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Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy
A vivid, intimate biography of Ethel Kennedy written by her daughter Kerry Kennedy, who takes us inside the life of an American icon through her firsthand memories and exclusive access to her mother's unpublished writings.
When her husband Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, Ethel Skakel Kennedy—then pregnant with their eleventh child—drew national attention for her grace, dignity, and resolute commitment to furthering his work in human rights, even in her grief. But as no one knows better than her daughter, Kerry, Ethel was so much more than a dutiful wife and keeper of Robert's extraordinary legacy of service. She was extraordinary in her own courageous, curious, compassionate, and witty, always guided by faith and an instinct for speaking truth to power.
At once a deeply-researched biography and an intimate tribute, Ethel tells the remarkable story of this woman who spent more than seventy years at the center of American political life, but always remained somewhat enigmatic to the public. Kerry delves into her own memories, her family's recollections, and her mother's private papers to paint a true-to-life portrait of her beloved mother, one that captures her humor, resilience, and hope. Until her recent passing, Ethel was the last survivor of Camelot, and she is remembered as a pillar of endurance, strength, and religious belief who rarely revealed anything about her interior life to the media. With a daughter’s insight and care, as well as access to family papers and unpublished letters not available to historians or journalists, Kerry tells her
Ethel's family's journey from a working-class Chicago background to life in the tony Greenwich, ConnecticutEthel's fairytale romance with Kerry's father RFK—a courtship that inspired a Taylor Swift song half a century laterHow the bold, athletic Ethel quickly became "more Kennedy than the Kennedys"The years on the famed family properties in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, and the Hickory Hill estate in Virginia, where Kerry and her ten siblings grew up amidst presidents and politicians, Olympians and Hollywood stars, and a rambunctious menagerie of pet animalsMoments of pain and loss—RFK’s assassination just five years after that of his brother; and the tragic deaths of two of Kerry’s siblingsEthel’s unflagging commitment to global human rights causes that carried on through the decades
Ethel offers an account of all that she accomplished as a wife, matriarch, and political activist, who inspires us to reject cynicism and to live bigger and bolder.
Ethel includes sixteen pages of color photographs,
When her husband Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated in 1968, Ethel Skakel Kennedy—then pregnant with their eleventh child—drew national attention for her grace, dignity, and resolute commitment to furthering his work in human rights, even in her grief. But as no one knows better than her daughter, Kerry, Ethel was so much more than a dutiful wife and keeper of Robert's extraordinary legacy of service. She was extraordinary in her own courageous, curious, compassionate, and witty, always guided by faith and an instinct for speaking truth to power.
At once a deeply-researched biography and an intimate tribute, Ethel tells the remarkable story of this woman who spent more than seventy years at the center of American political life, but always remained somewhat enigmatic to the public. Kerry delves into her own memories, her family's recollections, and her mother's private papers to paint a true-to-life portrait of her beloved mother, one that captures her humor, resilience, and hope. Until her recent passing, Ethel was the last survivor of Camelot, and she is remembered as a pillar of endurance, strength, and religious belief who rarely revealed anything about her interior life to the media. With a daughter’s insight and care, as well as access to family papers and unpublished letters not available to historians or journalists, Kerry tells her
Ethel's family's journey from a working-class Chicago background to life in the tony Greenwich, ConnecticutEthel's fairytale romance with Kerry's father RFK—a courtship that inspired a Taylor Swift song half a century laterHow the bold, athletic Ethel quickly became "more Kennedy than the Kennedys"The years on the famed family properties in Hyannis Port, Massachusetts, and the Hickory Hill estate in Virginia, where Kerry and her ten siblings grew up amidst presidents and politicians, Olympians and Hollywood stars, and a rambunctious menagerie of pet animalsMoments of pain and loss—RFK’s assassination just five years after that of his brother; and the tragic deaths of two of Kerry’s siblingsEthel’s unflagging commitment to global human rights causes that carried on through the decades
Ethel offers an account of all that she accomplished as a wife, matriarch, and political activist, who inspires us to reject cynicism and to live bigger and bolder.
Ethel includes sixteen pages of color photographs,
Kindle Edition
Published October 13, 2026
About the author
Kerry Kennedy
25 books31 followersMary Kerry Kennedy is an American human rights activist and writer. She is the seventh child and third daughter of Robert F. Kennedy and Ethel Skakel. She is the president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, a nonprofit charitable human rights advocacy organization.
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
October 16, 2026
Family and others who were close to Ethel Kennedy may appreciate this heartfelt tribute by her daughter, but to others of us who didn’t know her it’s just plain boring as she endlessly shares with the reader the minutiae of her every day interactions with family members and others. More important things like Bobby Jr.’s heroin addiction and David’s death only warrant a few paragraphs. And if you’re expecting to learn more about the personal relationship between Ethel and her husband as I was, don’t buy this book. Most of the parts about Kerry’s father are borrowed from other books that have been written about him. I have to admit that I was unable to finish the book. I was ready to slit my wrists by page 300. And as to claims that Ethel was some kind of human rights advocate, there is very little evidence of that here. Sadly, this book was a waste of time,
October 22, 2026
It started out promising. I enjoyed reading about Ethel's childhood and her family's upward trajectory. But once she met up with the Kennedy family it seemed to me she became almost manic. The book devolved into paragraph after paragraph of stories that the family found "hilarious" but I found to be obnoxious. Some examples, Ethel pushed people dressed in formal wear into pools (on more than one occasion), ignored the care instructions of zookeepers who let them borrow animals for parties, took people out sailing or skiing when the conditions were dangerous. And then just laughed it all off - haha!! . Maybe she did do some good works but it seemed like a lot of humble bragging.
October 23, 2026
I was really looking forward to reading this book. Unfortunately it was disappointing.
Possible spoilers below.
I didn’t enjoy reading about this family who could afford to purchase exotic, endangered animals to keep in “five by five cubes” in the basement. And after one of these exotic animals acted like the animal it was and scratched and bit Ethyl it was carried out in a coffin. Told like it was a humorous incident.
Another supposedly humorous incident involved two bear cubs who were lassoed in the wild and kept as pets until they became too big and dangerous. Then they were taken in the truck of a car to be released in Nova Scotia. This was because a supposed animal lover who “did not always follow the rules.”
I found this book to be boring at best and totally not what I had expected.
Possible spoilers below.
I didn’t enjoy reading about this family who could afford to purchase exotic, endangered animals to keep in “five by five cubes” in the basement. And after one of these exotic animals acted like the animal it was and scratched and bit Ethyl it was carried out in a coffin. Told like it was a humorous incident.
Another supposedly humorous incident involved two bear cubs who were lassoed in the wild and kept as pets until they became too big and dangerous. Then they were taken in the truck of a car to be released in Nova Scotia. This was because a supposed animal lover who “did not always follow the rules.”
I found this book to be boring at best and totally not what I had expected.
October 30, 2026
There is something inherently fascinating about the Kennedy family. Few American dynasties have managed to occupy quite so much space in the collective imagination, balancing political ambition, extraordinary privilege, public service, scandal, tragedy, and an almost Shakespearean appetite for heartbreak. They are a family whose history seems perpetually suspended somewhere between American royalty and Greek tragedy. And Ethel Kennedy, for all the years she spent standing beside the men who dominated that history, has always been a fascinating figure in her own right.
I enjoyed Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy, although I think it is important to understand what sort of biography Kerry Kennedy has written. This is, after all, a daughter's account of her mother. It is an intimate portrait assembled from personal memories, family recollections, letters, and Ethel's own papers. There is an obvious affection running through the narrative, and understandably so. But that affection also means the book is naturally inclined toward admiration rather than interrogation. It is less an investigative biography than a personal reflection on a remarkable woman and the life Kerry shared with her.
The book takes us from Ethel Skakel's privileged upbringing in Greenwich, Connecticut, through her courtship and marriage to Robert F. Kennedy, and into the extraordinary world of the Kennedy family. We get the familiar landmarks: Hyannis Port, the political campaigns, the White House years, the glamorous social circles, and the sprawling family estate at Hickory Hill. There are eleven children, an almost absurd assortment of animals, famous visitors, political conversations, family traditions, and the sort of domestic chaos that seems difficult to reconcile with the public mythology surrounding the Kennedys.
Kerry paints her mother as energetic, mischievous, competitive, fiercely loyal, and seemingly incapable of sitting still. Ethel was not simply the dutiful political wife standing in the background. She campaigned, traveled, participated, challenged, and threw herself into the causes that mattered to her. Her faith and commitment to human rights became defining features of her life, particularly after Robert's assassination in 1968. Pregnant with their eleventh child, she was suddenly left to raise a large family without the man around whom so much of her adult life had been organized. The book follows her through that devastating loss and the years she spent preserving Robert's legacy while building an identity and a purpose of her own.
There is genuine warmth in these recollections. Hickory Hill, in particular, comes alive as a place of unruly family life, where extraordinary historical figures could appear at the dinner table while children and animals created their own particular brand of mayhem. I appreciated these glimpses behind the curtain. The Kennedys are so often presented as a collection of photographs, headlines, and political milestones that the ordinary details of family life can be just as compelling as the historical events.
But there is another side to this family, and it is considerably less charming. One of the things I find most compelling about the Kennedy and Skakel dynasties is the darkness that seems to run alongside all that privilege. The Skakel family history, in particular, deserves considerably more scrutiny than it receives in a celebratory family portrait. Wealth, influence, addiction, dysfunction, and tragedy make for a far more complicated family history than the one presented through Kerry's affectionate recollections.
The connection to the murder of fifteen-year-old Martha Moxley is especially disturbing. In 1975, Martha was brutally murdered in the affluent Belle Haven neighborhood of Greenwich, Connecticut, beaten with a golf club belonging to the Skakel family. Michael Skakel, Ethel's nephew, was eventually convicted of her murder in 2002. His conviction was subsequently overturned, and prosecutors dismissed the charge in 2020. He was never retried, and the case remains a deeply unsettling and unresolved chapter in the family's history. The circumstances surrounding Martha's death, the years of investigation, the accusations, and the questions surrounding the family's influence make for a chilling counterpoint to the polished Kennedy mythology. I would have welcomed considerably more examination of this history and the troubled world surrounding the Skakel family. It is difficult to discuss Ethel's extraordinary family legacy without acknowledging that there are chapters of that legacy that are considerably harder to celebrate.
I also found myself wanting a more candid examination of Robert F. Kennedy's private life. Kerry presents her father with an unmistakably affectionate reverence, and his political achievements and commitment to social justice are given considerable attention. But the complicated reality of a marriage and a man living under the extraordinary privileges of the Kennedy name deserves a more searching look. There have long been accounts of RFK's extramarital relationships, including claims documented in biographical works about his personal life. His relationship with Marilyn Monroe is particularly fascinating, although I would distinguish between the evidence of contact and the much more disputed claims of a sexual affair. The two did meet, and Monroe reportedly contacted Kennedy, but historians and biographers have disagreed about the nature of their relationship. There is no conclusive evidence establishing that they were lovers. Still, the subject is part of the larger, shadowy mythology surrounding the Kennedy men, and I would have appreciated a willingness to examine those uncomfortable questions rather than allowing the more romantic version of the family story to prevail.
That is perhaps my greatest reservation about the book. When you are writing about your mother, particularly a mother as beloved and historically significant as Ethel Kennedy, there is an understandable temptation to protect her image. But the most interesting biographies are often those willing to sit with contradictions. Ethel was a devoted wife, a formidable mother, a passionate activist, and a woman who endured almost unimaginable loss. She was also part of a family whose history was hardly uncomplicated. I wanted more of that tension.
The later chapters, which explore Ethel's commitment to human rights and social justice, are among the most rewarding. Following Robert's assassination, she could easily have retreated into the extraordinary privilege afforded to her. Instead, she continued to engage with the world. Her involvement with the farmworkers' movement, her support of César Chávez, and her work establishing the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights demonstrate a woman who understood that her husband's legacy could be something more substantial than a collection of speeches and memorial photographs. She wanted it to have a practical purpose. Her activism, which continued for decades, is an important part of her story and one that deserves recognition independent of her marriage.
I was also struck by the enormous personal losses that accumulated throughout her life. The assassination of Robert, the deaths of her sons David and Michael, and the other tragedies that touched the family are almost difficult to comprehend when considered together. Kerry's account makes clear that her mother responded to grief through faith, activity, and an almost stubborn determination to keep moving. Whether that resilience came at the expense of confronting some of the family's emotional wounds is another question, and one I would have liked to see explored further.
And, blessedly, there is no real detour into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s association with Donald Trump. I found that absence rather welcome. There is enough history, complexity, and contradiction within the preceding generations to fill a book without dragging the reader into the contemporary political circus.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this biography. It is affectionate, intimate, and full of fascinating glimpses into a family that has always held my attention. I just wouldn't approach it expecting an exhaustive or particularly investigative account of the Kennedy dynasty. This is Kerry Kennedy remembering her mother, preserving her memories, and celebrating the woman she knew behind the public figure. It is a daughter's love letter, and it reads like one.
Ethel Kennedy was undoubtedly extraordinary. But I suspect the most revealing version of her story would have required a little less reverence and a little more willingness to look directly at the darkness surrounding the family she married into and the family she helped create. I enjoyed spending time with her through her daughter's eyes, even if I occasionally wished those eyes had been willing to look a little harder.
I enjoyed Ethel Kennedy: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy, although I think it is important to understand what sort of biography Kerry Kennedy has written. This is, after all, a daughter's account of her mother. It is an intimate portrait assembled from personal memories, family recollections, letters, and Ethel's own papers. There is an obvious affection running through the narrative, and understandably so. But that affection also means the book is naturally inclined toward admiration rather than interrogation. It is less an investigative biography than a personal reflection on a remarkable woman and the life Kerry shared with her.
The book takes us from Ethel Skakel's privileged upbringing in Greenwich, Connecticut, through her courtship and marriage to Robert F. Kennedy, and into the extraordinary world of the Kennedy family. We get the familiar landmarks: Hyannis Port, the political campaigns, the White House years, the glamorous social circles, and the sprawling family estate at Hickory Hill. There are eleven children, an almost absurd assortment of animals, famous visitors, political conversations, family traditions, and the sort of domestic chaos that seems difficult to reconcile with the public mythology surrounding the Kennedys.
Kerry paints her mother as energetic, mischievous, competitive, fiercely loyal, and seemingly incapable of sitting still. Ethel was not simply the dutiful political wife standing in the background. She campaigned, traveled, participated, challenged, and threw herself into the causes that mattered to her. Her faith and commitment to human rights became defining features of her life, particularly after Robert's assassination in 1968. Pregnant with their eleventh child, she was suddenly left to raise a large family without the man around whom so much of her adult life had been organized. The book follows her through that devastating loss and the years she spent preserving Robert's legacy while building an identity and a purpose of her own.
There is genuine warmth in these recollections. Hickory Hill, in particular, comes alive as a place of unruly family life, where extraordinary historical figures could appear at the dinner table while children and animals created their own particular brand of mayhem. I appreciated these glimpses behind the curtain. The Kennedys are so often presented as a collection of photographs, headlines, and political milestones that the ordinary details of family life can be just as compelling as the historical events.
But there is another side to this family, and it is considerably less charming. One of the things I find most compelling about the Kennedy and Skakel dynasties is the darkness that seems to run alongside all that privilege. The Skakel family history, in particular, deserves considerably more scrutiny than it receives in a celebratory family portrait. Wealth, influence, addiction, dysfunction, and tragedy make for a far more complicated family history than the one presented through Kerry's affectionate recollections.
The connection to the murder of fifteen-year-old Martha Moxley is especially disturbing. In 1975, Martha was brutally murdered in the affluent Belle Haven neighborhood of Greenwich, Connecticut, beaten with a golf club belonging to the Skakel family. Michael Skakel, Ethel's nephew, was eventually convicted of her murder in 2002. His conviction was subsequently overturned, and prosecutors dismissed the charge in 2020. He was never retried, and the case remains a deeply unsettling and unresolved chapter in the family's history. The circumstances surrounding Martha's death, the years of investigation, the accusations, and the questions surrounding the family's influence make for a chilling counterpoint to the polished Kennedy mythology. I would have welcomed considerably more examination of this history and the troubled world surrounding the Skakel family. It is difficult to discuss Ethel's extraordinary family legacy without acknowledging that there are chapters of that legacy that are considerably harder to celebrate.
I also found myself wanting a more candid examination of Robert F. Kennedy's private life. Kerry presents her father with an unmistakably affectionate reverence, and his political achievements and commitment to social justice are given considerable attention. But the complicated reality of a marriage and a man living under the extraordinary privileges of the Kennedy name deserves a more searching look. There have long been accounts of RFK's extramarital relationships, including claims documented in biographical works about his personal life. His relationship with Marilyn Monroe is particularly fascinating, although I would distinguish between the evidence of contact and the much more disputed claims of a sexual affair. The two did meet, and Monroe reportedly contacted Kennedy, but historians and biographers have disagreed about the nature of their relationship. There is no conclusive evidence establishing that they were lovers. Still, the subject is part of the larger, shadowy mythology surrounding the Kennedy men, and I would have appreciated a willingness to examine those uncomfortable questions rather than allowing the more romantic version of the family story to prevail.
That is perhaps my greatest reservation about the book. When you are writing about your mother, particularly a mother as beloved and historically significant as Ethel Kennedy, there is an understandable temptation to protect her image. But the most interesting biographies are often those willing to sit with contradictions. Ethel was a devoted wife, a formidable mother, a passionate activist, and a woman who endured almost unimaginable loss. She was also part of a family whose history was hardly uncomplicated. I wanted more of that tension.
The later chapters, which explore Ethel's commitment to human rights and social justice, are among the most rewarding. Following Robert's assassination, she could easily have retreated into the extraordinary privilege afforded to her. Instead, she continued to engage with the world. Her involvement with the farmworkers' movement, her support of César Chávez, and her work establishing the Robert F. Kennedy Center for Justice and Human Rights demonstrate a woman who understood that her husband's legacy could be something more substantial than a collection of speeches and memorial photographs. She wanted it to have a practical purpose. Her activism, which continued for decades, is an important part of her story and one that deserves recognition independent of her marriage.
I was also struck by the enormous personal losses that accumulated throughout her life. The assassination of Robert, the deaths of her sons David and Michael, and the other tragedies that touched the family are almost difficult to comprehend when considered together. Kerry's account makes clear that her mother responded to grief through faith, activity, and an almost stubborn determination to keep moving. Whether that resilience came at the expense of confronting some of the family's emotional wounds is another question, and one I would have liked to see explored further.
And, blessedly, there is no real detour into Robert F. Kennedy Jr.'s association with Donald Trump. I found that absence rather welcome. There is enough history, complexity, and contradiction within the preceding generations to fill a book without dragging the reader into the contemporary political circus.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this biography. It is affectionate, intimate, and full of fascinating glimpses into a family that has always held my attention. I just wouldn't approach it expecting an exhaustive or particularly investigative account of the Kennedy dynasty. This is Kerry Kennedy remembering her mother, preserving her memories, and celebrating the woman she knew behind the public figure. It is a daughter's love letter, and it reads like one.
Ethel Kennedy was undoubtedly extraordinary. But I suspect the most revealing version of her story would have required a little less reverence and a little more willingness to look directly at the darkness surrounding the family she married into and the family she helped create. I enjoyed spending time with her through her daughter's eyes, even if I occasionally wished those eyes had been willing to look a little harder.
October 25, 2026
Boring? One reviewer commented. Boring is NOT one of the words I would use to describe Ethel Kennedy. Nor was this book. I thought it was a loving memoir written by a daughter, whose political views I don't always agree with, but I can appreciate her beliefs and the background where she got them anyway. Ethel was a woman of her time and class, so you can't compare her to the p.c. ultra sensitive times of today, however, she did evolve and inspire the following generations of her family. I am a regular Kennedy reader, and often thought she was credited with causes and beliefs that her husband had started, and was only carrying them on for his sake, but she lived 56 years after Bobby died-that is a long time to "fake it". I enjoyed the personal little family stories and day to day activities told by someone who actually witnessed them. I wasn't expecting, and didn't find salacious gossip and revelations about other family members . Don't we have enough of those already? Instead we get a portrait of a woman who was many things to many people-religious, but questioning, rich, but understanding and involved in disadvantaged peoples' lives, forward thinking but sometimes living with old fashioned attitudes. Her method of surviving her multiple tragedies may not work for all people, but it was hers. And she survived to tell the tale. In short, she was a woman of sometimes contradictions, not perfect, yet definitely not boring. I wish her eternal peace with the love of her life.
November 1, 2026
i really enjoyed this book about Ethel Kennedy by her daughter. This book is not an expose on the Kennedy family, nor is it a takedown of family members or associates for bad behavior (no mention of Chappaqudick, extramarital affairs speculation, or of the family’s view of RFKJr). Rumors are not addressed. People. looking for that should read a different book. This is an affectionate memoir by a loving daughter. It includes background about Ethel’s family of origin - a large and active devout and wealthy Catholic family also touched by tragedy-and much about Ethel and the Kennedy family. Kerry writes with love and humor about the trials and triumphs and tragedies of the family and how her mother chose to react to them, including the unspeakable tragedies of her uncle and father’s death, the drug abuse of her brothers, the deaths of her children and grandchildren and the challenges of raising a large and often unruly brood with no husband. What shines through is Ethel’s faith- in God, in humanity, in the strength of family and belief in finding the good in people but in calling out those who could do better. The book made me laugh out loud sometimes at Ethel and her approach to life and especially with the antics that occurred at Hickory Hill involving some of Washington’s high level people getting pushed in the pool, bitten by pets, participating in win or die sporting contests. Kerry recounts in more serious fashion the efforts undertaken by Ethel in her husband’s memory on behalf of human rights throughout the world and the ways her direct intervention saved lives. The book is a snapshot into history by a daughter’s living remembrance of a woman who had a front seat for nearly 100 years. Highly readable with moments of laugh out loud hilarity and sober remembrances
November 1, 2026
The life of Ethel Kennedy was amazing, interesting and tragic and this telling by her daughter is a page turner although feels a bit rose-colored. I read this alongside watching Netflix’s Robert Kennedy for President documentary. Such a terrible, exciting/hopeful and heartbreaking time in our history. I learned more about the trauma the kids carried from the assassination and how Ethel carried on. She always seemed in the background, a supporter, and this really brought her to the forefront and all the ways she carried on, especially the causes she cared most about.
November 9, 2026
The life of Ethel Kennedy, as seen through her daughter's eyes. I didn't know a lot about Ethel before reading this book. She was truly an amazingly strong lady who went through a lot in her lifetime and never lost her faith or love for her family. Whenever I read something about Robert Kennedy Senior I always think about how different things could have been if someone hadn't taken him away from us, but to leave his widow with 10 children and one on the way was truly a despicable thing.
November 2, 2026
In ETHEL KENNEDY: The Extraordinary Life and Bold Legacy, Kerry Kennedy has composed a fascinating tribute to her mother, one of America’s most courageous women.
Ethel Skakel Kennedy and her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, were members of two of the country’s wealthiest Catholic families, yet Ethel's sympathies were always directed toward the poor and underprivileged. She often acted against the unspoken rules of her class and could fashion lively, amusing details from events that would have stymied most others.
After a lengthy courtship as they attended college, Ethel and Robert were married in 1950. They visited a leper colony on their Hawaiian honeymoon and eventually would parent 11 children. When his brother, Jack, was elected president, Robert would become a senator, taking on the causes of poor farmers, migrants and sharecroppers. The couple continued to battle injustice, even as their efforts were often futile, believing that “there is justice in the struggle itself.”
In 1968, Robert was assassinated shortly after winning the California Democratic presidential primary. After a protracted period of mourning, Ethel took it upon herself to rise above her tortuous circumstances and be a role model for future generations. She established an award for journalists who were willing to speak out against social injustice; became an example to other women to assert their rights and protect the rights of the downtrodden; visited jails and third-world communities; protested child labor; marched, even in a wheelchair as needed, in support of the oppressed wherever found; and assisted numerous worldwide human rights organizations.
Ethel never lost her sense of humor or her love of family gatherings and gift giving. Her death at age 95 in 2024 prompted Kerry’s intuition that she would be “joyfully reunited with Daddy” as she had often declared she would.
Kerry inherited her parents’ thirst for justice, becoming a human rights lawyer, as well as a bestselling author. Not surprisingly, she undertook the same set of causes that Ethel and Robert had fought for. Kerry’s initiatives included chairing the Amnesty International USA Leadership Council and serving as president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. Her vibrant family portrait is offered as information and inspiration for new generations, with Ethel at the forefront.
Ethel’s seemingly indomitable courage provides an inarguable example for all who wish to use their strengths for the guidance and benefit of those in need.
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
Ethel Skakel Kennedy and her husband, Robert F. Kennedy, were members of two of the country’s wealthiest Catholic families, yet Ethel's sympathies were always directed toward the poor and underprivileged. She often acted against the unspoken rules of her class and could fashion lively, amusing details from events that would have stymied most others.
After a lengthy courtship as they attended college, Ethel and Robert were married in 1950. They visited a leper colony on their Hawaiian honeymoon and eventually would parent 11 children. When his brother, Jack, was elected president, Robert would become a senator, taking on the causes of poor farmers, migrants and sharecroppers. The couple continued to battle injustice, even as their efforts were often futile, believing that “there is justice in the struggle itself.”
In 1968, Robert was assassinated shortly after winning the California Democratic presidential primary. After a protracted period of mourning, Ethel took it upon herself to rise above her tortuous circumstances and be a role model for future generations. She established an award for journalists who were willing to speak out against social injustice; became an example to other women to assert their rights and protect the rights of the downtrodden; visited jails and third-world communities; protested child labor; marched, even in a wheelchair as needed, in support of the oppressed wherever found; and assisted numerous worldwide human rights organizations.
Ethel never lost her sense of humor or her love of family gatherings and gift giving. Her death at age 95 in 2024 prompted Kerry’s intuition that she would be “joyfully reunited with Daddy” as she had often declared she would.
Kerry inherited her parents’ thirst for justice, becoming a human rights lawyer, as well as a bestselling author. Not surprisingly, she undertook the same set of causes that Ethel and Robert had fought for. Kerry’s initiatives included chairing the Amnesty International USA Leadership Council and serving as president of the Robert & Ethel Kennedy Human Rights Center. Her vibrant family portrait is offered as information and inspiration for new generations, with Ethel at the forefront.
Ethel’s seemingly indomitable courage provides an inarguable example for all who wish to use their strengths for the guidance and benefit of those in need.
Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott
November 8, 2026
I am fascinated by the Kennedy's and I read everything I can about them. I learned nothing new after reading this book. I take that back; I did learn she hated the name Ethel and many of her friends called her, Kate. I had read Jerry Oppenheimer's book about Ethel and watched Rory Kennedy's HBO's special about her mom; and this book was like reading a repeat. However, I did enjoy reading about her humor and her passion for life.
October 23, 2026
A warm personal memoir, with photos and reminiscences not seen elsewhere. Aside from occasional repetition that would have benefited by more careful editing on the part of the publisher, this book is highly recommended for it almost unprecedented personal view of a very, very private person.
Those seeking prurient gossip will be disappointed., for once.
Those seeking prurient gossip will be disappointed., for once.
October 25, 2026
I loved this book! The Kennedys have always been a fascination of mine. I learned a lot about Ethel and what she stood for. Her keen witty sense of humor was a side many didn’t know about her. I loved how determined she was to carry out her husband’s ideas. She was a true humanitarian until the end!
October 24, 2026
Brought this instantly when it dropped, This book is everything. It was so beautifully written by Kerry and she captured her mom's story so well. Ethel is one of my favorite people I look up to and this book made me look up to her even more!
October 26, 2026
This book offered an interesting insight into Ethel Kennedy and her life with Bobby and after. If you're looking for more salacious details about the Kennedy family and their goings on, this is not the place you're going to find them. It's a daughter's admiring look back on her mother's life.
November 9, 2026
I loved this biography. Ethel Kennedy's life was a life well lived. She had her principles and she lived by them. The stories that her daughter tells are amazing and the insights into the political world of JFK and RFK are fascinating.
November 10, 2026
Kerry Kennedy did a phenomenal job writing this biography about her mother, Ethel. It was written from the heart. Ethel Kennedy was a force to be reckoned with. Kerry’s writing captures all of the triumph, tragedy, faith and love with Ethel and the Kennedy family.
November 1, 2026
Written by her daughter, this is a saccharine version of many aspects and events surrounding Ethel Kennedy, yet still an enjoyable book.
November 1, 2026
Literally so boring. Mum and Daddy. We know every thing they ate or said or prayed. Maybe I will return at some point but for now just bored.
November 8, 2026
An extraordinary work, full of amazing stories from throughout Ethel Kennedy’s life, telling adventurous tales and also feats of willpower in political advocacy. I couldn’t put it down!
November 8, 2026
I loved this book
She was quite a character! I laughed several times while reading. Her faith really got them all through so many tragedies.
She was quite a character! I laughed several times while reading. Her faith really got them all through so many tragedies.
November 9, 2026
Excellent-what an amazing woman Ethel Kennedy was. This is a beautiful tribute from her daughter.
November 11, 2026
A truly extraordinary life
This is a revealing story of a life well lived. The loving , and not maudlin story told with humor.
This is a revealing story of a life well lived. The loving , and not maudlin story told with humor.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews