Rfk: A Memoir

I wanted to read this book because of something George Stephanopoulos said in his book All Too Human. Jack Newfield certainly didn't disappoint. Despite the years that have passed since RFK was killed, the themes of human frailty, disillusionment and redemption still resonate. It seemed too, a much more real look into RFK than many other biographies and memoirs.

I grew up with mixed feeling about RFK. Being raised by Goldwater Republicans, the Kennedy mythos held little sway. But I was 6 years old when RFK was assasinated and I saw him dying lying spread eagle on the floor, his head haloed in a corona of blood, his face impassive. I still have no sympathy for the Kennedy mythos and I have no sympathy for messianic politics (looking for the leader, whether left or right), but I've been drawn to RFK. He alone was really devout. He alone really saw the moral dimension during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He alone accept his share of responsibility for Vietnam. This book was written soon after RFK's death and it's a wonderful memior. Newfield is not a "kennedy groupie" altho' he is so, so close to his subject you forgive him for his hero worship. It is not to be treated as an objective historical document, Newfield is blind to the achievements of the Great Society and vicious towards LBJ, but given the context in which he wrote that's hardly surprising. For a more critical, yet remarkably complementary (when it comes to RFK) account, I would recommend Garry Wills THE KENNEDY IMPRISIONMENT.

I've read many books on the Kennedy family, especially Bobby. This book is not like most. Few books can make enjoyable reading out of a story told many times before. It is hard to read the same praise and criticism over and over. Newfield's memoir is simple, truthful, and an excellent read. His writing isn't stuffy or obtuse, he is a journalist, not a historian. The book is short, but covers the last four years in some detail, and the last few months even closer. If you are sick of reading that RFK and JFK were perfect, or that they were decietful men who used and abused thier power, this is the book for you. Newfield's own Introduction will admit that he initially hated Bobby. Only through exposure did a deep admiration develop, although Bobby was still flawed.Read it- it's worth it.

A good, well written book; however, it is written like a journalist and not as a historians perspective, meaning it short and at times not cumbersome enough. However, for one who just wants to casually read about the events immediatly preceding Kennedy's death than this book would be a first choice.

Jack Newfield held a unique position in that he had ready access to the late Senator and was privy to the latter's personal insights.Newfield does an excellent job of analyzing the character, work and insights of Robert Kennedy. To his credit, he treats the late Senator with respect and presents an objective, yet sympathetic portrayal of the man who would be President [in 1968].Newfield takes a middle ground approach in describing the late Senator; he does not whitewash the Senator's shortcomings nor does he put him on a pedastal. Through Newfield's eyes and voice it is easy to feel as though a full image of Robert Kennedy has been captured as opposed to fleeting ones. His professional/political career is closely followed; his extreme determination have led many to describe him as ruthless. Indeed, there appears to be some truth to that statement. In viewing the then future Attorney General's dogged pursuit, interrogation and prosecution of Teamsters and Mafiosi, it is all too easy to draw that conclusion. By 1964 and a Senator, the same qualities that had gotten him branded as "ruthless" were viewed by many in a more tolerant light; many supporters viewed him as driven, dogged, determined and very committed to his visions. Civil Rights and supporting the disenfranchised endeared him to many. Sadly, this man has been compared to and eclipsed by his brother, the late President Kennedy in many works. As Attorney General during the [John] Kennedy Adminnistration, Robert Kennedy worked behind the scenes, often promoting his brother. By 1964 Robert Kennedy had literally come into his own and in finding his voice, became the voice of many. He was a changing, growing, developing person. He appeared to keep an open mind and be receptive to knowledge. The former hawk of the 1950s would become a dove within a decade. The man who admitted that he never stayed awake nights worrying about minorities became a very strong advocate for minorities. He was a very complex and interesting person and it is a grave disservice to him to portray him entirely in one type of light. Newfield is one author who does an excellent job of discussing his subject objectively. In reading this work as with so many on Robert Kennedy, one can never help wondering what he would have accomplished had he lived to be elected president in 1968.