. Despite the differences in their backgrounds, in the eleven years that followed Ted Sorensen became known as Kennedy's intellectual blood bank, top policy aide, and alter ego.Sorensen knew Kennedy the man, the senator, the candidate, and the president as no other associate did. From his role as a legislative assistant to Kennedy's death in 1963, Sorensen was with him during the key crises and turning points—including the spectacular race for the vice presidency at the 1956 convention, the launching of Kennedy's presidential candidacy, the TV debates with Nixon, and election night at Hyannis Port. The first appointment made by the new president was to name Ted Sorensen his Special Counsel.In Kennedy, Sorensen recounts failures as well as successes with surprising candor and objectivity. He reveals Kennedy's errors on the Bay of Pigs, and his attitudes toward the press, Congress, and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Sorensen saw firsthand Kennedy's actions in the Cuban missile crisis, and the evolution of his beliefs on civil rights and arms control. First published in 1965 and reissued here with a new preface, Kennedy is an intimate biography of an extraordinary man, and one of the most important historical accounts of the twentieth century.
Kennedy and King: The President, the Pastor, and the Battle over Civil Rights
by Steven Levingston"Kennedy and King is an unqualified masterpiece of historical narrative.... A landmark achievement."---Douglas Brinkley, New York Times bestselling author of Rosa Parks "By reminding us of these great leaders and their accomplishments, this book will fuel your passion for the new work we still need to do in our society today."---Congressman John Lewis Kennedy and King traces the emergence of two of the twentieth century's greatest leaders, their powerful impact on each other and on the shape of the civil rights battle between 1960 and 1963. These two men from starkly different worlds profoundly influenced each other's personal development. Kennedy's hesitation on civil rights spurred King to greater acts of courage, and King inspired Kennedy to finally make a moral commitment to equality. As America still grapples with the legacy of slavery and the persistence of discrimination, Kennedy and King is a vital, vivid contribution to the literature of the Civil Rights Movement.
Kennedy and Roosevelt: The Uneasy Alliance
by Michael BeschlossStory of the relationship between Joseph Kennedy and FDR.
Kennedy and Roosevelt: The Uneasy Alliance
by Michael Beschloss James Macgregor BurnsThe tempestuous relationship between a towering American president and the founder of an American political dynasty--and its impact on history. When Franklin Roosevelt ran for president in 1932, he won support from the little-known, Boston-born financier and ex-Hollywood mogul Joseph Kennedy. The politician and the businessman formed a partnership that helped to bring Roosevelt to the White House, where he fought the Great Depression and institutionalized the New Deal. But the mutual admiration born of Roosevelt and Kennedy's shared victories, including the latter's stint as the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, where he worked to clean up Wall Street, was severely tested as Nazism rolled across Europe. Eager to protect the lives of his four sons and to see that his family would retain the wealth and social status he had fought so hard to achieve, Kennedy desperately wanted America to stay out of World War II. As Roosevelt's ambassador to Great Britain, he enthusiastically supported the British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain's policy of appeasing Adolf Hitler. By 1940, his isolationism forced an angry showdown with his boss at the Roosevelt mansion at Hyde Park. "I never want to see that son of a bitch again as long as I live," the president told his wife, Eleanor. After America entered World War II, Kennedy retreated from the spotlight and turned to the political ambitions of his sons. By 1960, when Franklin Roosevelt Jr. campaigned for John F. Kennedy to win the presidency, the complex relationship between their two families had come full circle. To tell this story, bestselling author Michael Beschloss has drawn on crucial sources that had never been seen by other historians, such as Joseph Kennedy's private diaries and his unpublished diplomatic memoir. Beschloss also interviewed a number of Roosevelt's White House aides, as well as three of the president's sons. Kennedy and Roosevelt was Beschloss's first book, and has been hailed by the New York Times Book Review as a "fascinating" account of "the complex, ambiguous relationship of two shrewd, ruthless, power-hungry men."
Kennedy Assassinated! The World Mourns: A Reporter's Story
by Wilborn HamptonA reporter's view of the Kennedy assassination, with a detailed chronicle of that day's events
The Kennedy Assassination--24 Hours After: Lyndon B. Johnson's Pivotal First Day as President
by Steven M. GillonRiding in an open-topped convertible through Dallas on November 22, 1963, Lyndon B. Johnson heard a sudden explosive sound at 12:30 PM. The Secret Service sped him away to safety, but not until 1:20 PM did he learn that John F. Kennedy had been assassinated. Sworn in next to a bloodstained Jackie Kennedy at 2:40 PM, Johnson worked feverishly until 3:00 in the morning, agonizing about the future of both his nation and his party. Unbeknownst to him, his actions had already determined the tragic outcome of his presidency. In November 22, 1963, historian Steven Gillon tells the story of how Johnson consolidated power in the twenty-four hours following the assassination. Based on scrupulous research and new archival sources, this gripping narrative sheds new and surprising light on one of the most written-about events of the twentieth century.
The Kennedy Baby: The Loss That Transformed JFK
by Steven Levingston The Washington PostA sensitive portrait of how a profound tragedy changed one of America’s most prominent families. Their marriage is the subject of countless books. His presidency has been pored over minute by minute by historians. They lived their lives in the public eye and under a microscope that magnified all of their flaws, all of their scandals, all of their tragedies. Now Steven Levingston, nonfiction editor at the Washington Post, presents a devastating story in unprecedented detail, about a child John and Jackie Kennedy loved and lost. On August 7, 1963, heavily pregnant Jackie Kennedy collapsed, marking the beginning of a harrowing day and a half. The doctors and family went into full emergency mode, including a helicopter ride to a hospital, a scramble by the President to join her from the White House, and a C-section to deliver a baby boy, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy, five and a half weeks early with a severe respiratory ailment. The baby was so frail he was immediately baptized. Over the next thirty-nine hours the nation watched and waited. The vigil was spread across the front pages of the newspapers; the country watched the life of Patrick unfold on the evening news. Within the Kennedy family, the drama was transforming the president and his marriage. Both he and Jackie, long known for their cool exteriors, were brought together by a shared sadness and love as they never had been. Although baby Patrick succumbed after thirty-nine hours, his father was born anew through the tragedy. The Kennedy Baby is a vivid drama of a national tragedy and private trauma for the Kennedy family, taking readers through the lead up to the birth, the ordeal in the hospital, and JFK’s personal growth through his hardship and the progress toward a changed marriage—a breakthrough all the more acute in light of the tragedy that loomed only months away.
The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years
by Edward KleinDeath was merciful to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for it spared her a parent's worst nightmare: the loss of a child. But if Jackie had lived to see her son, JFK Jr., perish in a plane crash on his way to his cousin's wedding, she would have been doubly horrified by the familiar pattern in the tragedy. Once again, on a day that should have been full of joy and celebration, America's first family was struck by the Kennedy Curse. In this probing expose, renowned Kennedy biographer Edward Klein-a bestselling author and journalist personally acquainted with many members of the Kennedy family-unravels one of the great mysteries of our time and explains why the Kennedys have been subjected to such a mind-boggling chain of calamities. Drawing upon scores of interviews with people who have never spoken out before, troves of private documents, archives in Ireland and America, and private conversations with Jackie, Klein explores the underlying pattern that governs the Kennedy Curse. The reader is treated to penetrating portraits of the Irish immigrant Patrick Kennedy; Rose Kennedy's father, "Honey Fitz"; the dynasty's founding father Joe Kennedy and his ill-fated daughter Kathleen, President Kennedy, accused rapist William Kennedy Smith, and the star-crossed lovers, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Each of the seven profiles demonstrates the basic premise of this book: The Kennedy Curse is the result of the destructive collision between the Kennedy's fantasy of omnipotence-an unremitting desire to get away with things that others cannot-and the cold, hard realities of life.
The Kennedy Debutante
by Kerri MaherA captivating novel following the exploits of Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, the forgotten and rebellious daughter of one of America's greatest political dynasties.London, 1938. The effervescent "It girl" of London society since her father was named the ambassador, Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy moves in rarified circles, rubbing satin-covered elbows with some of the 20th century's most powerful figures. Eager to escape the watchful eye of her strict mother, Rose, the antics of her older brothers, Jack and Joe, and the erratic behavior of her sister Rosemary, Kick is ready to strike out on her own and is soon swept off her feet by Billy Hartington, the future Duke of Devonshire. But their love is forbidden, as Kick's devout Catholic family and Billy's staunchly Protestant one would never approve their match. When war breaks like a tidal wave across her world, Billy is ripped from her arms as the Kennedys are forced to return to the States. Kick gets work as a journalist and joins the Red Cross to get back to England, where she will have to decide where her true loyalties lie--with family or with love . . .
The Kennedy Detail: JFK's Secret Service Agents Break Their Silence
by Gerald Blaine Lisa McCubbin HillThe New York Times bestselling and extraordinary true story of the critical events leading up to and following the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, as told by the Secret Service agents who were firsthand witnesses to one of America&’s greatest tragedies.The Secret Service. An elite team of men who share a single mission: to protect the president of the United States. On November 22, 1963, these men failed—and a country would never be the same. Now, for the first time, a member of JFK&’s Secret Service detail reveals the inside story of the assassination, the weeks and days that led to it and its heartrending aftermath. This extraordinary book is a moving, intimate portrait of dedication, courage, and loss. Drawing on the memories of his fellow agents, Jerry Blaine captures the energetic, crowd-loving young president, who banned agents from his car and often plunged into raucous crowds with little warning. He describes the careful planning that went into JFK&’s Texas swing, the worries and concerns that agents, working long hours with little food or rest, had during the trip. And he describes the intensely private first lady making her first-ever political appearance with her husband, just months after losing a newborn baby. Here are vivid scenes that could come only from inside the Kennedy detail: JFK&’s last words to his tearful son when he left Washington for the last time; how a sudden change of weather led to the choice of the open-air convertible limousine that day; Mrs. Kennedy standing blood-soaked outside a Dallas hospital room; the sudden interruption of six-year-old Caroline&’s long-anticipated sleepover with a friend at home; the exhausted team of agents immediately reacting to the president&’s death with a shift to LBJ and other key governmental figures; the agents&’ dismay at Jackie&’s decision to walk openly from the White House to St. Matthew&’s Cathedral at the state funeral. Most of all, this is a look into the lives of men who devoted their entire beings to protecting the presidential family: the stress of the secrecy they kept, the emotional bonds that developed, the terrible impact on agents&’ psyches and families, and their astonishment at the country&’s obsession with far-fetched conspiracy theories and finger-pointing. A book fifty years in coming, The Kennedy Detail is a portrait of incredible camaraderie and incredible heartbreak—a true, must-read story of heroism in its most complex and human form.
The Kennedy Heirs: John, Caroline, and the New Generation - A Legacy of Triumph and Tragedy
by J. TaraborrelliFrom New York Times bestselling author J. Randy Taraborrelli comes The Kennedy Heirs, his most revealing Kennedy book yet.A unique burden was inherited by the children of President John Fitzgerald Kennedy and his celebrated siblings, Senators Robert and Ted Kennedy. Raised in a world of enormous privilege against the backdrop of American history, this third generation of Kennedys often veered between towering accomplishment and devastating defeat. In his revelatory new book, acclaimed Kennedy historian J. Randy Taraborrelli draws back the curtain on the next generation of America’s most famous family. John Kennedy, Jr.’s life in the public eye is explored, following the Kennedy scion as he faced the challenges posed by marrying his great love, Carolyn Bessette. Riveting new details are shared about the couple’s tragic demise—and why Ethel Kennedy advised Carolyn not to take the trip that would ultimately end her life. John’s sister, Caroline Kennedy, had her own complicated relationships, including a marriage to Ed Schlossberg that surprised her mother, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, and an unexpected bond with her mother-in-law, Mae Schlossberg. Additional stories, many shared here for the first time, illuminate the rest of the Kennedy dynasty: Kara Kennedy, Ted’s daughter, and her valiant battle against lung cancer; how Ted’s wife, Vicki, introduced a new era of feminism to the Kennedy family; the lifelong struggles with addiction faced by Bobby Kennedy Jr. and Patrick Kennedy; the unexpected way pop star Taylor Swift helped Conor Kennedy heal after the death of his mother, Bobby’s wife Mary; and Congressman Joe Kennedy III’s rise to prominence. At the center of it all is the family’s indomitable matriarch, Ethel Kennedy—a formidable presence with her maddening eccentricities and inspiring courage.Based on hundreds of exclusive first-hand interviews and cultivated over twenty years of research—including numerous Oral Histories from the JFK Library and the Edward M. Kennedy Institute—The Kennedy Heirs is an epic drama of ambition, scandal, pride and power.
The Kennedy Imprisonment: A Meditation on Power
by Garry WillsWith a new preface: An “irreverent [and] entertaining” portrait of JFK, the Camelot mystique, and the politics of charisma (The Christian Science Monitor). Described by the New York Times as “a sort of intellectual outlaw,” Garry Wills takes on the romantic myths surrounding the Kennedy clan in this thought-provoking examination of electoral politics and the power of image in America. Wills argues that the much-admired dynasty, beginning with patriarch Joe Kennedy, created a corrupt climate where appearances were more important than reality, truth was discarded when it wasn’t convenient, and an assortment of devoted loyalists sacrificed integrity for the sake of reflected glory. Touching upon topics ranging from the manipulation of the PT-109 story in the media to the authorship of Profiles in Courage to the handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis to persistent rumors of extramarital affairs, Wills offers a persuasive look not only at President John F. Kennedy and his brothers Robert and Edward, but also at the bubble that existed around them and lured in some of the best and brightest of the era. From the Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Lincoln at Gettysburg and Why I Am a Catholic, The Kennedy Imprisonment is “a brilliant and troubling study of the Kennedy era in American politics” (The Philadelphia Inquirer).
The Kennedy Imprisonment: A Meditation on Power
by Garry WillsFor more than a decade, The Kennedy Imprisonment has stood as the definitive historical and psychological analysis of the Kennedy clan and its crippling conception of power.
Kennedy, Johnson, and the Quest for Justice: The Civil Rights Tapes
by Jonathan Rosenberg Zachary KarabellThe story of the passage of the Civil Right Legislation of 1964, with emphasis on new information provided by the recently released tapes of Kennedy and Johnson.
Kennedy Justice
by Victor S. NavaskyFinalist for the National Book Award: A groundbreaking portrait of the intersection of law and politics in Robert F. Kennedy&’s Department of JusticeAs United States Attorney General, the young, legally inexperienced Robert F. Kennedy sat at the head of a vast department tasked with enforcing the law and defending the rights of an entire nation. Although his family connection to the White House raised eyebrows, Robert Kennedy&’s tenure was marked by impassioned battles to root out corruption and protect individual civil liberties. From his fierce stand against organized crime to his tumultuous relationship with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, RFK proved time and again that he was a champion of fairness.In this investigative account of the Kennedy years, acclaimed scholar Victor S. Navasky crafts an unmatched portrait of the complex interaction of power and principle in the halls of justice.
Kennedy Justice
by Victor S. NavaskyFinalist for the National Book Award: A groundbreaking portrait of the intersection of law and politics in Robert F. Kennedy&’s Department of JusticeAs United States Attorney General, the young, legally inexperienced Robert F. Kennedy sat at the head of a vast department tasked with enforcing the law and defending the rights of an entire nation. Although his family connection to the White House raised eyebrows, Robert Kennedy&’s tenure was marked by impassioned battles to root out corruption and protect individual civil liberties. From his fierce stand against organized crime to his tumultuous relationship with FBI director J. Edgar Hoover, RFK proved time and again that he was a champion of fairness.In this investigative account of the Kennedy years, acclaimed scholar Victor S. Navasky crafts an unmatched portrait of the complex interaction of power and principle in the halls of justice.
The Kennedy Men
by Laurence LeamerThe renowned biographer and New York Times bestselling author of The Kennedy Women returns with this first volume in a multigenerational history that will forever change the way America views its most famous family ...
The Kennedy Men, 1901-1963
by Laurence LeamerThe renowned biographer and New York Times bestselling author of The Kennedy Women returns with this first volume in a multigenerational history that will forever change the way America views its most famous family ...
Kennedy & Nixon
by Christopher J MatthewsJohn F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon each dreamed of becoming the great young leader of their age. First as friends, then as bitter enemies, they were linked by a historic rivalry that changed both them and their country. In this startling dual portrait, Chris Matthews shows how the contest between the charismatic Kennedy and the talented yet haunted Nixon propelled America toward Vietnam and Watergate. Fresh, entertaining, and revealing, Kennedy and Nixon shows how the early fondness between the two men--Kennedy, for example, told a trusted friend that if he didn't receive the Democratic nomination in 1960, he would vote for Nixon--degenerated into distrust and bitterness. Using White House tapes, this book shows how Richard Nixon's dread of a Kennedy "restoration" in 1972 drove the dark deeds of Watergate.
The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family
by Laurence LeamerBased on five years of research, and with unprecedented cooperation from Kennedy family and associates, Laurence Leamer paints startling, in-depth portraits of the mothers, wives, sisters, and daughters who struggled to build and maintain the Kennedy dynasty--from steerage on an immigrant vessel to the slums of Boston, from the court of St. James to the White House.
The Kennedy Years: From the Pages of The New York Times
by Jill Abramson“A deeply illuminating, journalistic romp through Camelot from the eyes and minds of the great New York Times reporters of that era and beyond.” —Douglas Brinkley, #1 New York Times–bestselling authorDecades after the assassination of John F. Kennedy, he still ranks as one of the top five presidents in every major annual survey. To commemorate the man and his time in office, the New York Times has authorized a book, edited by Richard Reeves, based on its unsurpassed coverage of the tumultuous Kennedy era. The Civil Rights Movement, the Bay of Pigs, the Cuban Missile Crisis, Vietnam, the space program, the Berlin Wall—all are covered in articles by the era’s top reporters, among them David Halberstam, Russell Baker, and James Reston. Also included are new essays by leading historians such as Robert Dallek and Terry Golway, and by Times journalists, including Sam Tanenhaus, Scott Shane, Alessandra Stanley, and Roger Cohen. With more than 125 color and black-and-white photos, this is the ultimate volume on one of history’s most fascinating figures.“This book is both fascinating and poignant. It brings us back into the Kennedy years while also allowing us to reflect on what made them so emotional. I found myself totally immersed.” —Walter Isaacson, #1 New York Times–bestselling author“Provides much more than a riveting first draft of history. Here we also witness the birth of modern America.” —Cokie Roberts, former political commentator and #1 New York Times–bestselling author “A terrific introduction to the Kennedy presidency for those who did not live through it, and a startling reminder for those who did of how much happened in those 1,000 days.” —David Nasaw, New York Times–bestselling author
The Kennedy Years (Presidential Profiles)
by Joseph M. SiracusaBiographies of those people important to the Kennedy Presidency.
The Kennedys: an American Drama
by Peter Collier David Horowitzthis is an extensive history of the Kennedy family, from their immigration from Ireland until after the assassination of John F. and Robert Kennedy.
The Kennedys: The Third Generation
by Barbara Gibson Ted Schwarz"Here is the complete story of the youngest generation of the indefatigable Kennedy clan - the 29 grandchildren of Joseph and Rose Kennedy - as told by Barbara Gibson, Rose's personal secretary. Having lived for many years side by side with the three generations of Kennedys, she is in a unique position to understand the goings on behind the scenes and walls of the Kennedy compounds in Hyannisport and Palm Beach. During her time with the Kennedy matriarch, Gibson experienced first hand many of the anecdotes she shares and she became friends with Kennedy cousins, aides, assistants, and security personnel, who revealed their Kennedy stories to her for the first time." "The Kennedys as a family have had an extraordinary impact on the politics, culture, and tabloids of the United States. The Kennedys is an examination of this most famous American dynasty from a generational perspective. Gibson examines the rise, fall, and rise of the Kennedys, fueled by the intense power drive of the clan and desire to win at any cost instilled by Joe Sr. and Rose. This ruthless competitive streak brought the second generation to great heights with the Presidency of JFK but also great tragedy - the premature deaths of Kathleen and Joe Jr., the unwarranted lobotomy of Rosemary, and, of course, Chappaquiddick." "In the third generation we see this characteristic self-destructiveness and arrogant disregard for others passed on from their parents. Saddled with womanizing fathers and negligent mothers, the Kennedy grandchildren inherited a variety of personality problems and reckless behavior patterns that they are still struggling to overcome." "With few exceptions, all the Kennedy grandchildren have experimented with drugs, and several have become severe addicts, one cousin dying from an overdose. Gibson examines problems with physical and emotonal abuse, culminating in such public scandals as the William Kennedy Smith rape trial. These she relates back to the experiences of the second generation in terms of how the family bands together in times of crisis to protect their own, shielding an individual from legal responsibility but not addressing the deep-rooted cause of the problem." "The Kennedys is ultimately a story of redemption as Gibson examines the accomplishments of many of the third generation, the political successes and good works, especially in the areas of the environment and education. She proves that in many ways the Kennedys are rising again, although not necessarily in the way Joe Sr. might have envisioned, as the Kennedy grandchildren live their lives in fulfillment of many of the goals to which their forebears merely paid lip service."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved
