An
Unfinished Life
John F. Kennedy: 1917 - 1963
By
Robert Dallek
Historian
Robert Dallek has given us the most complete biography of John F.
Kennedy ever published. His careful research has brought to light
many previously untold stories about the Kennedy family, and John
Kennedy in particular. You will come away with a much better understanding
of the man as you learn where he came from and how he got where
he was. You may have a clearer understanding of his death and his
place in history.
Dallek
begins his tale before the birth of John Kennedy with details of
P. J. Kennedy and his reasons for coming to the United States from
Ireland. Then Joseph Kennedy was born. His courtship of Rose Fitzgerald
is discussed as well as their marriage and the birth of each of
their children. Much is told about their attitudes toward health
problems that explain John Kennedy.
Jack,
as he was called, did not have the robust good health he always
presented to the public eye. He was, in fact, a very sickly child
prone to catch all the childhood diseases as well as upper respiratory
infections and the like. His doctors treated him for Addison's Disease
though a confirmed diagnosis was never made. His parents refused
to have the tests done, not wanting the stigma of imperfection to
darken the family name again as it had with Rosemary.
This
attitude, though reprehensible, is typical of wealthy families.
This, a love of politics and current affairs, and his rivalry with
his older brother shaped John Kennedy into the man he became. Is
his place in history justified? Listen to An Unfinished Life
and decide for yourself.
The
reading of actor Richard McGonagle will keep you engrossed in an
already interesting tale. You might find you prefer the audio to
the printed version. I do.
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