RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise

by Isabel Vincent

"A bombshell new biography." —People Magazine

A revelatory portrait of Robert F. Kennedy Jr., chronicling his battles with addiction and his astonishing journey from entitled scion to environmental activist to a prominent member of the president's cabinet, based on RFK Jr.’s secret journals and the author’s interviews with dozens of sources close to him.

Born into one of the most storied families in American history, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was fourteen years old when his father was assassinated. He has since spent his life grappling with the weight of his family’s legacy. Like his martyred father, RFK Jr. longs to be a hero, but he has struggled with his demons. “I knew daddy was watching me, and that he loved me,” he wrote in a diary entry, “But I also felt I was disappointing him.”

Those thoughts were set down in his diary when he was serving out a monthlong prison term in Puerto Rico for civil disobedience. The experience changed his life. Alone in his cell, he was forced to grapple with his personal conflicts—his addictions to drugs and women—but also to question everything that he and his family once held sacred, including their allegiance to the Democratic Party, which had sustained the Kennedy family for generations.

RFK Jr. became disillusioned with many of the party’s leaders even as he committed himself to carving out a distinct identity as a public servant. He would vow to step up his environmental crusade, later establishing himself as a public health critic with controversial views on vaccines. He became a political maverick.

But even now, in his seventies, and after an unexpected pivot into the national spotlight as a political and cultural figure at odds with both the Democratic Party and his family, RFK Jr. is still fighting to live up to the legacy of his father.

Award-winning journalist Isabel Vincent draws on exclusive access to RFK Jr.’s personal diaries, candid interviews, and previously unreleased material, providing an unparalleled view of the life and mind of one of the most divisive individuals in America today, a deeply flawed man whose public life has often been in conflict with his private battles.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Politics, History, Audiobook

304 pages, Hardcover

Published April 14, 2026

About the author

Isabel Vincent (born 1965 in Toronto) is a Canadian investigative journalist who writes for the New York Post, an alumna of the University of Toronto Varsity newspaper, and the author of several books.

(from Wikipedia)

Reviews

[Ariana Wilroy · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was a very disappointing book. I was hoping it would explore how a privileged person from a storied family could turn against everything his family believes in, but this book did not cover that. The first 20% of the book was about JFK and RFK and their policies in the ‘60’s, which felt like a long tangent. It went into too much detail on events that didn’t matter to the story and glossed over events that DID matter.
Even though the author was quite sympathetic towards Jr, she still couldn’t fully disguise the fact that he’s a disgusting, entitled person.

[Anthony Millspaugh · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was so much hype and honestly, aside from yet another bizarre incident ( a raccoon penis?!) and yet, another disastrous marriage, Cheryl Hines, sort of a ho hum read.

[KOMET · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive, well-rounded biography that is, in part, shaped from RFK Jr.'s diaries (which the author received from one of her journalistic sources a decade ago, following the suicide of RFK Jr.'s second wife Mary), of a man from a storied family, who was brought up to believe that he was destined to be elected President of the United States.

Prior to his appointment as the current Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS), I was largely aware of Robert Kennedy, Jr. through his prior work as an environmental lawyer. But I confess I came to dislike him for his anti-vaccine position and his pivot into right-wing politics. Now, having read this biography, I have a better understanding of this conflicted, troubled, and at times well-intentioned though arrogant man with an overweening sense of entitlement.

[Chrissy Packtor]

This book has a lot of interesting information, but it’s so poorly structured that reading it feels like a slog. Additionally, most of the interesting info is about other Kennedy family members, not even RFK, Jr.

[Felice Silk · Rating 1 out of 5]

boring

I had to skip many parts of this book. It certainly is a page turner because I skipped ahead many pages. Not worth the read

[Erin Matson · Rating 2 out of 5]

This biography of RFK Jr. is written with noticeable conservative bias. More editing would have been helpful to fix some stray, atrocious sentences (including prepositions such as “with with” and one that placed a murder in a new location).

When the time comes for RFK Jr.’s biography, what we will need is coverage of what RFK did to HHS and, by extension, the American people. This does not cover that. Biographies written too early are a bad idea.

[Valerie Anne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very boring.

[Tom Schutt · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is moreso about the careless entitlement of the Kennedy family than about RFK Jr. himself. I was expecting more stories of the roadkill harvasting, vaccine denying swimmer in open sewage, but all those anecdotes and no new ones are saved for last.

The portrait instead is of a man who wants be seen doing great things. This is a little too humanizing and pedestrian for such an eccentric person as RFK Jr.

[mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw this on my list of new books and even though I abhor how he has conducted his public life, I decided to read it and keep an open mind. I am a retired medical professional, so I view things with that eye. I do believe immunizations are important and have saved lives and are responsible for preventing death and sequelae from diseases we don't think about today due to use of immunizations. I read that RFK Jr. was brought up in a neglectful environment, that has the protection afforded the rich but really should have been reported to child protective services. I see that after the assassination of his father, his family life disintegrated. He is an opportunist, egoist, and sexual addicted man who leads a double life. So why is he heading the CDC enough said. The author did her best with no authorization but read between the lines, our country is faltering

[Eric · Rating 3 out of 5]

I went into this book hoping I would learn something to help temper my dislike of this guy. Attempt failed. What a cretin.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Man of Paradox, A Mirror of America

RFK Jr.: The Fall and Rise reads less like a conventional political biography and more like an unfiltered excavation of a man caught between myth and self-destruction. The intimacy is novelistic at times—but also moving as it reveals a flawed, but ambitious man, trying to understand himself. In all the ways fractured characters in drama demand attention—this look at RFK, Jr. reminded me that power, ambition, guilt and personal chaos can all exist simultaneously.

This book reminds the reader of the Kennedy legacy (addiction, ego, grief, service, and reinvention) while creating a portrait that feels both deeply human and deeply polarizing. The book created an emotional whiplash throughout, where admiration and frustration coexisted in equal measure.

As a reader, I found myself pulled into a deeply conflicted emotional space. There are moments that reveal a man capable of genuine conviction and even self-sacrifice, particularly in his sense of mission and legacy. But those moments are often shadowed by choices and impulses that feel strikingly self-serving. That tension is what makes the book so compelling—it’s not trying to resolve the contradictions, it lets them exist side by side for the reader to come to their own conclusions.

RFK Jr. ultimately feels less like a singular figure and more like a reflection of America itself—defined by ambition and idealism, yet riddled with contradiction. His story captures a nation still striving toward purpose while wrestling with its own fractured identity.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Extremely interesting biography of RFK, Jr. He is the son of Bobby and Ethel Kennedy who has become so controversial. RFK is a really complex character. I went into the book really not liking the man. We hear a lot of his quirky experiences (and there are a lot of them.) He also expresses in the book his deep desire to do the right thing. He admits that he is a serial cheater. He admits to taking all of the drugs we have heard about. What I didn't know is that RFK, Jr was instrumental in getting the Hudson River cleaned. His first years were as an environmental advocate. However, he got linked into the vaccine debate which has cause a real issue with family and the public.

I thought the writing was a bit biased against Kennedy, but he also humanized the man a lot. I would recommend reading the book. It is enlightening in many ways. I still do NOT support the man, though.

[Dawn · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more insight into how RFK, jr would veer so far astray from his family and his own legacy, but that is not really addressed, beyond stating that most of his family does not support him––that's clear from the news. I was once a fan of his environmental efforts, but watching him change, has made that a mute point. This book was interesting enough to finish, and confirm my opinion that RFK, jr has become a very selfish, misguided man, but there wasn't a lot in here that I haven't already read. For anyone who doesn't already know their Kennedy history, this is a fairly complete biography, if not a little too surface for me. It was an easy listen on Audible.

[Diane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Still like him despite his flaws. I had a cousin born in the 60's who was severely autistic. My aunt swore, long before RFK took up the cause, that the vaccines caused it. She swore, and we have pictures that prove it, that he was as smiling normal baby but after his vaccines never smiled or spoke a word. Maybe he was predisposed based on his genes, at the least this should be discussed and researched. Certain people got hit with myocarditis or other ailments after the Covid vaccine, while others were perfectly fine. Maybe these people too were predisposed.

[Annie Booker · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent book abut a man who really comes across as an enigma. He strikes me as intelligent but easily influenced, hooking his political and ethical wagon to whatever new idea that captures his flighty attention. I do think there was a time in his life when he really wanted to be like his father. But then the assassination happened, and the drugs came along, and the marital infidelities, and then Trump appeared and all the good that might have been in him vanished, just like that. No matter your opinion of him, this is a brilliantlly insightfulbook.

[Marie Kruse · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I got this book, I thought it would be totally about RFK Jr. Shortly into the book, I realized you can't just read about one Kennedy; you have to read about them all. The Kennedy family is a whole city in its self. They intertwine into each others lives. So, you just can't write a book about one Kennedy without mentioning literally all of them. Their entitled lives affect the whole family every single day.

[LaShanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Intriguing Read!!

What an intriguing read! I went into this book not liking RFK Jr., and I came away feeling exactly the same! That said, the author does an excellent job chronicling his life, exploring his family legacy, and examining the experiences and controversies that shaped him. Well-researched and engaging, this book offers fascinating insight into a complex and controversial figure, even if it didn’t change my opinion of him one bit!

[Jenn]

**pre-pub: looks like the author is going to bring up the topic of Mary Kennedy's suicide and that her hands were in the noose. I read about this in the Kennedy wives book "Ask Not" by Maureen Callahan and it blew my mind. What a curse this family can have, but amazing that it didn't hit everyone.**

[Russ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure what to make of this book. The title is highly misleading as the bulk of the book chronicles Kennedy’s “fall” (all well deserved criticism) but very little about the “rise” if there really is one. The author seems skeptical. Very disjointed at times especially in the beginning. It almost seemed like the author was unsure what the direction and focus should be.

[Regan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parts were interesting and new. A lot of the book was about the Kennedy family in general and things RFJ Jr had to say about them or just about them in general. I can see how witnessing a parent being murdered -- especially a high profile one with security would do permanent mental and emotional damage to a person's psyche.

[Fred H · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book focuses a lot on RFK's diaries, which he wrote at least 25 years ago. The portrait of RFK from his diaries show him to be a quite flawed but also human and at times sympathetic. However, there is little or nothing about his more recent life that has not already been covered in the media.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was hoping for more from this. I find RFK fascinating because he appears to be insane, but this didn't really help me to understand him. It's partly frustrating because it's a highly detailed account of the life of a man of no great talent or importance, at least until he landed a cabinet post thanks to Trump.

[Jodi · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a rather skin deep look at RFK Jr.'s life, told through the prism of some of his private journals. If you've paid any attention to the news this past decade, or have read anything at all about the Kennedys, nothing here will seem very new. Delivered very dry.

[Gerry McCaffrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable enough read but I’m not too sure there was an early “rise” to justify the book’s title.
Tough childhood and his family name certainly has supported him throughout. Betrayal, very self centred individual.

[Autumn Kearney · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was an unorganized mess. It was as if the author took sections of the book, threw them in the air, shuffled them like a deck of cards, and had them printed out that way. The sentence structure was good, and parts of it were interesting and informative. It bounced around too much.

[Helen Bright]

Confirmed my priors: Kennedys are indeed bad

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the author’s writing style, but didn’t learn anything new. I think this book would be better suited for someone who doesn’t know the Kennedy family history.

[Merari · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great history book. Well written. Well detailed. Nothing about RFK that we didn’t already know.

[Millie · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars for the research and writing but no stars for the subject. I really hate this entitled, ignorant p***k.

[Wendy Winter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Learn how politics works here: marry into a “named family” or be from a named family. Exploit that name, find a cause, or two or three, & make millions.