The Last Brother: The Rise and Fall of Teddy Kennedy

The further I read the more I learned of how (the now late) Joe McGinnis considered Joe Sr and Rose Kennedy to be irredeemably evil, especially her. Teddy was a political pawn even before his conception; ironic to me that as the only brother of the 4 that was eventually divorced he was the only one who didn't die violently. Will have to read it again.

I picked this book up off my shelf after Senator Kennedy's death, and was unable to put it down. McGinniss writes not a straight biography, but rather a narrative reflection on the wider Kennedy family, with special attention to their flaws. There are glaring questions about how the author knows the things he relates, the intimate thoughts and feelings and motives of the "characters," especially since he begins by noting how little Ted Kennedy ever revealed about his own personal life. Yet this book makes for a mesmerizing read, and gets to the heart of the Kennedy mystique and our fascination with them as cultural icons. It offers compelling insights into what it MIGHT feel like to be the "last" Kennedy brother, the one on the outside, the after thought to the dynasty. The facts and interpretations may be questionable, but, like an Oliver Stone film, this book offers a re-interpretation of history with attention to the human element, and how flawed human beings get caught up in, and changed by, history.

This is a great fast reading book about the Kennedys. It gives great insight to a very disfunctional family and also, in some ways to those that were victims of the parents. Beside the family and their ways, the book shows you more than anything the corruption in our politics.Joe McGinnis has done a great job of putting together the facts as told to him with some logical progression. We the people however, let corruption contimue. That is of course my opinion. I also believe we are brainwashed by the media on a daily basis and have been for a long time. Enjoy reading!

This is by no means a complete biography of Edward Kennedy. Though the book was written in 1993, it cuts off just after Chappaquiddick.Rather, it is a biography of the Kennedy family with stress on Joe, Robert John and especially Ed.I really liked the way the author spells out the internal and external conflicts within each of the brothers. And while his stories of Ed Kennedy are quite lurid, he also makes you feel sorry for the man. That is an extraordinary bit of writing and makes the book a great read.

I read this book several years ago and loved it. I could not put it down once I started reading it. Author Joe McGinness admits that there are parts of the book where he is writing from the viewpoint of Ted Kennedy, even though he could not get a lot of direct information from him, but I did not hold that against him when I read this book. I learned a lot about the Kennedy family that I was not previously aware of before I read this book.

I began my reading of this book with a sense of lessened expectations due to the poor reviews McGinniss had received from its release. While moving on I found myself relating rather easily to the stylistic approach he used. Any frequent reader of the Kennedy's knows how difficult it is for authors to obtain any amount of information concerning the "mythical" family. I would find it hard to believe that Joe McGinnis would be the first Kennedy author to take liberties in interpretation of certain aspects. The book my be an even better read if the authors note is read first, as to create an understanding of the approach McGinniss took in this project. While nowhere near the best of Kennedy books it certainly is one that all Kennedy fans should find interesting and insightful.