The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963

Too often, the Kennedy works tend to dwell on the testimony of those enamored of the family. There is a great deal to admire in the family and Learner's book reveals that very well from their attempt to distance themselves from those that helped get Jack Kennedy elected and take the nation to new heights, challenging it to rise above the status quo. Yet we also see a more balanced appraisal than seamier, darker works on the leacherous and traiterous aspects of the men, from the harsh Joe Sr to the boys that carried forth the mission of the family. Rose Kennedy's harsh, dictatorial, compartment treatment of the boys and who's attention she granted or denied goes a long way in explaining some of the icy coldness and ruthlessness the boys would demonstrate in thier relationships to women, the value of women in their lives. It is amazing that John Kennedy was able to hide so well his drug use and pain killer treatments. The man suffered so all his life and his internal clock was a primary driver in acknowledging to him how short his life would be and his determination to live it as hard and fast as he could. You come away knowing that if the assassin's bullet hadn't take him in 1963, the ravages of drug abuse and his crippling condition would have definitely shortened his life down the road. I was very interested to get Learner's perception of Joe Jr in this portrayal. Joe Jr's and Jack's level of competitiveness and Joe's consistent intimidation of Jack gives a new view of a brother lost and written about so passively in past books. From Joe's paging Jack to steal his girl at a Harvard event to the academics vs playboy paradigm that existed between the two, it is clear that Joe Sr had a definite plan for the oldest and bought publicity at every turn. Jack was unable to get a compass on his direction and whom he was as a result.I find this book to be very well written, an outstanding piece of narrative and hard to put down. Just when you thought you knew all there was to know about this family more secrets are revealed in doing so, they give us a better understanding of what drove the individual men to do what they did and the outside influences that eventually would overtake them.

The Kennedy Men: 1901-1963 By Laurence Leamer has been an appendage of mine since its release in mid-October. I literally could not put it down and when I finished, I lamented its ending. It was personal, like a friend, a wonderful place to go when I read it. I wanted more -- yes, even after reading 700-something pages.Leamer put this family into context with grit and courage. The book does not mince words. He did not just give us the bad and the ugly; he also gave us the good. And even the bad and the ugly are in a context where the actions are understandable, unlike the Seymour Hirsch book, "The Dark Side of Camelot," where it was all seamy and skewed.When Joe Kennedy had the lobotomy done on his daughter, Rosemary, one could understand his motives, even the hubris that made him do it. In his own way, he was being protective of her, but his suffering after the disastrous results that left her a mere shadow of her former self -- was some of Leamer's finest writing.It was as if the author were inside Joe Kennedy's head and had become omnipotent. That is the part of the book that was the most tragic and deeply sorrowful. The fact that he never spoke of her again, and the rest of the family followed suit -- all parched by their unspeakable grief at her loss -- gave more insight into the human condition than I have ever seen in a book, bar none. I believe the lamentation today is still borne by the Kennedy family and that is the demon that drove Eunice to work so hard for the handicapped; she was doing penance for the entire family. This one section could be pulled out alone and made into a morality play; Albert Camus and the existentialists have nothing on Leamer here. The dossier of facts in this book will stay with the reader, who will not be the same after reading the book. Your heart breaks for this family, what they suffered through -- even if much of the catastrophic consequences they endured were their fault. One can clearly see the motives.Leamer is sans judgmental hostility. He doesn't lean on the Kennedys for their faults -- rather he puts them into this a historical frame of reference without blue-sky illusions.Who knew how much John F. Kennedy suffered his entire life? His transition to adulthood was inevitably painful emotionally but also physically. He bore upon his frail shoulders the burden of his older brother's death. His drug habit, scary as it appeared, could also be understood in this book's context. Leamer neither softens nor sentimentalizes it. Kennedy's lifetime of pain makes the reader wince with a lump in their throat. One leaves the book admiring what he accomplished rather than judging him harshly. He was trying to find an even keel for himself. He was looking for an even playing field. One must remember, he was taking the injections wearing 1960s glasses. No one knew the dangers of amphetamines back then. They were the "smart" drug of the day.I was rather surprised that Rose was as cavalier as she was toward the end, af

Although I have not in the past been what you'd call a huge Kennedy follower, I found this multi-generational family saga a fascinating journey into the complex dynamics of an incredibly influential family and the pressures and rewards of being a Kennedy male. Like all great biographies, it takes us into the heart of the issues of an era (or in this case several eras) through a more refined lens than the history books.

I don't see how anyone can read The Kennedy Men and ever see the Kennedy family the same way again. It may read like a novel, but this is serious history, written by a masterful storyteller. Here, finally, is the Kennedy story in all its richness, drama, and nuance.

When the next Kennedy tragedy or triumph occurs, make sure this book "The Kennedy Men" is nearby, because it anticipates today what will probably become headlines tomorrow. The author Laurence Leamer tells the real truth about the accomplishments and the failures of the Kennedy family and their charismatic male leaders. This is an accurate and well-researched account of the power-driven Kennedy men, beginning with the Patriach, Joe Kennedy whose leachery and treachery in business, politics, and sex has never been more accurately researched than in this work. Leamer exposes new, shocking and valuable information about John F. Kennedy, his Presidency, and his brothers Joe Jr.,Bobby and Ted. We learn that JFK ordered napalm to be dropped on Cuban citizens during the Bay of Pigs invasion. Few Americans know how extensively JFK taped personal and telephone conversations until Leamer describes them in detail the conversations. This book documents how sorely afflicted JFK was by medication, injury, and emotional stress. By the time the bullets strike JFK in Dallas, the reader sighs with relief that the President is finally out of lifelong physical pain and severe emotional stress, and sexual dysfunction. Leamer shows the bad and the good in the Kennedy clan, much of it unreported or uninterpreted before. Secret files from the CIA, FBI, and Secret Service files are revealed in this book to document both the acheivements and glory of Camelot. Every glamorous accomplishment and detail about JFK, Jackie and Kennedy family members is well researched in these pages, just as are the dirty little secrets of petty jealousies and passions that racked the Kennedy men as they live out their spectacular lives of high drama as America's unofficial royal family. Open this book to any page and be hooked into one of the best told and most fully researched biographical histories about the Kennedy men you can find. You will need it for tomorrow's headlines!