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After Camelot: A Personal History Of The Kennedy Family--1968 To The Present (2012)

by J. Randy Taraborrelli(Favorite Author)

4.1 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0446553905 (ISBN13: 9780446553902)

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Grand Central Publishing

review 1: If ever an adage was true, it does indeed ring of the Kennedys. Money cannot buy happiness. Money cannot beat the inevitability of death, and money cannot buy respect.This is 624 well written pages of the life stories of the American royalty. While at times scathing, mainly it was a look at the joys and the tragedies.I was eleven when JFK was murdered. Fast forward to grade ten, and the television came to life as programs were interrupted with the tragic news that Robert Kennedy was gunned down and murdered. Tears, including mine, were shed, as well they should have been.Then, years later, came the blatant disregard for life by the son who held promise to carry the torch. The news reported that Mary Jo Kopechne was found dead in a car-- in fact, she died the night before a... mores Teddy drove the car off a ramp, escaping, never bothering to find help. Finding an air pocket at the top of the car, she died slowly. There was time to save her. Trying to get friends to take the blame, it wasn't until the next morning when he decided he had to face up to his liability.While each man held bright promise, each man also carried the tradition of their father in using women as their playing ground, while wives stayed at home on the compound, watching the kids and looking pretty.While Ethel's three eldest boys were out of control with drugs, fast driving and throwing around the Kennedy name, Jackie carefully guarded her children's exposure to the rough ones. When Ethel's oldest son Joe drove a jeep round and round and round, spinning the wheels as it turned upside down, paralyzing David's girlfriend, she was promptly dumped by David and paid to go away. When Papa Joe Kennedy produced a beautiful, but mentally challenged daughter, without the consult of his wife, he decided that the best path to choose was a lobotomy. Ethel held fast to Bobby's legacy. Joan sobered up and left Teddy. Jackie escaped with Ari Onassis and provided stability for her two children in the hope of getting them out of harms way.Make no mistake about it -- there were scandals and out of control behaviors. But, there were shining promises. There were three men who cared deeply about the future of America. These men brought hope and a new direction. The Peace Corps, The Special Olympics, and Ted's dedicated activism and fight for health care reform were but a few of the major accomplishments of these troubled souls. The light did shine brightly on the Kennedys. They inherited wealth, were raised with strong Catholic values by a staunch mother, and they had a supreme mandate to try to make the country better than it was.
review 2: Another good book if you are interested in this subject. I thought Taraborelli did a good job of picking up where "The Kennedys" Left off. There were rumors that the Second Season of the Kennedys is going to be based on this book so I decided to read it first. Aside - The Kennedys (the mini series that was originally going to be aired on the History Channel, ended up being on some obscure cable channel and won a bunch of awards) starring Katie Holmes and Greg Kinnear was AWESOME, BTW. Highly recommend both this book and the mini series if you have some downtime. less

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