Jackie after Jack
"Hands up all who want to know about what went on in Mrs Kennedy's bedroom?" Not me. Some things are frankly none of our buisness. I don't care if it's true or not. I don't want to read anything that will shatter my image of Jackie or Bobby and that's all I think I'll say on this subject.
D+
-Ms Barbara Gibson, Rose Kennedy's personal secretary,wrote this little volume that I picked up at my local supermarket. Not somthing I do frequently, I assure you! And somthing I will never do again! The title intrigued me. Nobody had written a book about the third genration, I wanted it as a referance. I was dissapointed to find that half the book was taken up by the second generation, Where Ms Gibson speaks as an authority on subjects like JFK's foriegn policies and Bobby's sex life. And puts the worst possible spin on everything.
She says it is "certain" that Bobby had sex with Marilyn Monroe the day she died. I would like to know how Ms Gibson knows this. She was not in the room with them, If indeed they saw each other at all that day. She was on the other side of the country. Was there a DNA test? Because Marilyn probably had more than one boyfriend, IF INdeed Bobby was ever her lover at all. Which I don't believe.
Her observations about Rosemary and Joe are the only parts of this section that are believable. The rest of the book is a fairly informative and handy guide to the third generation, although not as detailed as the last half of "An American Drama" . I would not recommend it to someone not familiiar with the Kennedys, because Ms Gibson makes a couple of mistakes which could lead to confusion.*
C+
-A political essay written by a man born in 1966. A mere three years after the death of his subject. Bieng much younger than that myself, I have no problem with a young person analyzing a period which he was not around to witness. And Beran makes some intersting observations. However, like Ms Gibson, at one point he presumes to broach a subject which he has no authority to discuss. He does not have the right to judge another man's personal relationship with the God of his choice. I consider it inappropriate even for a best friend to specualate on a topic like that.
C+
It's hard to get a clear picture of Ethel Skakel Kennedy from Jerry Oppenhiemer's book. Sometimes she is protrayed as simple, pious and fun, and other times she is portrayed as vindictive, small minded, irresponsible and possesive. Oppenhiemer goes from trashing his subject to praising her to trashing her again. It would be easier to make up my own mind about Ethel, if the author could make up his.
B-
Rose Kennedy should have been crowned the Queen of Spin. She wanted an "official family history" and just to make sure that it reflected what she wanted, Rose Kennedy wrote it herself. Everything remotely controversial is glossed over or simply ignored. So instead of answering questions , as she claims she is setting out to do, she creates her own neatly packaged collection of lies, half truths, cute stories, and one sided testimonies. All of which are shot down, exposed, and debunked later by her children and grandchildren. It's a good book, but hard to tell what can be believed.
B
Arthur Schlesinger jr began penning this massive tome while Kennedy was still alive. It provides a wonderful first hand account of both Jack and Bobby's campaigns, and the White House years. This book has often been critisized for bieng one sided and fawning. I didn't see any of that. It is true that Schlesinger does not spell out Bobby's faults in flashing neon letters, and it's this reviewer's opinion that he did the right thing. It's an honest record of a friend's life, and the author is someone who has proven himself to be trustworthy when it comes to writing about the Kennedy family.
A+
RFK
I picked this little Scholastic book up at the Kennedy Library in Boston, Massachusetts. Unlike many Kennedy biographies, it is a relatively short book, that uses few literary allusions, pschylogical observations or editorializing. Written for children in 1969, it's language is simple, it's message clear, and it's pictures numerous. I almost cried when I saw the picture of a young David Kennedy, beaming because he is helping his beloved father campaign for the senate.
B
RFK
This book is almost exactly the same except that the text is slightly different and there are different pictures.
B
The Dark Side of Camelot
This gives us some insights into the psyche of JFK. But, Like many other people-I have to ask, WHY should I read this?
C-
The Fitzgeralds and the Kennedys
Considered the definitive Kennedy family history by almost everyone. Written by historical biographer Doris Kearns Goodwin. Excellent in the beginning,but slighlty more boring later when it gets to the stuff we've heard a million times.
A-
On His Own
Best Evidence
The Warren Report
Make gentle the life of this world
The Kennedys, An American Drama
The Kennedy Women
JFK Reckless Youth
Over 120 photos of the Kennedys! Click Below!
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