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Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero
The critically acclaimed, New York Times bestselling biography of John F. Kennedy, by Chris Matthews, host of MSNBC’s Hardball.
“What was he like?”
Jack Kennedy said the reason people read biography is to answer that basic question. With the verve of a novelist, Chris Matthews gives us just that. We see this most beloved president in the company of friends. We see and feel him close-up, having fun and giving off that restlessness of his. We watch him navigate his life from privileged, rebellious youth to gutsy American president. We witness his bravery in war and selfless rescue of his PT boat crew. We watch JFK as a young politician learning to play hardball and watch him grow into the leader who averts a nuclear war.
What was he like, this person whose own wife called him “that elusive, unforgettable man”? The Jack Kennedy you discover here wanted never to be alone, never to be bored. He loved courage, hated war, lived each day as if it were his last.
Chris Matthews’s extraordinary biography is based on personal interviews with those closest to JFK, oral histories by top political aide Kenneth O’Donnell and others, documents from his years as a student at Choate, and notes from Jacqueline Kennedy’s first interview after Dallas. You’ll learn the origins of his inaugural call to “Ask what you can do for your country.” You’ll discover his role in the genesis of the Peace Corps, his stand on civil rights, his push to put a man on the moon, his ban on nuclear arms testing. You’ll get, more than ever before, to the root of the man, including the unsettling aspects of his personal life. As Matthews writes, “I found a fighting prince never free of pain, never far from trouble, never accepting the world he found, never wanting to be his father’s son. He was a far greater hero than he ever wished us to know.”
“What was he like?”
Jack Kennedy said the reason people read biography is to answer that basic question. With the verve of a novelist, Chris Matthews gives us just that. We see this most beloved president in the company of friends. We see and feel him close-up, having fun and giving off that restlessness of his. We watch him navigate his life from privileged, rebellious youth to gutsy American president. We witness his bravery in war and selfless rescue of his PT boat crew. We watch JFK as a young politician learning to play hardball and watch him grow into the leader who averts a nuclear war.
What was he like, this person whose own wife called him “that elusive, unforgettable man”? The Jack Kennedy you discover here wanted never to be alone, never to be bored. He loved courage, hated war, lived each day as if it were his last.
Chris Matthews’s extraordinary biography is based on personal interviews with those closest to JFK, oral histories by top political aide Kenneth O’Donnell and others, documents from his years as a student at Choate, and notes from Jacqueline Kennedy’s first interview after Dallas. You’ll learn the origins of his inaugural call to “Ask what you can do for your country.” You’ll discover his role in the genesis of the Peace Corps, his stand on civil rights, his push to put a man on the moon, his ban on nuclear arms testing. You’ll get, more than ever before, to the root of the man, including the unsettling aspects of his personal life. As Matthews writes, “I found a fighting prince never free of pain, never far from trouble, never accepting the world he found, never wanting to be his father’s son. He was a far greater hero than he ever wished us to know.”
496 pages, Paperback
First published November 1, 2011
311 people are currently reading
4031 people want to read
About the author
Chris Matthews
69 books163 followersChristopher John “Chris” Matthews is widely respected for his in-depth knowledge of politics. Now retired, he was a nightly host, news anchor and political commentator on MSNBC (1997-2020), a Washington, D.C. bureau chief for the newspaper, San Francisco Examiner (1987–2000), a Chief of Staff to long-time Speaker of the House of Representatives Tip O'Neill, a Carter era presidential speech writer, and penned a number of bestselling books, to name a small part of his impressive resume. Chris has been married to Kathleen (née Cunningham) since 1980 and they share three children and several grandchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 477 reviews
December 7, 2011
Here is my overall review:
I just finished reading Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. There is a deep lump in my throat. Chris Matthews captured in his book what has been missing in so many other books about Jack Kennedy - his soul. Maybe it is my empathy with Chris Matthews world. Forty years ago I was involved in doing graduate research on JFK; moving through the sources; interviewing Dave Powers; reading every single article and every single word Kennedy uttered. This was nearly 10 years after I saw JFK in New York City at the Commodore Hotel, at the Garment Workers rally, or the Auditorium off of Veterans' Memorial Hwy the Sunday before the election. Voting for JFK at 22 years of age and staying up all night waiting to hear and watch whether he beat Nixon. In the Navy, I knew doing duty aboard the USS Intrepid how close we came to nuclear war and how Kennedy's handling gave us a reprieve from eternal death. Yes, JFK's face should be with the others in the Dakota hills and everyone should read Chris Matthews' book...
I just finished reading Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. There is a deep lump in my throat. Chris Matthews captured in his book what has been missing in so many other books about Jack Kennedy - his soul. Maybe it is my empathy with Chris Matthews world. Forty years ago I was involved in doing graduate research on JFK; moving through the sources; interviewing Dave Powers; reading every single article and every single word Kennedy uttered. This was nearly 10 years after I saw JFK in New York City at the Commodore Hotel, at the Garment Workers rally, or the Auditorium off of Veterans' Memorial Hwy the Sunday before the election. Voting for JFK at 22 years of age and staying up all night waiting to hear and watch whether he beat Nixon. In the Navy, I knew doing duty aboard the USS Intrepid how close we came to nuclear war and how Kennedy's handling gave us a reprieve from eternal death. Yes, JFK's face should be with the others in the Dakota hills and everyone should read Chris Matthews' book...
July 28, 2025
There is a new book out about this President. But this one was a donation to my Little Free Library Shed, so I thought I would take my time reading it.
Many may recognize the author from his role as host of “Hardball” on MSNBC. He also professes to be an admirer of John “Jack” F. Kennedy, our 35th President of the United States. And thus, this seemed the perfect way for Matthews to display his love and appreciation of Jack Kennedy’s story. And, it just isn’t his admiration that leads him to write this book. It is also the many conversations he experienced with others that allowed him to find a way to provide more of an insider’s view and perspective of this President.
Matthews roots this story in family. And, how family foreshadowed Kennedy’s life. If anyone has read anything about his dominant father, it would be no surprise that Kennedy’s own life would take the path it did. Matthews highlights this relationship well.
There is also a humanness to the telling of this version of Kennedy. His flaws show. His vulnerability. His bravery. And, his visionary approach to leadership.
In delving into his life, Matthews gave us the ‘real’ person, as well as the leader. For anyone interested in stepping back in history, Matthews provides us with a Kennedy in which we can be reminded of why a lot of the ways in which he approached his role in politics and civic service could be considered inspirational. And, why we still may mourn the loss of him, too soon, for our country.
Many may recognize the author from his role as host of “Hardball” on MSNBC. He also professes to be an admirer of John “Jack” F. Kennedy, our 35th President of the United States. And thus, this seemed the perfect way for Matthews to display his love and appreciation of Jack Kennedy’s story. And, it just isn’t his admiration that leads him to write this book. It is also the many conversations he experienced with others that allowed him to find a way to provide more of an insider’s view and perspective of this President.
Matthews roots this story in family. And, how family foreshadowed Kennedy’s life. If anyone has read anything about his dominant father, it would be no surprise that Kennedy’s own life would take the path it did. Matthews highlights this relationship well.
There is also a humanness to the telling of this version of Kennedy. His flaws show. His vulnerability. His bravery. And, his visionary approach to leadership.
In delving into his life, Matthews gave us the ‘real’ person, as well as the leader. For anyone interested in stepping back in history, Matthews provides us with a Kennedy in which we can be reminded of why a lot of the ways in which he approached his role in politics and civic service could be considered inspirational. And, why we still may mourn the loss of him, too soon, for our country.
July 22, 2013
Chris Matthews' mind, razor sharp and astute in his political assessments, found its way to dissect the question of what draws Americans, to this day, to the compelling charm of JFK. Heroes, by their nature, if they are to be compelling, should be complex and flawed. What has always pulled me toward considering Jack Kennedy a hero in spite of his personal shortcomings was his complete grasp of history...his willingness to admit and learn from mistakes...a determination to fight for the common man in spite of his own, less than common upbringing...along with the cool, detached and steady manner in which he chose to lead. Without the failure of The Bay of Pigs, for example, the world may have very well met its end. When every military and political leader (including his 1960 Presidential competitor, Richard Nixon) was pushing for a military strike on Castro in spite of the indications that it would lead to a nuclear war, it was Kennedy, having learned from his earlier mistakes in Cuba, who kept a level head and stayed the steady course, thereby averting nuclear and world destruction.
At the dawn of a new decade, the tumultuous 1960's, America found a young, vibrant leader who inspired a nation to look to the stars for its sense of mission, accomplishment and pride. He envisioned a world of peace, calling on his nation's youth to, through their own actions, make the world a better place. He understood the moral implications and weight of his office, choosing to take, head on, the Civil Right issues of his time.
In trying to answer the question of JFK's legacy, Matthews uses a story to aptly justify his almost "hero worship" of JFK: In July of 1969, a fellow Peace Corp volunteer in Africa chose to look to the sky with the local villagers. There he saw his country's first flight to the moon. Matthews, in the telling of this story, aptly answers the question through the connection it shows in Kennedy's creation of both the Peace Corp for the world and Space flight for America.
Perhaps JFK advisor, Ted Sorensen said it best, summing up why Kennedy remains one of my favorite Presidents along with Lincoln and FDR when he spoke to the issue of JFK's legacy while, at the same time, providing a moral verdict:
"An American President, commander in chief of the world's greatest military power, who during his presidency did not send one combat troop division abroad or drop one bomb who used his presidency to break down the barriers of religious and racial equality and harmony in this country and to reach out to the victims of poverty and repression, who encouraged Americans to serve their communities and to love their neighbors regardless of the color of their skin, who waged war not on smaller nations but on poverty and illiteracy and mental illness in his own country and who restored the appeal of politics for the young and sent Peace Corps volunteers overseas to work with the poor and untrained in other countries -- was in my book a moral president, regardless of his personal misconduct." Because of these facts...the intertwined aspects of both his private and political life, Chris Matthews, I feel, has aptly named his book, "Jack Kennedy...Elusive Hero".
At the dawn of a new decade, the tumultuous 1960's, America found a young, vibrant leader who inspired a nation to look to the stars for its sense of mission, accomplishment and pride. He envisioned a world of peace, calling on his nation's youth to, through their own actions, make the world a better place. He understood the moral implications and weight of his office, choosing to take, head on, the Civil Right issues of his time.
In trying to answer the question of JFK's legacy, Matthews uses a story to aptly justify his almost "hero worship" of JFK: In July of 1969, a fellow Peace Corp volunteer in Africa chose to look to the sky with the local villagers. There he saw his country's first flight to the moon. Matthews, in the telling of this story, aptly answers the question through the connection it shows in Kennedy's creation of both the Peace Corp for the world and Space flight for America.
Perhaps JFK advisor, Ted Sorensen said it best, summing up why Kennedy remains one of my favorite Presidents along with Lincoln and FDR when he spoke to the issue of JFK's legacy while, at the same time, providing a moral verdict:
"An American President, commander in chief of the world's greatest military power, who during his presidency did not send one combat troop division abroad or drop one bomb who used his presidency to break down the barriers of religious and racial equality and harmony in this country and to reach out to the victims of poverty and repression, who encouraged Americans to serve their communities and to love their neighbors regardless of the color of their skin, who waged war not on smaller nations but on poverty and illiteracy and mental illness in his own country and who restored the appeal of politics for the young and sent Peace Corps volunteers overseas to work with the poor and untrained in other countries -- was in my book a moral president, regardless of his personal misconduct." Because of these facts...the intertwined aspects of both his private and political life, Chris Matthews, I feel, has aptly named his book, "Jack Kennedy...Elusive Hero".
January 19, 2012
My father took this book out from the library when I came home for sophomore year's winter break. "It's new," he said, placing it on the kitchen counter. "I thought you'd want to read it."
It's no secret among family and friends that the Kennedys inspire me to see the compassion and wonder in politics that I so often forget is there. Until I read this book, however, it was always Bobby who I respected the most as a politician and a man, someone committed to truth and equality at home and abroad, someone who made a real change with his time too soon cut short. Chris Matthews' biography has shown me the sensitive side of Jack Kennedy too, somehow hidden behind the ostentatious Camelot, at times moving me to tears.
What was he like? He was a man of great importance who at once seemed to realize his depth and still downplay it. He was a boy overlooked by his demanding father who rose to his brother's shadow by creeping around it, a war hero who was forever changed by the staggering solitude he felt the night he directed his crew to safety. And, unlike his brother, he took no time forming his platform on civil rights, but acted quickly and with force when confronted with injustices in the segregated South.
I read this book in two days, and then continued past the last sentence through the acknowledgments and notes. Had Matthews written another hundred pages, I would have been just as eager to stay up later, curled into my couch turning the pages. If you know anything about John F. Kennedy -- or if you know nothing at all -- I recommend this as strongly as I can.
It's no secret among family and friends that the Kennedys inspire me to see the compassion and wonder in politics that I so often forget is there. Until I read this book, however, it was always Bobby who I respected the most as a politician and a man, someone committed to truth and equality at home and abroad, someone who made a real change with his time too soon cut short. Chris Matthews' biography has shown me the sensitive side of Jack Kennedy too, somehow hidden behind the ostentatious Camelot, at times moving me to tears.
What was he like? He was a man of great importance who at once seemed to realize his depth and still downplay it. He was a boy overlooked by his demanding father who rose to his brother's shadow by creeping around it, a war hero who was forever changed by the staggering solitude he felt the night he directed his crew to safety. And, unlike his brother, he took no time forming his platform on civil rights, but acted quickly and with force when confronted with injustices in the segregated South.
I read this book in two days, and then continued past the last sentence through the acknowledgments and notes. Had Matthews written another hundred pages, I would have been just as eager to stay up later, curled into my couch turning the pages. If you know anything about John F. Kennedy -- or if you know nothing at all -- I recommend this as strongly as I can.
July 30, 2023
Captures Kennedy's virtues and flaws. A good read.
October 29, 2020
Such a good audio book - I listened to it during this election season and it was a like a breath of fresh air unlike our current political climate. The Kennedys, Jack in particular, are resilient, so I found much of his story inspirational. I learned a lot more about his political career and less about his personal life, which was a nice change from some of the other biographies I have read. Full review to come.
November 14, 2011
I've never been a huge JFK fan. I guess that just knowing so much of the behind the scenes realities of his life, that it is hard to put myself in the position of those Americans of the early 1960s who saw him as such a figure of hope, optimism, and change. I really have no idea what he accomplished in his three years to be viewed as a top 10 president in more than one historical ranking.
If you've ever listened to Chris Matthews to any extent, you know about his Bill Clinton-esque hero worship of JFK, and with the subtitle "Elusive Hero," I'll give him props, he shows plenty of what went into making the sausage. I don't know if there is much new here, except maybe the Choate origins of the "Ask not what you can do for your country..." quote, but he seems to present plenty of the warts on the Kennedy story. I did find it to be interesting that Jackie pretty much knew what she was getting into, from a womanizing point of view...sad.
If you've ever listened to Chris Matthews to any extent, you know about his Bill Clinton-esque hero worship of JFK, and with the subtitle "Elusive Hero," I'll give him props, he shows plenty of what went into making the sausage. I don't know if there is much new here, except maybe the Choate origins of the "Ask not what you can do for your country..." quote, but he seems to present plenty of the warts on the Kennedy story. I did find it to be interesting that Jackie pretty much knew what she was getting into, from a womanizing point of view...sad.
November 25, 2011
I loved this book! I believe I have read every book ever written about JFK and all the Kennedy's and yet this one gave me an insight into Jack Kennedy the man in a way never experienced before. To be honest I don't really care for the author and his television work but the honesty and passion depicted by this book has truly touched my heart. If you are looking for a blow by blow account of JFK's life, this isn't the book you want. However if you are looking for a peek into the essence of the man and this novel nails it in a beautifully, touching way! It brought tears to my eyes discussing his legacy! Highly recommend!!
February 2, 2016
This will FOREVER be one my favorite biographies--& books--of all time. Beautiful. I'm finally satiated, all my Qs feeling answered re: JFK. And EVERY word seemed meticulously chosen. While I've never paid heed to Chris Matthews the TV personality, I appreciate the political analysis he brought to this, and what a fun read during the 2016 US Prez Election! (finished the night of the Iowa Caucuses)
January 26, 2023
This book taught me so much, and I enjoyed watching all the pieces of such a fascinating historical figure come through the pages.
What was abundantly clear was how simple yet complex he was, from a young age all the way to the end. He was a typical second child, tryin to beat his older brother and appease his father. He also went through a ton of personal despair, I never knew just how bad his health was throughout his life. His struggles to go out and see the country and be more a common man, rather than the Harvard - Palm Beach - Cape Cod world he was used to.
JFK did all those things, campaigned hard, had a good group “Irish Mafia” he really trusted.
Loyalty and knowing your role were huge factors in being in with Kennedy.
The author made sure to point out why JFK was so heroic, and also the more human side of him including some rebellious youth stories as well as bouts of anger during the 1960 presidential election.
The stories and information presented clearly came from great sources, and it felt incredible to be able to get these looks into a life of one of America’s defining historical figures,
John F Kennedy!
What was abundantly clear was how simple yet complex he was, from a young age all the way to the end. He was a typical second child, tryin to beat his older brother and appease his father. He also went through a ton of personal despair, I never knew just how bad his health was throughout his life. His struggles to go out and see the country and be more a common man, rather than the Harvard - Palm Beach - Cape Cod world he was used to.
JFK did all those things, campaigned hard, had a good group “Irish Mafia” he really trusted.
Loyalty and knowing your role were huge factors in being in with Kennedy.
The author made sure to point out why JFK was so heroic, and also the more human side of him including some rebellious youth stories as well as bouts of anger during the 1960 presidential election.
The stories and information presented clearly came from great sources, and it felt incredible to be able to get these looks into a life of one of America’s defining historical figures,
John F Kennedy!
December 26, 2012
Whatever your politics, if you’ve watched Chris Matthews on his “Hardball” TV show, you can’t fail to be impressed with his breezy, energetic delivery and his erudition about issues of the day. He writes just like he talks, and every page of Jack Kennedy resounds with his voice.
This is not an objective, or even an exhaustive biography. One might argue that you could learn as much about Kennedy from Caro’s deep-plunging biography of LBJ as from Jack Kennedy. However, it is a wide-ranging look at a life of one of the most important political—and cultural—figures in American history from the pen of an enthusiastic admirer who is not afraid to look squarely at the invisible moles beneath the charming visage.
Matthews starts at the beginning and traces JFK’s development through his lonely, sickly childhood (Matthews never mentions it, but the situation begs comparison with growing up of Teddy Roosevelt.), through the familiar story of PT 109 and on to the presidency. We see a boy and man determined to prove himself against the odds. First, for his parents’ attention in the shadow of a favored older brother, then against pain and adversity in war, and finally against the political and religious establishment to become the ambitious officeholder who would be president. The pain followed him always—the back and the gut were always weak. He was given last rites three times. He didn’t survive the fourth, of course.
Matthews takes JFK to Dallas, but wisely skips the details of the assassination. Instead he jumps ahead to Jackie’s interview with Theodore White a few days after, in which she invokes the image of Camelot as an apt description for her late husband’s legacy. The aftermath becomes more poignant than any repetition of the event could possibly have been.
I came away from this book in some ways more admiring of Kennedy than ever, particularly for his refusal to bomb and invade Cuba during that missile crisis. However, I lost respect for him as a man. His philandering was legendary and has always been a spot of tarnish on his trophy, but I never before realized its magnitude.
After his election to the Senate, for example, he took off with his buddies for a Cote d’Azul cruise. Jackie was eight months pregnant. She went into early labor and was delivered of a stillborn by cesarean. He wasn’t present. As he often wasn’t present.
Aides tell stories of his simply ignoring her at important events to the extent that she’d just leave without his noticing her exit. He and his buddies would go on periodic “girling” expeditions. Even allowing for standards of the day or for both Jackie and Jack’s parental backgrounds preparing them for such behavior, it’s behavior to be despised. And, though there’s a nasty and salacious component to the public’s hunger for exposure of private lives, I would have welcomed a little more willingness on the part of the press to print what they certainly knew.
Whatever you know or don’t know about JFK, Chris Matthews gives you a fresh and entertaining look.
This is not an objective, or even an exhaustive biography. One might argue that you could learn as much about Kennedy from Caro’s deep-plunging biography of LBJ as from Jack Kennedy. However, it is a wide-ranging look at a life of one of the most important political—and cultural—figures in American history from the pen of an enthusiastic admirer who is not afraid to look squarely at the invisible moles beneath the charming visage.
Matthews starts at the beginning and traces JFK’s development through his lonely, sickly childhood (Matthews never mentions it, but the situation begs comparison with growing up of Teddy Roosevelt.), through the familiar story of PT 109 and on to the presidency. We see a boy and man determined to prove himself against the odds. First, for his parents’ attention in the shadow of a favored older brother, then against pain and adversity in war, and finally against the political and religious establishment to become the ambitious officeholder who would be president. The pain followed him always—the back and the gut were always weak. He was given last rites three times. He didn’t survive the fourth, of course.
Matthews takes JFK to Dallas, but wisely skips the details of the assassination. Instead he jumps ahead to Jackie’s interview with Theodore White a few days after, in which she invokes the image of Camelot as an apt description for her late husband’s legacy. The aftermath becomes more poignant than any repetition of the event could possibly have been.
I came away from this book in some ways more admiring of Kennedy than ever, particularly for his refusal to bomb and invade Cuba during that missile crisis. However, I lost respect for him as a man. His philandering was legendary and has always been a spot of tarnish on his trophy, but I never before realized its magnitude.
After his election to the Senate, for example, he took off with his buddies for a Cote d’Azul cruise. Jackie was eight months pregnant. She went into early labor and was delivered of a stillborn by cesarean. He wasn’t present. As he often wasn’t present.
Aides tell stories of his simply ignoring her at important events to the extent that she’d just leave without his noticing her exit. He and his buddies would go on periodic “girling” expeditions. Even allowing for standards of the day or for both Jackie and Jack’s parental backgrounds preparing them for such behavior, it’s behavior to be despised. And, though there’s a nasty and salacious component to the public’s hunger for exposure of private lives, I would have welcomed a little more willingness on the part of the press to print what they certainly knew.
Whatever you know or don’t know about JFK, Chris Matthews gives you a fresh and entertaining look.
November 8, 2011
A very worthwhile addition to the trove of books on JFK. I like the way Matthews used material available through the Oral History Project at the Kennedy Library as well as interviews with everyone he could find that was part of Kennedy's life and career. I like the way he blended such excellent reporting with careful research via the body of published materials and archived materials at so many different places and some hard to find written sources. I like the way he did not hesitate to express his admiration for JFK as a President, particularly his emphasis on the lessons the president learned from the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the importance of his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis - which cannot be overestimated. I like the way he covered Kennedy's record on Civil Rights and on Vietnam, and I like his analysis of Kennedy's most important speeches. I like the way, despite his abundant admiration and even designation of JFK as a heroic figure, Matthews did not hesitate to emphasize the seriousness of negative aspects, particularly Kennnedy's blatant womanizing and the covering up of his medical condition. What emerges most forcefully here, more than in the more traditional biographies written by the historians (I believe I have read them all) is the complexity of character that the man possessed, the image of his not being entirely knowable. "Elusive" is an adjective that Matthews borrowed from Jacqueline, and it seems to be a wise one, in my opinion. And I have no problem with "hero," either, despite the disappointment attendant to the negative aspects that I do not in any way excuse. Four stars instead of five: no one can completely capture JFK, and this country is the lesser for the fact that he himself did not get to compose his own autobiography. (I will always believe that this country is the lesser for his having been murdered. We lost something. I will go to my grave believing that things would not have gotten as shitty as they did. But I digress.) Matthews did good work here.
August 2, 2012
An excellent biography by Chris Matthews. I knew that Matthews has always admired John Kennedy and assumed this biography would paint a very glowing picture. So I was surprised at the profile of the young man who would do almost anything to get what he wanted. His mother didn't seem to care for him at all and he didn't get along well with his father. He was a sickly and lonely person who could never stand to be alone. While he had lifelong friends, he would shed them like a coat if they displeased him or didn't come immediately when asked. Bobby had to run interference between Jack and his father, although Jack didn't mind taking his father's money which he lived on and used for his campaigns. He had Addison's disease all his live and spent much of it in bed or on crutches. The cortisone he took for his disease caused his bones to crumble, giving him excruciating back problems (not caused by PT-109). He was given the last rites three times.
Enter Jackie. Although she knew Jack's womanizing ways, it caused a great deal of friction between them as he changed not at all after marriage (into "old wealth"). When Jackie was nine months pregnant, Jack took off on a vacation with his buddies, leaving her alone to deliver a dead child.
His presidency was something else, however. He turned out to be a thoughtful, thorough president who considered the possibility of another war unthinkable. The Bay of Pigs was a disaster, but it taught him a great deal about the communist threat against which he had rallied most of his adult life (he was a fan of Joe McCarthy and a friend to Richard Nixon). While his generals wanted to bomb Cuba's missiles brought in by the Soviets, he said no. After they were dismantled following the blockade, almost 100 nuclear warheads were found already in Cuba which would surely have annihilated us had we bombed them.
A great read!
Enter Jackie. Although she knew Jack's womanizing ways, it caused a great deal of friction between them as he changed not at all after marriage (into "old wealth"). When Jackie was nine months pregnant, Jack took off on a vacation with his buddies, leaving her alone to deliver a dead child.
His presidency was something else, however. He turned out to be a thoughtful, thorough president who considered the possibility of another war unthinkable. The Bay of Pigs was a disaster, but it taught him a great deal about the communist threat against which he had rallied most of his adult life (he was a fan of Joe McCarthy and a friend to Richard Nixon). While his generals wanted to bomb Cuba's missiles brought in by the Soviets, he said no. After they were dismantled following the blockade, almost 100 nuclear warheads were found already in Cuba which would surely have annihilated us had we bombed them.
A great read!
April 18, 2018
This book deals more with Kennedy's life before he was president. It seems to gloss over his life after the presidency and plays up his positive achievements while minimizing his faults. For instance, there is no mention of Marilyn Monroe, which surprised me. It mentions he was unfaithful to Jackie but doesn't go into detail, and barely mentions that Jack and Jackie had more than their fair share of marital difficulties. There wasn't much here that I hadn't read somewhere else but it was a quick, easy read.
November 14, 2011
Excellent biography. Extremely well written and researched. Quick, definite read.
April 27, 2019
(Audible)
A somewhat glowing biography that dabbles little into the darker side of JFK. When his decisions or behavior were not the best, Chris Matthews goes out of his way to let you know JFK had no other choice, or the road kill from his behavior were okay with being treated like that.
The depths of JFK's illnesses and his long sickly childhood made me wonder if he also had Crohn's Disease. A quick internet search says that he was diagnosed with colitis, but he also had Addison's disease and took some serious doses of steroids so perhaps the Crohn's diagnosis was never made.
(Turns out Ike had Crohns. Even had surgery for a blocked intestine.)
An interesting profile in the political coming of age of John F. Kennedy. Names of the players read like a map of Washington DC since many of the leads in JFK's life had buildings, airports and other things named after them.
Not a flattering portrait of Jackie. She comes across as quiet and empty. Good for photographs but not much there.
The obsession with not ever being alone was intense with JFK, I hadn't heard this before. Jackie was so "non person" that he often invited guests to dinner or spend the night at the White House because Jackie's companionship wasn't enough.
The whole "going girling" thing is pretty much disgusting. Politician or rock star? His "charisma" wooed so many. (barf)
I appreciated the connection between Jack's reading as a child, his focus on heroes, his adoration of Churchill. This helped fill in character foundation pieces that explained many of his future decisions.
The October missile crisis still scares the hell out me. Knowing the insider story of Jack's decision making and what he was up against did not help.
RECOMMEND
A somewhat glowing biography that dabbles little into the darker side of JFK. When his decisions or behavior were not the best, Chris Matthews goes out of his way to let you know JFK had no other choice, or the road kill from his behavior were okay with being treated like that.
The depths of JFK's illnesses and his long sickly childhood made me wonder if he also had Crohn's Disease. A quick internet search says that he was diagnosed with colitis, but he also had Addison's disease and took some serious doses of steroids so perhaps the Crohn's diagnosis was never made.
(Turns out Ike had Crohns. Even had surgery for a blocked intestine.)
An interesting profile in the political coming of age of John F. Kennedy. Names of the players read like a map of Washington DC since many of the leads in JFK's life had buildings, airports and other things named after them.
Not a flattering portrait of Jackie. She comes across as quiet and empty. Good for photographs but not much there.
The obsession with not ever being alone was intense with JFK, I hadn't heard this before. Jackie was so "non person" that he often invited guests to dinner or spend the night at the White House because Jackie's companionship wasn't enough.
The whole "going girling" thing is pretty much disgusting. Politician or rock star? His "charisma" wooed so many. (barf)
I appreciated the connection between Jack's reading as a child, his focus on heroes, his adoration of Churchill. This helped fill in character foundation pieces that explained many of his future decisions.
The October missile crisis still scares the hell out me. Knowing the insider story of Jack's decision making and what he was up against did not help.
RECOMMEND
July 31, 2018
Excellent Biography that ignores 90% of the personal and focuses on the politics and the man as he matured from rich kid to US President. Very little on his wife and children, instead the focus is on Jack, Bobby, and the interplay between the brothers, their father, and the political machines at the time. The ultimate focus is on how Kennedy became the perfect person to deal with Castro and the Cuban missile crisis.
March 5, 2019
A biography every bit as informal and affectionate as the title might suggest. Matthews may choose to soft-soap some of the seedier aspects of JFK's character but he does bring a journalist's eye to the accounts of events such as the 1960 presidential election campaign and the Cuban-missile crisis. To Matthews, "Jack" was most certainly a man-in-full.
May 30, 2020
I'd like to give this book 4.5 stars, but that doesn't appear to be an option. This was incredibly readable and approachable biography to an enigmatic and complex President. My heartaches for his idealism couple with pragmatism at this moment. I have no doubt JFK would be horrified and saddened by the current state of the union.
July 1, 2024
There was a few minor inaccuracies, and it did gloss over a decent portion of Jack's career but besides from that it was actually good. Props to the author for not including ridiculous conspiracy theories and not hashing over Jack Kennedy's death like everyone else does. It's nice to read about his life and not his death for once.
February 8, 2018
OMG, I'm only in the preface and I already feel teary-eyed! There's something about Jack Kennedy that makes me go mushy. For some reason, I can't help being reminded of Bernard Cornwall's Arthur. Especially, I'm reminded of when Derfell says, "there was Arthur, and then there was darkness".
November 19, 2018
A powerful account of the story of John Kennedy. There was so much detail in this book about that era that I did not know. It was a different time thats for sure. Kennedy came in to our lives at a time when we needed hope and he certainly gave that. It was also a very dangerous time with our relationship with the USSR and nuclear bombs. We understood that it was a dangerous time but we did not know until later how dangerous it was. Chris Matthews goes over all of this in detail and makes one realize how inexperienced Kennedy was and yet how fortunate that he was the man he was. So many around him were calling for extreme measures and yet he was so aware of history and his own mindset that he guided us through that period with a calmness. There is so much detail in this book that not only will I always remember the time period but also the workings of our young government and President Kennedy in a most respectful way. His personal values were not so great but his time in the Presidency was an endearing one.
November 30, 2019
Een zeer gedetailleerde beschrijving van JFK, hoe hij president werd, was als president. Het verhaal stopt voor de aanslag, en vertelt over zijn nalatenschap.
Ik vond het wel heel gedetailleerd.
Ik vond het wel heel gedetailleerd.
December 27, 2025
JFK, Elusive Hero
Quick facts:
- Six feet tall, between 120-160 depending on his health
- Third generation Irish
- Was a prolific reader. The book cites his reading and study of history as a key reason for his intelligence and success. He studied history and enjoyed biographies of historical figures
- Health is a huge theme of the book. He was never healthy. He spent large portions of his life in hospitals. He was able to read so much because he was constantly in the hospital. His travels were frequently interrupted by health issues. He did not receive a childhood diagnosis.
- His back was an issue starting as an early adult. The back was not a war injury. He would sleep on a board and often would wear a corset
- His undergrad thesis was a deft criticism of British appeasement. It was published as a bestseller. He was a talented writer
- He was not pushed into politics, he chose it. He was a journalist after the war. He covered the founding UN conference in April ‘45. He chose politics over journalism because he could make actual change via politics
- He was elected to the house in ‘46. He started campaigning early, building relationships, and building the Kennedy party
- He was freshman congressman with Nixon. They maintained a friendship and thought highly of each other. They were even on the same education subcommittee
- His mother was cold and distant. She never once visited him in the hospital when he was at school. She is not mentioned much
- He immediately made his independence known. He was not going to hold to the party line and kowtow to senior members of the party
- He went after organized labor
- Many in his generation felt betrayed by Yalta. Viewing it as FDR appeasing the Stalin. The same as Chamberlin appeasing Hitler in Munich ‘37. He was an ardent anti communist. He was fighting the Cold War before it even had a name
- He had many close associates but few close friends. There were always people around him, but really knew him
- He was a prolific bachelor, he fucked
- Had a greater interest in foreign relations than domestic politics. He was learning statecraft and the field of international relations. On a trip to Japan, Vietnam, and the fat east in ‘52, saw the countries were navigating communism and colonialism. He realized that to win in Vietnam the people had to be on your side and in the end they needed independence.
- He and Bobby became close on that trip to the east. Eight years apart, they were not close as kids
- Geez, Kathleen Kennedy, fourth child, died in a plane crash in ‘48. Jack and Kick were close. This family is cursed
- Early on he was developing his ideas of service. He was thinking bigger. Service was significant to his message, his ideals, and his life
- His father was extremely wealthy. One of the richest men in the world. Wow, I did not realize that they were that rich.
- The early campaigns were all volunteer driven. They had no paid staff. When someone came in to the office, they were given a task. They got the hooks in them. He had to shed his image of a rich carpetbagger. He was an aggressive on the ground campaigner. He won over democrats and republicans
- In ‘52 Bobby came into run the Senate campaign. Bobby was the only one that could stand up to their father
- There was a difference between volunteers and staff. The relationship with staff was different, staff could be replaced. Jack was not afraid to fire people, including his friends
- His father paid a Boston paper $500k in the ‘52 election
- He met Jackie in ‘52 and they were married in ‘53. Their chemistry was electric. They had a sincere connection but there was still a detachment from Jack. Jackie was the only woman that he would marry. There is a 12 year age difference. He was 36, she was 24 when they got married
- She knew about his infidelities. She understood what she was signing up for. The infidelities deeply hurt her. Their marriage seemed similar to Bill and Hillary’s
- Jack saw what was going to happen in Vietnam and he wanted America to stay away from that quagmire
- His father donated to Nixon’s senate campaign. Jack was happy when Nixon got the VP nomination. He thought Nixon was the smartest man in the house
- The Kennedys were close friends with Joseph McCarthy. Jack went to his wedding, Bobby worked for him, he was friends with the whole family. McCarthy was the most popular Irish man in the country. The Kennedys and McCarthy were strong anticommunists. To condemn McCarthy or stand by him, was a challenge
- He abstained from the vote, he was in the hospital recovering from back surgery
- He wrote Profiles In Courage in the hospital recovering from back surgery
- He almost got the VP nomination at the ‘56 convention. It significantly raised his national profile
- Jackie had a still born birth a week after the ‘56 convention. While Jack was on vacation. He did not find out until he came back. He was shit husband
- He strategically went across America meeting tens of thousands of influential Democrats. Building a grassroots organization of volunteers and delegates. This was first time going to the heartland. He started this under the radar campaigning after the ‘56 election. No one had a grassroots campaign similar to this. The time of the backroom deal nomination was changing, Kennedy was making the primaries important
- Bobby was ruthless, Jack was pitiless
- A Catholic can’t win. A huge theme of this book is Jack’s Catholicism
- Three themes related to Jack: health, wealth, Catholicism
- Protestant West Virginia helped him overcome the catholic bias. He did not hide from the religious issue, he spoke about his Catholicism. He was a catholic but he was also a war hero. He received the endorsement of an influential Protestant leader, who liked that he addressed religion. Kennedy money flowed into West Virginia. FDR Jr endorsed Jack during the West Virginia primary
- He was not a liberal, he did not like liberals. He rejected the liberal label. He was an anticommunist and he fought the labor unions
- Against Nixon, Jack sought to portray himself as the domestic FDR, caring for the people, healthcare for seniors, federal aid for education, strong enforcement of civil rights. Foreign policy he was Churchill, seeing the threat of Communism and taking aggressive action to curb it, as Churchill did against Hitler and the Nazis. They portrayed Nixon was Chamberlin, soft, old, and weak
- His New Frontiers speech was his convention acceptance speech
- Nixon was advised to be softer, Jack was aggressive. Jack strode in with confidence and indifference to Nixon. Nixon was psyched out. But that was only the first of four debates
- In a speech during the campaign, he extemporaneously spoke of what would become the Peace Corps. A non military American presence on foreign soil. It partly came from Nixon’s attack that Democrats start wars
- Jack was sensitive discrimination because of his experience as a Catholic. He was a supporter of the civil rights movement
- He personally called MLK’s wife when Dr. King was arrested. Dr. King’s father, a prominent minister in Atlanta, endorsed Jack
- JFK on the campaign spoke about nuclear disarmament
- The election was close, we won by only a few hundred thousand votes. He won the election based on the feeling of unease. That even at a time of American success, it was fragile success. America was beginning to backslide. Kennedy would reverse course and take us in to a brighter future
- He appointed republicans to be Secretaries of Defense and Treasury. The infamous McNamara to defense. As patronage to his father, Bobby as AG and Teddy to Jack’s senate seat
- Jack had not put much thought in to how to run the government. He was running the show, the chief of staff was a weak role in his white house
- Kennedy called on people to be part of something bigger than themselves, from campaign volunteers, to the peace corps, to politicking. He called upon them to fulfill higher deeds
- Len Billings, his old Choat roommate and best friend, frequently stayed at the White House. This is the person in First Friends
- Matthew’s makes no excuses for Kennedy in the disastrous Bay Of Pigs. The CIA attempt to overthrow Castro in April ‘61. The plans were in place before Kennedy but Jack should have stopped it. It is a complicated saga but Jack was wrong
- What resulted from The Bay Of Pigs, is Jack not trusting the CIA. He realized that he would have to deal with the CIA. He regretted putting Bobby in the DOJ, he should have put him at the CIA. Jack needed his people at the CIA
- He worked hard to ban nuclear testing. He worked to end the cold war and the threat of nuclear weapons. He had to resume nuclear testing in ‘62
- He could not be alone. He always had to have people around. He was rarely alone with Jackie
- Marlyn Monroe is not mentioned
- He took an hands on role in protecting the first person of color attending Ole Miss. There mobs and unreliable National Guard. Jack took incredible risks to ensure this student was protected
- The Cuban Missile Crisis
- Since the Bay Of Pigs, Bobby had been moonlighting in the intelligence agency
- The generals wanted to strike first. They wanted to attack the Cuban missile sites, they were willing to start a nuclear war. Jack stood up the generals. He was not going to war. It our country and planet’s critical showdown, Jack said no to the generals. He led us to peace. In an extraordinary life, it was his finest hour. Our planet was on a knives edge and the Kennedy crew saved us
- Gosh I love this man. The Kennedy’s are different, they are deeply flawed, inscrutable, but absolutely extraordinary. Jack, Bobby, Teddy, the Kennedy family, they are my hero’s
- Tip O’Neil was is protege. Jack gave Tip his congressional seat when he went to the senate
- The narrator uses accents when quoting characters. It’s a fairly good Kennedy impression. The book is certainly pro Kennedy. Chris Matthew’s is fan of the Kennedy’s, I prefer to read a biased book on people that I love
- The space race was always political
- Jack and Bobby stood up the steel workers and the corporate boarded. The executives tried to double cross Jack and he sent Bobby to investigate them. The executives backed down. You don’t want the Kennedys as enemies
- The civil rights speech, the voting rights act - we pushed for equality and civil rights
- Peace, Kennedy wanted peace for the planet
- He was deeply affected by visiting the Berlin Wall
- He famously visited Ireland on the Berlin trip. He was received with overwhelming enthusiasm. He visited his sister Kathleen’s grave. He greatly enjoyed the trip
- In August ‘63 we got the limited nuclear test ban treaty signed. He considered it his greatest achievement
- In August ‘63 he had a child that died two days after being born. He only had two children make it to adulthood. Jack Jr died in a plane crash in ‘99
- Jack met with Dr. King and other leaders the day of the March and after he delivered the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech
- As president, he seemed to have a greater religious faith. He prayed regularly, went to confession, and often went to mass
- He never sent troops overseas and did not drop any bombs during his presidency
- At his death it is uncertain if he knew what he was going to do with Vietnam
- Daniel Patrick Monyiagne - there’s no point in being Irish if you don’t know that someday the world is gonna break your heart
- Jack said ‘the reason people read biographies is to know what they were like.’
Quick facts:
- Six feet tall, between 120-160 depending on his health
- Third generation Irish
- Was a prolific reader. The book cites his reading and study of history as a key reason for his intelligence and success. He studied history and enjoyed biographies of historical figures
- Health is a huge theme of the book. He was never healthy. He spent large portions of his life in hospitals. He was able to read so much because he was constantly in the hospital. His travels were frequently interrupted by health issues. He did not receive a childhood diagnosis.
- His back was an issue starting as an early adult. The back was not a war injury. He would sleep on a board and often would wear a corset
- His undergrad thesis was a deft criticism of British appeasement. It was published as a bestseller. He was a talented writer
- He was not pushed into politics, he chose it. He was a journalist after the war. He covered the founding UN conference in April ‘45. He chose politics over journalism because he could make actual change via politics
- He was elected to the house in ‘46. He started campaigning early, building relationships, and building the Kennedy party
- He was freshman congressman with Nixon. They maintained a friendship and thought highly of each other. They were even on the same education subcommittee
- His mother was cold and distant. She never once visited him in the hospital when he was at school. She is not mentioned much
- He immediately made his independence known. He was not going to hold to the party line and kowtow to senior members of the party
- He went after organized labor
- Many in his generation felt betrayed by Yalta. Viewing it as FDR appeasing the Stalin. The same as Chamberlin appeasing Hitler in Munich ‘37. He was an ardent anti communist. He was fighting the Cold War before it even had a name
- He had many close associates but few close friends. There were always people around him, but really knew him
- He was a prolific bachelor, he fucked
- Had a greater interest in foreign relations than domestic politics. He was learning statecraft and the field of international relations. On a trip to Japan, Vietnam, and the fat east in ‘52, saw the countries were navigating communism and colonialism. He realized that to win in Vietnam the people had to be on your side and in the end they needed independence.
- He and Bobby became close on that trip to the east. Eight years apart, they were not close as kids
- Geez, Kathleen Kennedy, fourth child, died in a plane crash in ‘48. Jack and Kick were close. This family is cursed
- Early on he was developing his ideas of service. He was thinking bigger. Service was significant to his message, his ideals, and his life
- His father was extremely wealthy. One of the richest men in the world. Wow, I did not realize that they were that rich.
- The early campaigns were all volunteer driven. They had no paid staff. When someone came in to the office, they were given a task. They got the hooks in them. He had to shed his image of a rich carpetbagger. He was an aggressive on the ground campaigner. He won over democrats and republicans
- In ‘52 Bobby came into run the Senate campaign. Bobby was the only one that could stand up to their father
- There was a difference between volunteers and staff. The relationship with staff was different, staff could be replaced. Jack was not afraid to fire people, including his friends
- His father paid a Boston paper $500k in the ‘52 election
- He met Jackie in ‘52 and they were married in ‘53. Their chemistry was electric. They had a sincere connection but there was still a detachment from Jack. Jackie was the only woman that he would marry. There is a 12 year age difference. He was 36, she was 24 when they got married
- She knew about his infidelities. She understood what she was signing up for. The infidelities deeply hurt her. Their marriage seemed similar to Bill and Hillary’s
- Jack saw what was going to happen in Vietnam and he wanted America to stay away from that quagmire
- His father donated to Nixon’s senate campaign. Jack was happy when Nixon got the VP nomination. He thought Nixon was the smartest man in the house
- The Kennedys were close friends with Joseph McCarthy. Jack went to his wedding, Bobby worked for him, he was friends with the whole family. McCarthy was the most popular Irish man in the country. The Kennedys and McCarthy were strong anticommunists. To condemn McCarthy or stand by him, was a challenge
- He abstained from the vote, he was in the hospital recovering from back surgery
- He wrote Profiles In Courage in the hospital recovering from back surgery
- He almost got the VP nomination at the ‘56 convention. It significantly raised his national profile
- Jackie had a still born birth a week after the ‘56 convention. While Jack was on vacation. He did not find out until he came back. He was shit husband
- He strategically went across America meeting tens of thousands of influential Democrats. Building a grassroots organization of volunteers and delegates. This was first time going to the heartland. He started this under the radar campaigning after the ‘56 election. No one had a grassroots campaign similar to this. The time of the backroom deal nomination was changing, Kennedy was making the primaries important
- Bobby was ruthless, Jack was pitiless
- A Catholic can’t win. A huge theme of this book is Jack’s Catholicism
- Three themes related to Jack: health, wealth, Catholicism
- Protestant West Virginia helped him overcome the catholic bias. He did not hide from the religious issue, he spoke about his Catholicism. He was a catholic but he was also a war hero. He received the endorsement of an influential Protestant leader, who liked that he addressed religion. Kennedy money flowed into West Virginia. FDR Jr endorsed Jack during the West Virginia primary
- He was not a liberal, he did not like liberals. He rejected the liberal label. He was an anticommunist and he fought the labor unions
- Against Nixon, Jack sought to portray himself as the domestic FDR, caring for the people, healthcare for seniors, federal aid for education, strong enforcement of civil rights. Foreign policy he was Churchill, seeing the threat of Communism and taking aggressive action to curb it, as Churchill did against Hitler and the Nazis. They portrayed Nixon was Chamberlin, soft, old, and weak
- His New Frontiers speech was his convention acceptance speech
- Nixon was advised to be softer, Jack was aggressive. Jack strode in with confidence and indifference to Nixon. Nixon was psyched out. But that was only the first of four debates
- In a speech during the campaign, he extemporaneously spoke of what would become the Peace Corps. A non military American presence on foreign soil. It partly came from Nixon’s attack that Democrats start wars
- Jack was sensitive discrimination because of his experience as a Catholic. He was a supporter of the civil rights movement
- He personally called MLK’s wife when Dr. King was arrested. Dr. King’s father, a prominent minister in Atlanta, endorsed Jack
- JFK on the campaign spoke about nuclear disarmament
- The election was close, we won by only a few hundred thousand votes. He won the election based on the feeling of unease. That even at a time of American success, it was fragile success. America was beginning to backslide. Kennedy would reverse course and take us in to a brighter future
- He appointed republicans to be Secretaries of Defense and Treasury. The infamous McNamara to defense. As patronage to his father, Bobby as AG and Teddy to Jack’s senate seat
- Jack had not put much thought in to how to run the government. He was running the show, the chief of staff was a weak role in his white house
- Kennedy called on people to be part of something bigger than themselves, from campaign volunteers, to the peace corps, to politicking. He called upon them to fulfill higher deeds
- Len Billings, his old Choat roommate and best friend, frequently stayed at the White House. This is the person in First Friends
- Matthew’s makes no excuses for Kennedy in the disastrous Bay Of Pigs. The CIA attempt to overthrow Castro in April ‘61. The plans were in place before Kennedy but Jack should have stopped it. It is a complicated saga but Jack was wrong
- What resulted from The Bay Of Pigs, is Jack not trusting the CIA. He realized that he would have to deal with the CIA. He regretted putting Bobby in the DOJ, he should have put him at the CIA. Jack needed his people at the CIA
- He worked hard to ban nuclear testing. He worked to end the cold war and the threat of nuclear weapons. He had to resume nuclear testing in ‘62
- He could not be alone. He always had to have people around. He was rarely alone with Jackie
- Marlyn Monroe is not mentioned
- He took an hands on role in protecting the first person of color attending Ole Miss. There mobs and unreliable National Guard. Jack took incredible risks to ensure this student was protected
- The Cuban Missile Crisis
- Since the Bay Of Pigs, Bobby had been moonlighting in the intelligence agency
- The generals wanted to strike first. They wanted to attack the Cuban missile sites, they were willing to start a nuclear war. Jack stood up the generals. He was not going to war. It our country and planet’s critical showdown, Jack said no to the generals. He led us to peace. In an extraordinary life, it was his finest hour. Our planet was on a knives edge and the Kennedy crew saved us
- Gosh I love this man. The Kennedy’s are different, they are deeply flawed, inscrutable, but absolutely extraordinary. Jack, Bobby, Teddy, the Kennedy family, they are my hero’s
- Tip O’Neil was is protege. Jack gave Tip his congressional seat when he went to the senate
- The narrator uses accents when quoting characters. It’s a fairly good Kennedy impression. The book is certainly pro Kennedy. Chris Matthew’s is fan of the Kennedy’s, I prefer to read a biased book on people that I love
- The space race was always political
- Jack and Bobby stood up the steel workers and the corporate boarded. The executives tried to double cross Jack and he sent Bobby to investigate them. The executives backed down. You don’t want the Kennedys as enemies
- The civil rights speech, the voting rights act - we pushed for equality and civil rights
- Peace, Kennedy wanted peace for the planet
- He was deeply affected by visiting the Berlin Wall
- He famously visited Ireland on the Berlin trip. He was received with overwhelming enthusiasm. He visited his sister Kathleen’s grave. He greatly enjoyed the trip
- In August ‘63 we got the limited nuclear test ban treaty signed. He considered it his greatest achievement
- In August ‘63 he had a child that died two days after being born. He only had two children make it to adulthood. Jack Jr died in a plane crash in ‘99
- Jack met with Dr. King and other leaders the day of the March and after he delivered the ‘I Have A Dream’ speech
- As president, he seemed to have a greater religious faith. He prayed regularly, went to confession, and often went to mass
- He never sent troops overseas and did not drop any bombs during his presidency
- At his death it is uncertain if he knew what he was going to do with Vietnam
- Daniel Patrick Monyiagne - there’s no point in being Irish if you don’t know that someday the world is gonna break your heart
- Jack said ‘the reason people read biographies is to know what they were like.’
July 14, 2023
A bit hagiographic. But that's okay. RIP to an amazing American and President
March 17, 2018
I decided to read this book after reading the author's biography of Bobby Kennedy. I did find it informative about the life of John F. Kennedy, especially his younger years. It is interesting to see how Kennedy got involved in politics, especially with numerous health problems and being Irish-Catholic. I have read several books on JFK and this one is a good biography.
I did find one error in regards to his sister's Kathleen's husband. One chapter says he died in 1944 while a few chapters later, it was 1945. The correct date was 1944.
I did find one error in regards to his sister's Kathleen's husband. One chapter says he died in 1944 while a few chapters later, it was 1945. The correct date was 1944.
December 16, 2011
I was 14 yrs old when John F. Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic elected as President of the United States. I was 17 and a junior in high school when he was assassinated. My father, a WWII veteran, was enthusiastic about Kennedy's candidacy although he kept on telling me that he wasn't going to win. Everyone I knew pretty much was enthusiastic about Kennedy.
Of course I lived in something of a bubble: a working class row house neighborhood in Northeast Philly where you were, for the most part, either Catholic or Jewish. Most of the kids I knew went to our local Catholic school. It was expected that we would go on to the local Catholic high school.
Chris Matthews is a few years younger than I and comes from a more affluent background. His father was a Republican and white collar worker. Mine was a Democrat through and through and blue collar all of the way.Chris Matthews came from a more affluent neighborhood - Somerton - which seemed so very far away.
I lived in a slightly grittier neighborhood called Mayfair. Not that it was very gritty actually. Keep in mind that this was a different time. There were no gangs roaming the streets in my neighborhood. It wasn't until I was an adult that there was much of anything but Whites in our neighborhood. Philly was a highly segregated city like so many other cities. Matthews was a little boy when Kennedy was running so he was for Nixon.
My family was never for Nixon. My father and mother despised him. What Jack Kennedy was to my parents was a fresh face, their own age, a Democrat, not as liberal as Roosevelt, but certainly more acceptable to them than Eisenhower. My father had no respect for Eisenhower partly because he was in the Pacific Theatre during WWII and was a fan of Douglas McArthur and partly because he didn't like Republicans at all.
I grew up in that kind of home. I still don't much like Republicans at all. So I admit to some bias here! I watch Chris Matthews on Hardball pretty regularly. I like his style, and I enjoy the fact that he doesn't pussyfoot around with some of the conservative crazies out there. At the same time, though, he is still respectful - something that is lacking in a lot of the conservative commentators right now. He is a practicing Catholic. I am not. However, he is not afraid to go after the pedophiles either.
Having said all this, I have to tell you that I have some bias here when it comes to JFK. He is my hero - a flawed hero, but still a hero. He wasn't perfect. I wouldn't have agreed with everything he said or did or believed. He was friends with Richard Nixon for one thing!
Matthews makes the case for JFK and why he ranks as one of the important presidents despite his short tenure. I have read that he didn't accomplish anything. That's simply not true. His signature achievement was a nuclear test ban. He took us from the brink of war with the then Soviet Union without firing a shot - with the hard work of diplomacy and statesmanship.
He got the space program moving although he didn't get to see us land on the moon. He loved technology. He would have been right at home with today's technology. I believe he would have embraced it. The Peace Corps was his idea and it endures today.
As I finished the book last night, I thought about those tumultuous years that followed his death. Vietnam, Nixon, Carter, Reagan. I believe things would have been VERY different if he had lived to fulfill two terms. The book brought back a lot of memories and also taught me a lot about those times when I was a little girl and not aware of the world outside my own neighborhood and family.
This book is a fascinating look at an interesting and complex man - one who could love his wife and still have a multitude of affairs, who could leave her behind when she was suffering a miscarriage. Then he stays by her bedside and talks about the baby who died after only a few days of life and weeps in private. When Kennedy died, I was a junior in high school attending a large Catholic girls' high school in Northeast Philadelphia. As we left for the day, there was total silence. I still remember seeing the wet eyes of my classmates. He meant a lot to us. For me he still resonates.
Of course I lived in something of a bubble: a working class row house neighborhood in Northeast Philly where you were, for the most part, either Catholic or Jewish. Most of the kids I knew went to our local Catholic school. It was expected that we would go on to the local Catholic high school.
Chris Matthews is a few years younger than I and comes from a more affluent background. His father was a Republican and white collar worker. Mine was a Democrat through and through and blue collar all of the way.Chris Matthews came from a more affluent neighborhood - Somerton - which seemed so very far away.
I lived in a slightly grittier neighborhood called Mayfair. Not that it was very gritty actually. Keep in mind that this was a different time. There were no gangs roaming the streets in my neighborhood. It wasn't until I was an adult that there was much of anything but Whites in our neighborhood. Philly was a highly segregated city like so many other cities. Matthews was a little boy when Kennedy was running so he was for Nixon.
My family was never for Nixon. My father and mother despised him. What Jack Kennedy was to my parents was a fresh face, their own age, a Democrat, not as liberal as Roosevelt, but certainly more acceptable to them than Eisenhower. My father had no respect for Eisenhower partly because he was in the Pacific Theatre during WWII and was a fan of Douglas McArthur and partly because he didn't like Republicans at all.
I grew up in that kind of home. I still don't much like Republicans at all. So I admit to some bias here! I watch Chris Matthews on Hardball pretty regularly. I like his style, and I enjoy the fact that he doesn't pussyfoot around with some of the conservative crazies out there. At the same time, though, he is still respectful - something that is lacking in a lot of the conservative commentators right now. He is a practicing Catholic. I am not. However, he is not afraid to go after the pedophiles either.
Having said all this, I have to tell you that I have some bias here when it comes to JFK. He is my hero - a flawed hero, but still a hero. He wasn't perfect. I wouldn't have agreed with everything he said or did or believed. He was friends with Richard Nixon for one thing!
Matthews makes the case for JFK and why he ranks as one of the important presidents despite his short tenure. I have read that he didn't accomplish anything. That's simply not true. His signature achievement was a nuclear test ban. He took us from the brink of war with the then Soviet Union without firing a shot - with the hard work of diplomacy and statesmanship.
He got the space program moving although he didn't get to see us land on the moon. He loved technology. He would have been right at home with today's technology. I believe he would have embraced it. The Peace Corps was his idea and it endures today.
As I finished the book last night, I thought about those tumultuous years that followed his death. Vietnam, Nixon, Carter, Reagan. I believe things would have been VERY different if he had lived to fulfill two terms. The book brought back a lot of memories and also taught me a lot about those times when I was a little girl and not aware of the world outside my own neighborhood and family.
This book is a fascinating look at an interesting and complex man - one who could love his wife and still have a multitude of affairs, who could leave her behind when she was suffering a miscarriage. Then he stays by her bedside and talks about the baby who died after only a few days of life and weeps in private. When Kennedy died, I was a junior in high school attending a large Catholic girls' high school in Northeast Philadelphia. As we left for the day, there was total silence. I still remember seeing the wet eyes of my classmates. He meant a lot to us. For me he still resonates.
February 8, 2013
Chris Matthew seems very proud of his new book. I know this because I have watched his TV show "Hardball" for years and I can sense a new excitement and personal pride when he talks about his new book. Having read it, I can see why he is so pleased with his creation. The book is easy to read, It moves along at a crisp pace. Moreover, I learned things about JFK that I didn't know before. For one, I knew JFK had medical problems, but I never realized how severe they were. It is amazing that someone so sick and in chronic pain accomplished what he did. Also, I knew he was a hero in WWII, but the leadership, courage, and grit he showed were extraordinary. Matthews puts you in the battle and has you live the experience. JFK was not only brave but he was highly intelligent. From seeing him on TV, I knew that Jack Kennedy was sharp-witted. He routinely began answering reporter's questions before they finishing asking them. However, I never knew how scholarly he really was. His numerous bed-ridden sick days were not idle times for him. He was reading and thinking about what he learned. He was interested in world events from a young age. He was writing academic books early on. Chris Matthews must have done intense research to know all he tells about the inner workings of the Kennedy Dynasty. I had always assumed JFK was highly in sync with his rich and powerful father. We know that his dad funded part of the 1960 presidential campaign. However, Matthews says Jack was not intimidated by his father; quite the contrary. He was often 180 degrees out from his father on big issues. That independent spirit and faith in his own judgement served our country well during the Cuban missile crisis. JFK stood up to the military brass, who egged him on towards a showdown with the USSR. JFK saw the insanity in what they were advocating and acted wisely and independently to avoid a global nuclear war. Matthews doesn't omit the promiscuous side of JFK from the book, but he doesn't pass judgement either. I understand why he skipped over it lightly. The theme of the book is about JFK's heroism. Hey Chris, in case you are reading this book review, I remember how you crucified Bill Clinton on Hardball. Day after day, he pounded Clinton for what seemed to me to be nobody's business. JFK had hundreds of different women from what I have read. I can see why Clinton felt it was highly unfair. Do I recommend the book? Of course. Enjoy!
Ralph Hermansen December 22, 2011
Ralph Hermansen December 22, 2011
April 4, 2016
I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13475134
I always liked Jack Kennedy, but I wondered how much of that feeling was from all the myths and his legendary charisma. What I believe is the real Jack comes through in this book.
Hardly a saint, neither was he that bad of a sinner.
From an early age he was a reader. His physical problems led to his having to spend a great deal of time at home alone, and books kept him company nicely. He developed or was born with a remarkable ability to retain information, to process it. And like our founding fathers he knew history.
His physical problems were far worse than I had realized. Yet he put up with great pain to present the appearance of health and vigor, which he needed for the course he followed. First, as commander of a PT boat, he behaved heroically to save his men when his ship was destroyed. Later, when campaigning for the House of Representatives he went door to door for months, and did it again when campaigning for Senate and for president. These efforts took a toll on his body.
Lit with a fire from within, Kennedy seemed to know that he was destined for the presidency from early on. He felt he needed to be there to do what had to be done. You could say he was full of himself to believe he had the answers. I don't think that's all it was. He honestly seemed to have learned from his study and his observations and wanted very much to do more for his country, as he urged all Americans, than he asked it to do for him.
Through much of the book I felt that Matthews had a kind of hero-worship toward Kennedy and that this probably colored his approach to the book. Nevertheless he did not back away from telling of Jack's infidelities (not that he spent much time on them) and of the way he used Bobby Kennedy in particular (but also others) to keep people in line. He was ruthless when he felt it was necessary.
I came away sad for Jaqueline Kennedy, who weathered much in private, and admiring of the man who wanted more for all of us, the flawed hero but hero nonetheless.
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/13475134
I always liked Jack Kennedy, but I wondered how much of that feeling was from all the myths and his legendary charisma. What I believe is the real Jack comes through in this book.
Hardly a saint, neither was he that bad of a sinner.
From an early age he was a reader. His physical problems led to his having to spend a great deal of time at home alone, and books kept him company nicely. He developed or was born with a remarkable ability to retain information, to process it. And like our founding fathers he knew history.
His physical problems were far worse than I had realized. Yet he put up with great pain to present the appearance of health and vigor, which he needed for the course he followed. First, as commander of a PT boat, he behaved heroically to save his men when his ship was destroyed. Later, when campaigning for the House of Representatives he went door to door for months, and did it again when campaigning for Senate and for president. These efforts took a toll on his body.
Lit with a fire from within, Kennedy seemed to know that he was destined for the presidency from early on. He felt he needed to be there to do what had to be done. You could say he was full of himself to believe he had the answers. I don't think that's all it was. He honestly seemed to have learned from his study and his observations and wanted very much to do more for his country, as he urged all Americans, than he asked it to do for him.
Through much of the book I felt that Matthews had a kind of hero-worship toward Kennedy and that this probably colored his approach to the book. Nevertheless he did not back away from telling of Jack's infidelities (not that he spent much time on them) and of the way he used Bobby Kennedy in particular (but also others) to keep people in line. He was ruthless when he felt it was necessary.
I came away sad for Jaqueline Kennedy, who weathered much in private, and admiring of the man who wanted more for all of us, the flawed hero but hero nonetheless.
November 27, 2011
Chris Matthews has written an exciting,well-written,informative study of JFK's life. Most of us
have thought that there was no more to write;however,Matthews brings us such new information as how
dependent Jack was on a circle of close friends. He tells us that Rose was very chilly towards Jack.
The fact that Jack was given the last rites of the Catholic Church at least three times before he was
assassinated because he had been that near death. We never knew just how frail he was.He had a very bad
back, and he had Addison's disease,causing him to be constantly medicated.
Further insights reveal just how competitive and ruthless Jack and Robert could be when they had a
certain goal in mind. This was particularly shown when Jack was preparing to be the presidential nominee
of the Democratic Party. Jack and Bobbie,the"enforcer",threatened the governor of Ohio with holding back
funds and support for his re-election. Another aspect which we have forgotten in the last 50 years was the
issue of Jack's Catholicism. The Catholic Church is still anathema to Southern fundamentalists,but during
the campaign, Jack didn't hesitate to beard the lion in his den when he spoke to the convention of southern evangelicals in Huston. He assured them that there would be no interference by the Pope in the
affairs of our government.
For a very good read,one which will hold your attention as well as the best fiction, I highly recommend this study of the life of our thiry-fifth president.
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