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The Kennedy Legacy: Jack, Bobby and Ted and a Family Dream Fulfilled
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Product Description
How did the brothers pass the torch to each other? What have the three brothers left us collectively? And who carries the torch forward now? The Kennedy Legacy compellingly answers these questions and much more.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #38909 in Books
- Published on: 2009-04-27
- Released on: 2009-04-28
- Original language: English
- Number of items: 1
- Binding: Hardcover
- 288 pages
Features
- ISBN13: 9780230613676
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"In a timely and readable biography, Vince Bzdek describes in authoritative and colorful detail Ted Kennedy's remarkable rise from the bottom rung of the legendary Kennedy family's public service ladder to a transcendent role in American politics, government and public life." --Len Downie, former executive editor of The Washington Post, and author of The Rules of the Game
Washington Post news editor and features writer Bzdek. . .delineates [the story] succinctly and compellingly. . .Bzdek does a fine job." --Kirkus
About the Author
Vincent Bzdek is the news editor and a features writer at The Washington Post. He has also written for The Wall Street Journal, Wired Magazine, The Denver Post, and is the author of Woman of the House (Palgrave, 2007). He lives in Washington, D.C.
Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
"Joe would often serve as a surrogate parent, filling in as enforcer and role model during the frequent absences of Joe Sr. and Rose. Jack would act as the family’s detached observer, commenting and dissecting the proceedings as much as participating in them. Bobby was the fierce-willed altar boy, fighting for every scrap of ground he could get with a kind of messianic zeal, and Ted was the roll-with-the-punches guy. In short, Joe Jr. was the family’s star, Jack its wit, Bobby its soul, and Ted its laugh . . . Joe Sr. genuinely expected all four sons to be president. He gloated when they were children that he would outdo the Adams family, which only had two presidents." – from The Kennedy Legacy
Customer Reviews
A Fine Short Discussion of the Kennedy Influence on Recent American Politics
After nearly fifty years the Kennedy mystique remains compelling. This slim volume offers a ready introduction to the story of old Joseph Kennedy and his three sons--John, Robert, and Edward--all raised with the expectation that they would make an impact in the world far beyond any other trio. There had been, of course, another son upon which the patriarch had pinned his greatest hopes by Joseph Jr. died young and the family's legacy thereafter rested with the three son who remained. John Kennedy, Jack to his friends, attained the presidency but was cut down by an assassin's bullet less than three years into his first term. His brother, Bobby, had served as his Attorney General and ran for the presidency in his own right in 1968, but again an assassin murdered him in the midst of his primary run. Known as Ted, the youngest and the one for whom his father held the least expectations, also had his share of problems but has also held public office longer and been more of a positive influence in Democratic politics than his brothers. Vincent Bzdek's study is an accessible account of their careers.
The largest part of the book concentrates on Ted, appropriately so because of his longevity in the Senate and because there is less available on him. It is in his analysis of Ted that the book makes its most important contribution. We follow his path from young hellraiser caught in the scandal of Chappaquiddick in 1969 to his current place as a true liberal lion of the Senate. Now in the last throes of a venerable career, Bzdek makes a seminal contribution in assessing how role and accomplishments over the years. They are palpable, impressive, and show all of the signs of lasting far beyond his life.
This is an enjoyable little book that offers with a modest investment of time and energy a useful gloss on the lives and careers of the three Kennedy sons. It is not sophisticated historical analysis, by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a convenient accessible work. I could easily see it being used in a course on the history of recent America.
The Kennedy Family: Success, Setback, and Triumph
Throughout American history, there have been many individuals who have reached the pinnacles of political success by winning elections either to the U.S. Presidency or the U.S. Congress. There have also been a few families that have enjoyed a large degree of success and among them, the Kennedy's are undoubtedly the most famous and, arguably, the most successful. The Kennedy family has experienced its share of good times and bad times, and this book recaps some of the highs and lows along the path to success, with a special emphasis on the family's many achievements, particularly its youngest son, Ted Kennedy.
Many authors have written books about the Kennedy family and different authors have taken entirely different perspectives. The Kennedy Legacy is a positive book about the Kennedy's that focuses on the family's many accomplishments. Starting with patriarch Joseph Kennedy and his appointment as ambassador to the United Kingdom and continuing through Ted Kennedy's lengthy tenure in the United States Senate, The Kennedy Legacy is basically a book of praise and admiration. When a negative situation is discussed, it is done so objectively. But the achievements are emphasized and it is easy to see that the author admires the Kennedy family and its ability to succeed in spite of the many tragedies bestowed upon the family over the past several decades.
Among the Kennedy men, the one who gets the most coverage in this book is Ted Kennedy. He is covered at least to a small extent in every chapter and the book's final section is completely devoted to Ted. Based on length of public service and continued influence, this makes sense when you consider that Ted has been a member of the U.S. Senate for what seems like an eternity. Fans of Ted Kennedy will enjoy the extended information on this Massachusetts Senator, but non- fans will consider it a case of Teddy overload. The book does include separate sections on Jack and Bobby, with a small amount of coverage given to Joe Sr. and Joe Jr. But Ted is the one who gets the lion's share of the coverage.
The Kennedy Legacy is a pretty good book overall, but I do have a few problems with it. Hundreds of books have been written about the Kennedy family and its many successes and tragedies, so there is very little left to say that hasn't already been said. This is my main complaint with The Kennedy Legacy. I didn't discover anything new about the Kennedy's in this book and it didn't inspire me to seek out any new information. Each of the events, successes, victories, setbacks, and everything else has been talked about dozens of times before by other authors. Another problem I have with the book is that it avoids any talk of controversy. For example, when the book mentions the assassinations of Jack and Bobby, or the death of Joe Jr. in a plane crash, it just mentions them and moves on. It doesn't have anything to say- no analysis, no opinion, etc.
The Kennedy family is certainly an important political family and its influence will be part of American history for the duration of the republic. The Kennedy Legacy is a good book that offers some good reading on the Kennedy family, but other than a few quotes I hadn't heard before, this book is simply a rehashing of what we already know with a special emphasis on Teddy and his stubbornness to achieve his goals and fulfill the family legacy. It's a good enough book to recommend, but those who are well versed on the Kennedy family will find it an insignificant waste of time.
A Nostalgic Look at an American Dynasty
This isn't a book critical of the Kennedy brothers, so if that's what you're looking for, better look elsewhere. Yes, Ted's early drinking and womanizing are mentioned, as is Chapaquiddick, which would have ended the career of a normal politician, after all, look what a simple burglary did to a sitting president. But Ted Kennedy was the standard bearer of the Kennedy clan. He carried the torch for a large part of a generation. So he was forgiven, given another chance. And he used it well, becoming the Lion of the Senate, a champion of the underdog and the man conservatives love to hate.
Ted is painted as a heroic figure right from the get go, ignoring doctors, risking death (because of his recent surgery) to go to the Democratic Convention in Denver. Maybe it wasn't so heroic, but we don't mind, because he'd suffered through so much (yes and he'd caused some suffering as well), lost so much, fought so hard for what he believed in. Ted comes off looking okay in this book and that's alright.
The other Kennedy brothers, John and Bobby, are portrayed with just the right amount of nostalgia. One can't help but wonder what America would have been like today if a couple assassins had been a bit of the mark. How come crazies are such good shots? That's a story for another book. This book is a fond look at an American Dynasty. It's easy to read and very enjoyable.
