True Compass: A Memoir

As a rule, biographies don't arouse my interest, and anything labeled a "memoir" is not likely to be at the top of my reading list--or anywhere else on it for that matter. In the case of TRUE COMPASS, however, I'm thankful to have made an exception. This particular memoir held my interest for a variety of reasons: As one who came of age politically during the presidential administration of JFK, I recognize most of the names and the events that populate Senator Kennedy's narrative. Any reader of age 50 or more who paid any attention at all to the world in which he or she was growing up will recall the radio bulletins, the TV newscasts, and the newspaper headlines of the past fifty years as events unfold in this book. We can relate to much that is here on a very personal level. The narrative takes us beyond the surface news that we recall, giving us an insider's view. Kennedy opens the stage door for us and lets us see a fair amount of the backstage action. While no striking, history-altering revelations are here, we do get to see personal actions, interactions and reactions of major players on the world stage that we probably missed during the public performance. (Sorry, my metaphor seems to be getting a bit unwieldy.) The point is that this is not a rehash of news that we digested over the last five decades but an insider's view of the events that made the news. These memories give us a very mortal, human view of the Kennedy clan. We all know that the Kennedy family personified influence, wealth, and political power. We may have admired them or detested them for this, but we all saw them as different, above the crowd, not really one of "us." They were the American version of royalty, untouchable, shining, and often wearing the crown of public adulation. TRUE COMPASS, however, gives us a new insight into this prominent family, and we can finally see the brother-to-brother, brother-to-sister, and child-to-parent love and respect that played a huge role in shaping the character of a president, of a U.S. attorney general, of a U.S. senator, and of an ambassador. This memoir may bring the Kennedys as close to the rest of us as they can be brought. The textual narrative is outstanding. There are no dull, dry, or merely factual passages anywhere between the covers of this book. Every jot and tittle of every sentence and every paragraph is imbued with feeling, conviction and commitment. The narrative is neither salacious nor slick--it is sincere. Now, I'm not at all certain how much of this book was physically written by Edward Moore Kennedy, perhaps little of it. The acknowledgements section makes it rather clear that an author named Ron Powers and an editor named Jonathan Karp were highly instrumental in creating the product that we may purchase and read. I came away with the impression that the events and feelings and observations in this book were more than likely recorded from Senator Kennedy's spoken reminiscences for an oral

Vividly, I remember shaking Senator Kennedy's hand as a college student after he spoke at Southern Illinois University sometime near 1974. Most striking in his life's portrayal is the fact that he loved people. He proved that point to me after his speech. A friend and I attended because we were both majoring in political science so we felt strongly about meeting him to bring our studies to life. We concocted a plan to do just that. As soon as he concluded speaking, we dashed out of the auditorium, knowing where the exit door was for speakers. As we ran out of the front door of the auditorium, and down the steps and sidewalk, we hastily ran to our right to proceed to the spot we thought we'd have the best chance to shake his hand. Now remember, this is the 70's and we are students: long hair (mine was blonde, stringy and shoulder length, and my friend of Italian descent, had an Afro about the size of two bowling balls put together), torn jeans with patches, looking like we just got off the train tracks as hobos. We spotted him leaving and so did the secret service (at least we assumed it was the secret service). They stopped us dead in our tracks and we thought the moment would escape us. As this happened, Senator Kennedy saw us and his protective entourage, walked immediately in our direction, saying words to the effect, "It's okay fellas", introduced himself, shook our hands, exchanged a few words, making our day and a memory for our lifetime. This may seem small for many, and yet, his desire to reach out as he did, to even two motley looking college students, is the measure of his connection with us all and to the American spirit as a true believer in our republic. Today, so many of my friends and acquaintances are angry with the state of our country and our politicians. Some of the reviews of his book find it shallow and self serving. I find the opposite. In an era where bipartisianship is necessary and where little seems to be found, Senator Kennedy demonstrated his humanity with his perspective of his uplifting historical accounts, statements of life's lessons from many sources and teaching us to enjoy the time we have here by remembering to enjoy the beauty and blessings around us. His book is a tremendous contemporary gift to us all as we face a new era of unrest in our country and the world. If you want to renew your spirit as a citizen, and realize how fortunate we are to have such as an icon as Senator Kennedy share his thoughts and personal feelings, as a man, and servant of the people, read this book. I do believe you will find it uplifting, if not spiritually invigorating. Thank you Senator Kennedy for all you did for our country!

Excellent reading. As I read it I can hear Ted Kennedy saying all the words. As I am reading I feel as though I am a part of a conversation that he is having with a few special friends, he just draws me into the events of the Kennedy family. Highly recommend this book.

As a Massachusetts resident, Ted and the rest of the Kennedy's have been a part of fabric of the Boston since before this reviewer arrived here nearly 50 years ago. Naturally, I was anxious to see this memoir. Over the years our family has supported him but sometimes supported his competition as well. We had supported his nephew Joe Kennedy and attended the latter's birthday parties at the Hyannis Cape Cod Compound where Uncle Ted was always in attendance. My kids have strolled the famous sandy dune paths with some of the Kennedy brood and chased their dogs around the circus-sized tents set up by the Kennedy's for their many social and political events. Our family will never forget the "Blues Brothers Production" the Kennedy family acted out at one of these rallies and sing-alongs for political supporters. They are like a troop of uninhibited traveling performers. My Mother-in-law practically swooned when she met Senator Kennedy and commented on how much he resembled the picture she had of JFK on her living room wall. The entire Kennedy family is a well-oiled political machine. The fact that the Senator died just before his memoir's release made me want to see it even more. At a hefty length of 532 pages I was hoping to finally hear Senator Edward Kennedy's explanation of a couple of important events in his life that he hasn't been exactly forthright about in the past. The most important of those events was his driving his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in 1969 and swimming to safety while his passenger Mary Jo Kepechne, a campaign worker and maybe much more, drowned. That accident destroyed his chance to become President because by not even reporting it while there was still a chance of saving the young woman's life, he clearly was either drunk out of his mind, frightened, perhaps terrified of the bad publicity that would effect his career and he had panicked. Clearly not the actions of a man who people want to have his finger on the nuclear war button. His actions were so different than the historic rescue of his PT 109 shipmates that JRK performed in WW II also in the shark infested waters of the ocean in the pitch blackness of night. Ted's panicked actions plus the manipulation of the local legal system that followed and allowed him to cop a plea of leaving the scene of an accident have no doubt haunted him and all the rest of his friends and supporters for 40 years. I was most curious as to whether Ted would provide his readers with the whole truth, even if it weren't brutally exact. The Kennedy's haven't exactly been very upfront about the truth in the past if it was negative. They much preferred to seal it away and then spin it to death. So, did the good Senator from Massachusetts come clean or at least enlighten his friends, supporters and admirers in this final official testimony of his life? Yes, and no. He said his actions were "Inexcusable and he made terrible decisions." He was drunk, frightened and confused. But what abo

Senator Edward M. Kennedy's deeply moving memoir is the story of how the youngest most underrated of the nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, through great perserverence, through a long and difficult journey found real purpose carrying out the course his brothers had set. An avid sailor, Kennedy said sailing helped him, "displace the emptiness inside me with the awareness of direction" and so it could be also said that the direction his brothers left him also helped displace the void left by their deaths. He not only picked up where they left off in politics but he took on the role of father-figure to all of their children too. While there are hundreds of books about the Kennedys, this is the only definitive inside account from a member of the family, evoking high expectations for candor and revelation into the inner lives of this family like no other. While this book is exquisite in its detail - a testament to Ted Kennedy's love of painting a picture, telling a story and lighting the dark with humor - it may leave you wanting for deeper introspections into the virtually relentless litany of tragedies that befell his life. Alas, this sailor didn't like to look back and peer too deeply into the darkness he had escaped - even in his memoir - for fear that the darkness might overtake him and engulf him in despair. Keep moving forward, stay ahead of the storm, "I can handle this" seems to have been his mantra and code for survival. At the heart of this autobiography is the message that through perseverance, will-power and fortitude we can overcome any shortcomings, atone for any failures and succeed in our chosen course. By sticking with it and telling himself "I can handle this" he was able to survive everything from devastating deaths and accidents, to passing both legislation and kidney stones - and he unwincingly delivered a speech through the pain of these kidney stones in much the same fashion he survived all the pain in his life - through his mantra "I can handle this," "I can handle this." Ted Kennedy even teaches his grandson "Little Teddy," "we might not be the best," but "we can work harder than anyone." That, he tells us in his memoir, "is the greatest lesson anyone can learn"... "stick with it," through everything life hands you, follow your "true compass," "work harder than anyone" and you will eventually "get there." A great sailor indeed. Sailing seems a metaphor for Senator Kennedy's life, and in turn his uniquely American life seems to be a timely metaphor and lesson for how we might endure the rough waters we find America in today, and prevail.