going to treat my tumblr like goodreads so here is every kennedy book i've read + my notes. i'm always looking for more things to read so please give me recs!!
JFK: Reckless Youth by Nigel Hamilton
THE jack book. nigel hamilton originally intended to make this a three volume series and this would be the book covering his youth but he wasn't able to write the other books. anyway that means this is 900 pages of in depth research of jacks birth until his election to congress. cannot recommend it enough. it has so many anecdotes, is so so so well researched, and is simply just an incredible book
Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy by Hank Searls
Pretty much the definitive Joe Jr. book and that's because it's practically the only one. Very well researched, has great anecdotes and clearly was made with help of the family. That's a double edged sword though because on one hand there are great first hand accounts and connection but on the other, Searls doesn't criticize Joe at all. Anything he did that was less than ideal is glossed over. That's a huge criticism I have of the book because in order to get a picture of the whole person you need the good, the bad, and the ugly! It was also published in 1967 so that is also a factor for "respectfulness" of the book. If you're interested in Joe Jr. I would definitely recommend it, though.
Times to Remember by Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy
Great anecdotes, and good familial insight BUT is obviously extremely biased. If you said the only reason she wrote it was to make her family seem picture-perfect I'd believe you.
True Compass by Ted Kennedy
Once again, great anecdotes but obviously he's not going to write anything to paint a negative picture of himself. It's a lot better than Rose's book though. There's somethings he wrote which were very candid, raw, and honest that I'm shocked he included (I'm still stunned he wrote that when he was little he thought if he was bad he would be made to disappear just like Rosemary. I'm not surprised at all he thought that but I'm very surprised he publicly confessed that). Overall it's well worth a read!
The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy by Jean Kennedy Smith
Good for anecdotes (although if you've read the other books I've listed they're all pretty much repeated) and great for seeing the dynamics within the family (as in who was close with who, etc). It's a very sweet book
Lost Destiny by Alan Axelrod
Only other Joe Jr. book I've found and it seems like it's only research material was Young Joe, the Forgotten Kennedy. Pretty much a repeat of that book with some amateur psychoanalyzing. Gets a bit more original when talking about Operation Aphrodite but that is a lot of behind the scenes stuff that hardly has Joe in it at all. I'd only ever recommend you read this if you can't get your hands on Young Joe
Jack and Lem by David Pitts
I love this one. It's a very well researched book about their friendship. Pitts does not think that they were anything beyond friends which I'm glad for because he didn't try to spin his book to try and bring you to that conclusion. There's a lot of good information about Lem which if not for this book would be hard to come by. I really recommend it if you're interested in their friendship and there's a lot of good insight into Jack's youth
The Other Mrs. Kennedy by Jerry Oppenheimer
Very interesting with lots of great research and many direct quotes from people and while I think it is pretty credible I take a lot with a grain of salt because it is not a flattering book about Ethel by any means. At times it's just a spotlight shone on her worst moments. But there's good and bad about her in this book. Very gray. I like the book overall but it's a bit gossipy. If you read it just make sure to take everything with a grain of salt. The book puts a lot into perspective and really is well researched.
Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
Wonderful book. I really recommend it. It's obviously pretty sad at times but is very respectful. Super well researched and gives a lot of insight.
Robert Kennedy & His Times by Arthur Schlesinger
Excellent book, incredibly well researched, and great direct connection (as in his primary source isn't another book!!). Tons of anecdotes as Schlesinger knew Bobby personally. It's not a super personal book though (but I dare say it is a tiny bit biased). Overall, it's a great book about Bobby and I really recommend it
Robert Kennedy: His Life by Evan Thomas
My favorite Bobby book. Paints a wonderful picture of Bobby the man rather than just Bobby the politician. Super super well researched, very in depth and great anecdotes! I really recommend
Johnny, We Hardly Knew Ye by Kenny O'Donnell and Dave Powers
Holy freaking bias. It's written by two close friends who also worked closely with him so that is to be expected but honestly don't even read it. It's not even worth it for the anecdotes. It was popular when it came out so I thought I'd give it a read but the entire thing is just praise of Jack and excuses for anything he did wrong
The Pleasure of His Company by Red Fay
It's a fine book. Great anecdotes, okay insight, bad bias. Not worth it to go out of your way to read it. Red was a close friend of Jack so I liked reading a bit about their dynamic but that's really all it was good for.
Mrs. Kennedy & Me and My Travels with Mrs. Kennedy by Clint Hill
Great anecdotes, very respectful. Written by Jackie's secret service agent. He was a very brave man who I respect a lot. He was with Jack and Jackie in Dallas. Both books are sweet personal tributes to the woman she was (and he definitely seems enamored. So proceed with caution). I like both books, probably the former more. I recommend them!
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