Robert F Kennedy

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A worthy contribution to history free of myth and full of facts
Two Shortcuts To Becoming A Lone-Assassin Believer: Watch The 11/22/63 Real-Time Live TV Coverage....And Then Read This Book
Out of the Past
very good press reporting
JOURNALISM CLASSIC AND INSIDE SCOOP

When the News Went Live: Dallas 1963
Bob Huffaker , Bill Mercer , George Phenix , and Wes Wise
Manufacturer: Taylor Trade Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1589791398

Book Description

Broadcast journalism came of age in the Kennedy Assassination crisis and helped to hold a mourning nation together. Four reporters on the scene relate their experiences.

Customer Reviews:

A worthy contribution to history free of myth and full of facts.......2007-04-03

There are so very few books that convey a sense of "being there" when it comes to the Kennedy assassination. This outstanding book takes the reader back to that fateful weekend of November 22nd 1963 in Dallas, Texas and does so in an open, honest and compelling manner.

"When the News Went Live" is written by four journalists who were in Dallas on that day covering the presidential visit. Bob Huffaker and the other three newsmen share many interesting stories that you will not find elsewhere and that have been untold for many years no doubt to all but their personal friends. This is why the book is such a valuable contribution to the historical record. Such first hand observation regarding not just those few seconds in Dealey Plaza, the murder of Officer Tippet and the shooting of Lee Harvey Oswald by Jack Ruby, but how in fact the entire story unfolded, makes fascinating reading.

As an aid to anyone interested in the assassination, this book is a must have. I would emphasize - rarely do you find first hand knowledge like this - much of what is written on this subject is written by people many steps removed from the event where fact and fiction merge into one. Not so here. A fabulous book which is refreshingly free of the conjecture and myth that is so common in the Himalayan pile of work on the Kennedy assassination and is highly recommended.

Two Shortcuts To Becoming A Lone-Assassin Believer: Watch The 11/22/63 Real-Time Live TV Coverage....And Then Read This Book.......2007-01-02

"With three shots from a mail-order rifle, Lee Oswald set off a worldwide tragedy that developed too fast to print. .... Broadcast journalism came of age in that crisis of grief and uncertainty, and as it drew its mourning audience, it helped to hold the nation together." -- Bob Huffaker; From the Preface of "When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963"

----------------------

"When The News Went Live: Dallas 1963", published in 2004, paints a vivid word picture of many of the incredible events that surrounded President John F. Kennedy's assassination in November of 1963, as seen through the eyes of four journalists -- Bob Huffaker, Bill Mercer, George Phenix, and Wes Wise -- who covered those events as they happened for CBS affiliate KRLD-TV and Radio in Dallas.

President Kennedy's shocking and appalling assassination on November 22, 1963, was the very first really big "Watch It Unfold Live On TV" news event of the television era, with four full commercial-free days being devoted to nothing but exclusive assassination-related coverage by all three major TV networks (with KRLD's on-the-scene Dallas reporters frequently feeding CBS-TV headquarters in New York).

And the four reporters whose intriguing stories unfold within this 224-page hardcover volume were right smack in the thick of things during the rapidly-developing events -- from the initial sketchy bulletins that told of the President being shot in Dealey Plaza during a motorcade drive through the city of Dallas -- to the announcement of JFK's death at Parkland Hospital -- to the capture of the accused assassin (Lee Harvey Oswald) in a nearby movie theater -- to Oswald's very own murder on live TV (with Bob Huffaker reporting live from the basement of the Dallas Police Department, where the single gunshot from Jack Ruby's pistol added yet another hard-to-believe chapter to the weekend's nightmarish story).

It was a mesmerizing weekend in American (and television) history, to say the least. And those days are re-lived with clarity in this engaging book by way of the recollections of four men who lived through and reported on those events when they were occurring.

"When The News Went Live" contains several excellent black-and-white photographs, too (some of them I haven't seen published elsewhere).

On a personal level, I have had the pleasure of communicating (via e-mail) with Bob Huffaker several times. He has been very cordial and gracious whenever answering the questions that I had for him. His personal insights into the events revolving around JFK's death are fascinating glimpses into the past, and are insights that I have enjoyed reading immensely.

A sample e-mail excerpt from Mr. Huffaker:

----------------------

"David, you're right about the presidential visit and motorcade being the main attraction that all Dallas media were covering, of course. But all our stations had limited capabilities for doing mobile TV, which then demanded either cables or microwave dishes--as well as a receiving dish within line-of-sight beaming or bouncing.

Hence the pool TV arrangements, limited to three planned locations. The local TV stations did live TV from the FTW {Fort Worth} breakfast, Love Field, and the Trade Mart. But this was, indeed, the day the news went live on television, unplanned.

WBAP-TV in Fort Worth had a non-running TV van, which they had towed all the way from Cowtown to Dallas Police headquarters, and we sent both of our KRLD-TV vans into duty--the Bread Truck at DPD and the Blue Goose on the 24th to the county jail, etc.

This was the first time in TV history when on-the-spot news suddenly demanded to go live from the scene. Before that, radio news on-the-spot descriptions such as ours that day were common (like the Hindenburg broadcast--radio only), and live TV was usually reserved for major speeches, sports, etc.

Bob" -- E-mail to this writer; May 30, 2006

----------------------

Relating to the subject of "WHEN THE NEWS WENT LIVE", I'd like to offer up the following observations as an extension of this book review.....

To those JFK conspiracy theorists who seem to favor the Oliver Stone-like or Robert Groden-promoted assassination scenarios (that feature a minimum of three gunmen and anywhere from 6 to 10 gunshots being fired at President Kennedy in Dallas' Dealey Plaza on November 22, 1963) -- I always suggest to them that they ought to dig up some of the originally-aired "As It Is Happening" live TV or radio broadcasts from that dark Friday in American history.

After performing that exercise of watching a few hours of the November 22 television coverage of the assassination (in real time), or listening to some of the radio broadcasts in real time (which works just as well) -- I challenge anyone to then arrive at the same conclusion that was slapped up on the big theater screen in 1991 via Director Oliver Stone's blockbuster, conspiracy-laden motion picture "JFK".

Watching the day's events unfold "live" in front of you (or listening to them unfold on the radio as it was happening) should, in my opinion, provide everyone with a good general idea of how utterly impossible a task it would have been to have "faked" so much stuff that was being IMMEDIATELY reported to the world on live television and radio within minutes and hours of the President's assassination (and within a very short space of time following Police Officer J.D. Tippit's murder as well).

Via those original live TV/Radio broadcasts, you're not going to hear a SINGLE report that resembles anything close to the Oliver Stone/Jim Garrison-endorsed nonsense of:

"Three gunmen fired six shots at President Kennedy's motorcade today here in Dallas!!"

What you will hear, instead, is live coverage, as it happened, of a ONE-GUNMAN assassination taking place from where the majority of witnesses said it took place (the Texas School Book Depository Building), with no more than three shots having been fired by the SINGLE SHOOTER, which is a shot count that over 91% of the witnesses concur with -- including the small percentage of witnesses who heard only one or two shots, who are witnesses that certainly don't do Mr. Stone's "6-shot ambush" theory any favors.

Upon evaluating virtually all of the TV networks' live assassination footage from November 22nd, 1963, there is no possible way that a reasonable person could arrive at a conclusion that JFK was shot by three assassins, firing from both front and rear. Let alone arriving at an even more-cockeyed "8-to-10-shot" shooting scenario, as purported by Mr. Groden and some other CTers, which is an outlandish conspiracy-flavored scenario that has John Kennedy and John Connally being shot by way more than just the two Warren Commission-backed Mannlicher-Carcano bullets from Lee Harvey Oswald's rifle.*

* = And Mr. Groden's theory (that sports from 8 to 10 gunshots) also features an additional hunk of lunacy, in that Groden thinks it's very likely that NONE of these eight to ten shots came from the "Oswald window" in the Book Depository! (I'm not making this crazy stuff up here. I promise. Anyone who owns a copy of Robert Groden's 1993 book "The Killing Of A President" can check out Groden's preposterous theory for themselves, on pages 20-40.)

The bottom line is -- Very nearly all of the information being reported on TV and radio that November day favored a "Lone Assassin" shooting scenario (including the info concerning the Tippit murder in Oak Cliff), with very little evidence and information being broadcast that would support any type of a "conspiracy" whatsoever; and certainly no "conspiratorial" evidence that has ever panned out and "proved" that a multi-gun plot ended JFK's life in Dallas.

This is quite a telling "One Killer" fact. Because, in my view, if a vast conspiracy and subsequent "cover-up" had been in place on November 22nd (given the immense amount of TV and radio coverage, with reporters scrutinizing everything coming across their desks and digging hard for any type of case-solving clues during those first hours and days after JFK and J.D. Tippit were killed), I think that at least SOME pieces of the conspiracy would have leaked through to the sweeping television and radio coverage surrounding the two Dallas murders.

And I'm guessing that every reporter and newsman in the country (including Messrs. Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix, and Wise) would have loved to dig up some "conspiracy"-proving angle during that weekend in November of '63. Being the person who uncovered such a huge story would certainly be a feather in that reporter's cap, to be sure. But, as it turned out, nothing of that nature occurred....and has yet to occur all these many years later.

To think (as many theorists do) that these conspirators were so smart and so quick to have had the capabilities to immediately eliminate virtually every last scrap of information leading to a conspiracy plot of some kind, making sure that none of the "multi-gunmen shooting event" details seeped through to the media (multiplied by TWO separate murders as well, counting Tippit's!), is to think that any such evil-doers had powers similar to "Superman".

For example -- Almost every one of the initial reports concerning the number of gunshots heard by witnesses stated "3 shots". And while it's true that the very first report of the shooting from UPI's Merriman Smith (which was broadcast over all the television networks) stated "Three shots were fired...", it's also worth noting that Smith's initial bulletin was not the ONLY "three shots" account that was reported during those early hours just after the shooting.

For instance, Jay Watson of ABC affiliate WFAA-TV in Dallas (who happened to be in Dealey Plaza during the shooting and nervously reported the first bulletins to the unaware Dallas TV audience) is heard multiple times on November 22nd saying he heard "3 shots" fired.

Plus, several other members of the media are also on record stating their own PERSONAL beliefs that exactly three shots were fired by the assassin, including Robert MacNeil, Jack Bell, Bob Clark, Jerry Haynes, and Pierce Allman, among still others.

Some of the other "Three Shot" witnesses who were riding right in the Presidential motorcade itself include -- Photographers Tom Dillard, Robert Jackson, Mal Couch, and James Underwood. Plus, both John and Nellie Connally, who were riding in the same car with President Kennedy.

In addition, Presidential aides Ken O'Donnell and David Powers, who were both riding in the Secret Service follow-up car directly behind JFK's limousine, can also be added to the lengthy list of witnesses who heard precisely three gunshots.

And then there's also amateur filmmaker Abraham Zapruder, who took the most famous 26-second home movie in history when he captured the entire assassination with his 8mm Bell & Howell movie camera -- Zapruder showed up on live TV about 90 minutes after the President's murder took place and gave a graphic account of the horrifying event that had taken place in front of his very eyes.

Mr. Zapruder told the WFAA-TV viewing audience that he had heard two or three shots (but definitely no more than three), and he also demonstrated on live television where on the President's head he had seen the effects of the fatal gunshot. Zapruder puts his hand over the right-frontal portion of his own head to demonstrate where he saw the blood coming from JFK's head.

That's pretty amazing "LIVE" stuff from Mr. Zapruder's own lips (within approx. an hour-and-a-half of the assassination). And it's especially incredible and amazing if there had actually been many more than just two or three shots fired at the President, and if the fatal shot had actually (as many CTers believe) caused a huge hole in the BACK of John Kennedy's head, instead of the location where Zapruder placed it on live television -- i.e., the RIGHT SIDE AND FRONT portion of the head.

How could the so-called "conspirators" have possibly gotten THAT lucky with respect to Abraham Zapruder's live "on-the-air" WFAA-TV statements and head-wound "demonstration"? How?

And -- Could these ultra-clever conspirators have somehow managed to "manipulate" several reporters who were relaying the news live to the world immediately after the event, and have them ALL report on hearing just "three shots" (or, in a few cases, hearing only TWO shots, which is a number that certainly does not favor a "Multi-Shooter Conspiracy Plot")?

Or did the plotters just happen to get really, really LUCKY (again) when virtually all of the news reports favored the "Three Shots Fired" conclusion? With this 3-shot scenario matching the precise number of bullet shells that were found on the 6th Floor of the Book Depository after the shooting; and also perfectly matching the exact number of shots heard by TSBD witness Harold Norman, and also perfectly matching the precise number of bullet shells (3) that Norman heard hitting the plywood floor directly above his 5th-Floor location within the Depository.

Which, per Oliver Stone's movie, would mean that a full 50% of the ACTUAL number of gunshots were somehow inaudible to the enormous majority (91%+) of the earwitnesses! And, remember, Oliver has NONE of the shots within his movie's six-shot assassination ambush being "synchronized" in order to merge together with the sound of some of the other shots.

And yet, per Mr. Stone, we're supposed to actually believe that approximately 9 out of every 10 witnesses somehow missed hearing HALF of the gunshots fired that day! A reasonable thing to believe....or not? I ask you.

Were these so-called conspiratorial shooters so good that they could make 4 to 10 shots sound like only three to the vast majority of witnesses scattered all throughout Dealey Plaza? Highly doubtful, to say the least.

Again -- I'd advise all conspiracy theorists to sit down and watch the live TV footage....or listen to some of the surviving 11/22/63 radio tapes....and then try to find a "Multi-Gunmen Conspiracy" lurking within ANY of those original broadcasts. If anybody finds proof of a conspiracy via those means, please let me know. And let the world know too.

David Von Pein
December 2006
January 2007

Out of the Past.......2006-04-04

We have become accustomed (yea, verily, some would say desensitized)to horror unfolding before our eyes in our very own living rooms. Bob Huffaker's book brings us back to a time before the desensitization, when we could scarcely believe what our eyes were telling us. I recommend this book highly to those who were there, watching as I was, and even more so to those who were not there. The young, raised in an era of suicide bombers, need to understand that it was not always thus.

very good press reporting.......2005-07-30

1963 nov 22 brought to life again but with more professionalism.some very interesting facts that confirmed my own thoughts .

JOURNALISM CLASSIC AND INSIDE SCOOP.......2005-05-07

I stayed up all night reading when my copy of When The News Went Live, Dallas 1963 arrived. This book is a classic and should be included in the curriculum of every journalism and political science classroom in America.

Huffaker, Mercer, Phenix and Wise have written the Texas story of the Kennedy assassination, the inside scoop on Oswald's murder and the history of the evolution of modern journalism. These four men were Dallas television reporters, on the scene and on their own, in the middle of the news story of the century.

It is a salute to their training and their integrity as newsmen that their coverage under duress stands today as a compelling rendering of those fateful moments. I am glad they were the early ones on the scene, for they were the ones who broke the news to me in my elementary classroom. The story gives their perspectives more fully; all these years later, this book helps me understand the events and how they affected Texas and the nation.

Bob, Bill, George and Wes were there in Dallas with their Southern sensibilities. They weren't easily pushed around or manipulated that dark day and still aren't. They were taught to tell the truth as objectively as possible, and they reverted to that training and their good common sense when placed in positions lesser men might have blown or exploited. These four men cared about truth and justice and fairness and still do. I hope all young journalists will read this and learn about balanced reporting.

Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy

Average customer rating:

Ground Zero
Meticulously researched and factual
Makes Al Gore look like Pollyanna
Who voted for this guy and why?
Son of Bobby nails the Plunder Elite for ongoing rape of nature

Crimes Against Nature: How George W. Bush and His Corporate Pals Are Plundering the Country and Hijacking Our Democracy
Jr., Robert F. Kennedy
Manufacturer: Harper Perennial
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0060746882
Release Date: 2005-07-05

Book Description

In this powerful indictment of George W. Bush's White House, environmental attorney Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., charges that the administration has taken corporate favoritism to unprecedented heights -- threatening our health, our national security, and our democracy.

Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration, in order to enrich its corporate paymasters, has eviscerated the laws that protect our nation's air, water, public lands, and wildlife. He describes the White House doling out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to energy barons while allowing the corporations to profit by poisoning the public and eliminating security at the more than 15,000 nuclear and chemical facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. He shows how right-wing White House ideologues have taken the "conserve" out of conservatism and trampled the free-market democracy in favor of a kind of corporate-crony capitalism that is as antithetical to democracy, efficiency, and prosperity in America as it is in Nigeria.

Crimes Against Nature is a book for both Democrats and Republicans, people like the traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen whom Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters. "Without exception," he writes, "these people see the current administration as the greatest threat not just to their livelihoods but to their values, their sense of community, and their idea of what it means to be American."

Download Description

In this powerful and far-reaching indictment of George W. Bush's White House, Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the country's most prominent environmental attorney, charges that this administration has taken corporate cronyism to such unprecedented heights that it now threatens our health, our national security, and democracy as we know it. In a headlong pursuit of private profit and personal power, Kennedy writes, George Bush and his administration have eviscerated the laws that have protected our nation's air,water, public lands, and wildlife for the past thirty years, enriching the president's political contributors whilelowering the quality of life for the rest of us.

Kennedy lifts the veil on how the administration has orchestrated these rollbacks almost entirely outside of public scrutiny -- and in tandem with the very industries that our laws are meant to regulate, the country's most notorious polluters. He writes of how it has deceived the public by manipulating and suppressing scientific data, intimidated enforcement officials and other civil servants, and masked its agenda with Orwellian doublespeak. He reports on how the White House doles out lavish subsidies and tax breaks to the energy barons while excusing industry from providing adequate security at the more than 15,000 chemical and nuclear facilities that are prime targets for terrorist attacks. Kennedy reveals an administration whose policies have ""squandered our Treasury, entangled us in foreign wars, diminished our international prestige, made us a target for terrorist attacks, and increased our reliance on petty Middle Eastern dictators who despise democracy and are hated by their own people.""

Crimes Against Nature is ultimately about the corrosive effect of corporate corruption on our core American values -- free-market capitalism and democracy. It is about an administration, the author argues, that has sacrificed respect for the law, public health, scientific integrity, and long-term economic vitality on the altar of corporate greed. It is a book for both Democrats and Republicans, people like the traditionally conservative farmers and fishermen Kennedy represents in lawsuits against polluters. ""Without exception,"" he writes, ""these people see the current administration as the greatest threat not just to their livelihoods but to their values, their sense of community, and their idea of what it means to be American."" "

Customer Reviews:

Ground Zero.......2007-05-15

Why would I tell you this book is a bunch of liberal nonsense? Could it be that I am on the payroll of one of the plundering industries? Could it be that I think that a healthy economy is better than safe water or safe air? Could it be that I am one of the many many accused who have committed one or several of the crimes in this book? Could it be that I hold a position in government that is meant to serve you, but all I have really done is benefit a major polluter? Could it be that due to some toxic pollutant we are all exposed to thanks to wealthy profiteers that my thinking process is greatly impaired? Could it be that I just don't want you to know the truth? Could it be that I love Bush and worship the dollar? Maybe it could be one or all of these, that is if I were to tell you that it is anything but something you NEED to know.

This book will guide you to the real "ground zero". It will make you wonder who is the real "axis of evil". Should you be concerned? Let me put it this way, using the words of Benito Mussolini, "Fascism should rather be called corporatism, as it is the merging of government and corporate power."

Robert F. Kennedy Jr. lists names of offenders and industries and what and how they have managed to screw you, everyone of you out of your right to a healthy environment and your taxes pay for this to boot. He exposes the "Wise Use" based environmentally "friendly sounding" organizations that have been spawned by every offending industry solely to deceive you and lull you back to sleep. To these wealthy criminals, you are nothing more than cattle to be slaughtered at the alter of profit. And to those who think this book is nonsense, all I can think of to tell you that might even remotely make any sense to you is "moo".

Meticulously researched and factual.......2007-04-30

As an environmental engineer for over 18 years, I can tell you that what RFK Jr. is saying is not alarmist, it's accurate. I've spent much of my time fighting State & U.S. EPA regulators against their attempts to impose unreasonably conservative (i.e., restrictive) regulations. But the environmental violations committed by the Bush administration are heinous and egregious. I sincerely feel I'm living in a repressive society (hello, Nazi Germany) where crimes of this magnitude can escape unnoticed and unpunished. Hitler was no more insidiously evil than the Bush administration!

Makes Al Gore look like Pollyanna.......2007-04-01

WARNING: This book will make your blood boil.

Bobby Kennedy has been walking the walk for a long time--and he really tells it like it is. To a Dem or liberal or anyone who cares about the environment, he is preaching to the choir. But in my opinion, Kennedy's important contribution is to appeal to everyone--regardless of party, philosophical, or political persuasion.He describes with impeccable detail, chapter, verse, and evidence how the Bush administration has, in its headlong race towards its own--and Earth's- extinction, surgically removed the word "conserve" from conservative. Not even the most loyal Republican can read this impeccably documented presentation of the systematic,intentional and callous destruction of the Public Trust without a feeling of sadness, anger, and betrayal.

Who voted for this guy and why?.......2007-03-29

This book just gave me more reasons to dislike him.

Son of Bobby nails the Plunder Elite for ongoing rape of nature.......2007-02-14

What's so exciting about this expose is that Mr. Kennedy--senior attorney for the Natural Resources Defense Council, chief prosecuting attorney for Riverkeeper, and president of Waterkeeper Alliance--advocates an extreme "free-market" position:

"You show me a polluter and I'll show you a subsidy. I'll show you a fat cat using political clout to escape the discipline of the free market and load his production costs onto the backs of the public."
-- pg. 190

Kennedy starts with a description of the cesspool of Texas, in 1999 determined to be the worst-polluting state in America. It's no accident Bush became governor. For one thing, he declared emergency tort reform, making it all but impossible for Texans to bring class action suits against polluters.

Kennedy shows how corporate-privilege think tanks worked to undermine the legitimate popular sentiment for clean air and water. Bush picked Dick Cheney (or Cheney picked himself) to be running mate, to guarantee support of key oil, coal, mining, timber, chemical, pharmaceutical, and agribusiness lobbies, as well as from the Christian right.

Bush-Cheney has held fast against taking action against global warming, insisting the jury is still out. There are basically no scientific skeptics anymore, and opponents of the anthropogenic, fossil-fuel greenhouse-gas theory have thinned to a small band of "industry-funded charlatans whose voices are amplified through the bullhorn of Rush Limbaugh and the shills at the Heritage Foundation."

The administration has also dumbed down and politicized the EPA, for example, ignoring the health threats of airborne contaminants following 911, thus endangering the health of firefighters, police, construction workers, and residents.

Cheney secretly convened the National Energy Policy Development Group to set the agenda for energy policy in Bushworld. The Republican-sponsored bill that proceeded from NEPD's report consisted of a cornucopia of subsidies and pollution exemptions to oil, coal, and nuclear industries. RFK, Jr. gives all the gory details.

I want to conclude my review with two particularly disturbing items that Kennedy notes:

1) Big Coal is the number one polluter in terms of greenhouse
gases, mercury, ozone, dangerous particulates and acid
rain. Particularly with the advent of mountain-top removal
mining, storage of the slurry waste becomes a huge threat
downstream of the earthen dams. Thousands of people
will die; Big Coal doesn't have to clean up the mess,
because Big Coal spent tens of millions of dollars to elect
Bush-Cheney.

...

For my complete review of this book and for other book and movie
reviews, please visit my site [...]

Brian Wright
Copyright 2007

Make Gentle the Life of This World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy

Average customer rating:

Wisdom for Our Times
A true desert island book....
Weep, yes, but then be inspired
READ THIS AND WEEP OVER THE TOTAL COLLAPSE OF OUR CULTURE CIVILIZATION AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION
Scratching the Surface

Make Gentle the Life of This World: The Vision of Robert F. Kennedy
Maxwell Taylor Kennedy
Manufacturer: Broadway
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Release Date: 1999-05-04

Amazon.com

President John F. Kennedy and his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, collaborated on a daybook project in which they would jot down passages from their reading that moved them in some way. RFK continued the project after his brother's death in 1963, and would frequently use the quotations in it as source material for his speeches.

Maxwell Taylor Kennedy, Robert's youngest son, has drawn upon that journal, as well as material from his father's speeches, to create a unique portrait of RFK's spirit and character. In addition to his own powerful testimony to his passion for social justice, we learn that Robert Kennedy was able to learn as much about the meaning of freedom and justice from Albert Camus as he was from Thomas Jefferson or Abraham Lincoln. The concern with civil rights, pacifism, and America's role in the international arena (among other issues) that permeate Kennedy's thoughts are as relevant today as they were in the 1960s. Make Gentle the Life of This World is a stirring reminder of one of this century's strongest political visions.

Book Description

Throughout the 1960s, Robert F. Kennedy kept a private journal of favorite quotations, recording the philosophies of great leaders and thinkers throughout history. Thirty years after his father's tragic death, Maxwell Taylor Kennedy has culled the highlights of this journal, along with moving portions of Robert Kennedy's most memorable speeches, to create an inspiring, immortal voice for his father's vision. With passages on freedom, democracy, civil rights, education, justice, tragedy, and peace, Make Gentle the Life of This World speaks powerfully to America's unstoppable drive for a better world. Complemented by poignant photographs of Robert Kennedy, this is an extraordinary tribute to an extraordinary hero, whose dream for America has never been extinguished.

Customer Reviews:

Wisdom for Our Times.......2007-01-05

This is an excellent selection of Robert F. Kennedy's words. It's amazing how applicable RFK's ideas are to our own times.

A true desert island book...........2006-09-18

Anyone who is ever at a point in their life where they are doing any type of soul-searching would find the thoughts and words expressed here invaluable. After experiencing the worst tragedy, Robert Kennedy makes an incredible change....inside and then outside. Those of us who were not alive or old enough to remember do have books and videos to try and tell us his story. But his son goes beyond that and really gives us something more by sharing all the ideas that made up the man.

If you are looking for info about RFK, well, you'll get something here....BUT...even more, this book will help you grow and become a better human being...and maybe even become that "tiny ripple of hope" in your world.

Weep, yes, but then be inspired.......2006-08-27

For those who missed the time in which those now called "Reagan Democrats" and those opposed to the ongoing war in Vietnam were inspired by the same voice, especially who cannot even begin to imagine how that could be, this small book is a must-read that will enable you to experience what is possible through inspiring [rather than angry divisive cynical] leadership.

Some quotes from the book, which seems as if it could have been written this morning:

"An understanding of what America really stands for is going to count far more than missiles, aircraft carriers, and supersonic bombers."

"Insurgency aims not at the conquest of territory but at the allegiance of man. ... Counterinsurgency might best be described as social reform under pressure...any effort that becomes pre-occupied with gadgets and techniques and force is doomed to failure."

"Thus does false principle destroy the credibility of our wisdom and purpose that is the true foundation of influence as a world power."

"America was a great force in the world, with immense prestige, long before we became a great military power. That power has come to us and we cannot renounce it, but neither can we afford to forget that the real constructive force in the world comes not from bombs but from imaginative ideas, warm sympathies, and a generous spirit.
These are qualities that cannot be manufactured by specialists in public relations.
They are the natural qualities of a people pursuing decency and human dignity in its own undertakings without arrogance or hostility or delusions of superiority toward others, a people whose ideals for others are firmly rooted in the realities of the society we have build for itself."

"Whatever the costs to us, let us think of the young men we have sent there: not just the killed, but those who have to kill; not just the maimed, but those who must look upon the results of what they do."

[AND, to remind us not to sink into frustrated despair at our current mean-spirited divisive administration, RFK's words spoken in courage during the dark days of Apartheid in South Africa:]
"Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope, and crossing each other from a million different centers of energy and daring, those ripples build a current that can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression and resistance."

"Few will have the greatness to bend history itself; but each of us can work to change a small portion of events, and in the total of those acts will be written the history of this generation."

READ THIS AND WEEP OVER THE TOTAL COLLAPSE OF OUR CULTURE CIVILIZATION AND OUR ONCE GREAT NATION.......2006-08-10

Imagine the entrenched bush having his notes and jottings gleaned of classical quotes of personal inspiration. The difference between a Harvard and a Yale education? Or is it deeper than that?

This book reveals the inner thoughts of our great leader whose career for peace and justice was cruelly cancelled in midstream at his highest point. This great man was our once future president and would have brought us through so many dull crises to follow. TO read these quotations is to realize fully what we have lost. And yet in reading them we sow the golden seeds within ourselves of resurrection and of wisdom. Live this book. Contemplate this book. Breath this book.

Get this book. And one for all of your friends. It is eternal, as it draws from the ancients, unto our modern age. It is balm in Gilead for our present strife and petty fatal political bickerings. We once were great. Let us remember in peace and grow great again as a nation and a people and as individuals.

Scratching the Surface.......2004-12-03

A biography this is not, but it does give us insight into the mind of Robert Kennedy. His face is etched in our national conscience, making America wonder what could have been. Through this book, we see the principles he believed.

This collection of quotes is taken from RFK's speechs and the private journal in which he collected quotes and ideas. A wide spectrum of ideas is covered from political life to social ideas. Robert Kennedy's social conscience has gone unmatched in the political arena since his life ended.

One of the things I most enjoyed about this book is the candid photographs scattered throughout the book. These images show the softer, more personable side of the man. It is the side of the man that Americans were never allowed to see come into fruition.

A great quote to end this review is located on p 89. Although it refers to education, I think it is very applicable.
"All things are at odds when God sets a thinker loose on the planet." Edith Hamilton

Ultimate Sacrifice: John and Robert Kennedy, the Plan for a Coup in Cuba, and the Murder of JFK

Average customer rating:

Don't buy this disinformation
Confirms the Conspiracy Theory
The truth at last?
Another "mafia did it' screed
Great Info, Poor Writing

Ultimate Sacrifice: John and Robert Kennedy, the Plan for a Coup in Cuba, and the Murder of JFK
Lamar Waldron , and Thom Hartmann
Manufacturer: Carroll & Graf
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0786718323

Book Description

Cuba's number 2 official today — Commander Juan Almeida — was secretly working with JFK in November 1963 to overthrow Fidel. The US government recently revealed Almeida's work for JFK, allowing the updated trade paperback of Ultimate Sacrifice to tell the full story for the first time (complete with new photos and documents).
The authors obtained the story from almost two dozen associates of John and Robert Kennedy, starting in 1990 with JFK's Secretary of State Dean Rusk. Their accounts are supported by thousands of newly-released files at the National Archives.
Almeida's "palace coup" set for December 1, 1963, was to be backed up by US forces "invited" in by Commander Almeida, then Chief of the Cuban Army. However, three Mafia bosses being targeted by Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy used several CIA assets to infiltrate the secret plot and murder JFK.
This resulted in cover-ups by officials like RFK and LBJ, to prevent the exposure of Almeida and a possible nuclear confrontation with the Soviets. The new edition explains why Almeida was not a double agent, why Fidel suspected Almeida's ally Che Guevara, and what Fidel did in 1990 when he finally found out about Almeida's work for JFK.

Customer Reviews:

Don't buy this disinformation.......2007-06-11

This book is disinformation. It is an attempt to discredit serious critics of the Warren Commission and confuse everyone else. DON'T BUY THIS TRASH. This is your tax dollars at work.

Confirms the Conspiracy Theory.......2007-02-26

I remember, vividly, the day JFK was assassinted in Dallas, and I distinctly remember the reports of the time talking about "shots from the grassy knoll". And I know that I doubted the veracity of the Warren Commission's Report after it was published. After reading this WELL RESEARCHED AND DOCUMENTED book, and utilizing all of the interview material obtained by some of the people closely involved, all the pieces fall into place..Case Closed! Waldron and Hartmann have solved the mystery. MUST READING FOR ALL CONSPIRACY THEORISTS.

The truth at last?.......2007-02-21

Ultimate Sacrifice is a truly remarkable book. The riddle of who really killed John F. Kennedy has haunted the common imagination for over 40 years, and this work may well have solved the puzzle. Over 900-odd pages, Ultimate Sacrifice states its' case - that the Mafia used the elements of a US government plan to murder Fidel Castro in December 1963 to kill JFK -with relentless precision. Dozens of freshly-released US government files buttress the book's often startling conclusions throughout. This is the sort of book that makes you think "Oh, yes! That makes sense now!": This book indeed makes sense of the so-called Crime Of The Century.

This is a highly repetitive work...the same facts are stated over and and over and over again...but then, the case at hand is very complex and requires step-by-step explanation. Until the CIA release their files on the JFK murder in ten years' time, this will stand as the definitive document of what happened in Nov. 63. The facts are laid out so clearly that a fool could grasp them - Lee Oswald was an agent and a tool of US intelligence, Ruby was up to his ears in Mob chicanery, Castro was the target of countless US murder plots from 1959-63 and so forth. This is not so much an antidote to the egregious lies of Posner's "Case Closed" as a challenge to history. The Mafia killed Kennedy, and elements of the CIA helped them do it. Read this book to find out why and how. It's that simple. Ultimate Sacrifice details who planned the murder, who abetted it, what the cover story was, how Oswald fitted into it, and why it remained secret for so long. The one and only book any serious JFK assassination buff needs. Must read. 10/10. Best book on the case of all time.

Another "mafia did it' screed.......2007-01-29

I thought the "mafia did it" theory had been thoroughly discredited by now. Actually, it has been discredited. With all due respect to Mr. Palamara, this book is hardly the best book on the JFK assasination. It's not even close to being the best. The best book on the murder of JFK is John Armstrong's 'Harvey & Lee', a thoroughly documented tome that proves that there were two people using the name Lee Harvey Oswald, one a native Russian speaking man who's family came to the U.S. and who was put into a "false defector" program run by the State Department and CIA (Harvey), the other the real Lee Harvey Oswald (Lee) who was working with Ruby, Ferrie, Shaw, Bannister and others in gun running and anti-Castro activities and who helped set up Harvey as the patsy. Armstrong's book puts everything into perspective. Ultimate Sacrifice is barely worth your time to read.

Great Info, Poor Writing.......2007-01-23

This is an excellent book with great information, IF you can finish it. The authors must have been paid by the word, as I have never read a book that repeats itself over and over like this one. They inform you of a character, list his title or position, then even on the same page, repeat it in full again. This happens all through the book with people, places, events etc. However, this is quite probably THE BEST answer to the events of Nov. 22nd. Excellent background on the current events of the 1960's. Gives you an understanding of why the assassination took place. A must read, if you can!

Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis

Average customer rating:

A short but complete walkthrough
Some insight, some disappointment
Thirteen Days : A Review
On the Brink of Nuclear War
Critical moment in history

Thirteen Days: A Memoir of the Cuban Missile Crisis
Robert F. Kennedy
Manufacturer: W. W. Norton & Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Thirteen Days (Infinifilm Edition)

ASIN: 0393318346

Book Description

The unique, gripping account of the perilous showdown between the United States and the Soviet Union. During the thirteen days in October 1962 when the United States confronted the Soviet Union over its installation of missiles in Cuba, few people shared the behind-the-scenes story as it is told here by the late Senator Robert F. Kennedy. In a clear and simple record, he describes the personalities involved in the crisis, with particular attention to the actions and attitudes of his brother, President John F. Kennedy. He describes the daily, even hourly, exchanges between Russian representatives and American. In firsthand immediacy we see the frightening responsibility of two great nations holding the fate of the world in their hands.

Customer Reviews:

A short but complete walkthrough.......2007-03-23

I picked this book up as research for a speech I gave, and found I didn't have to look much further for an understanding of the events. RFK's account--from any source--is very accurate and detailed. It goes right along with the movie "13 days" but, as any book would, offers a much more accurate portrayal of the events. If you do get this book (which I highly recommend for anyone interested in the Cuban Missile Crisis, or history for that matter), you should also look in to the Havana Conference, which really shines some light on the full gravity of the situation.

Some insight, some disappointment.......2005-10-31

I was looking forward to reading this book on what I thought would be a keen insider's look at the Cuban missile crisis, and was somewhat disappointed. I realize that RFK was not able to complete the text, and perhaps that is reflected in it's length (100 pages of narrative). A large part of the printed material, about 1/3, is made up of supporting documents. I had hoped for more detail about the minute-to-minute events of those 13 days. The strength of the book is its undeniably interesting topic and author. There was insight to the crisis that I had not previously known, and reading it here was interesting and informative. For a mid-1900's buff, this might be one piece of a collection and its uniqueness may prove worthwhile. This is the first book I read on the Cuban missile crisis, and I am left wanting a lot more.

Thirteen Days : A Review.......2005-08-02

This is a riveting firsthand account of a period of intense confrontation between 2 superpowers that brought the world to the brink of nuclear war. It is a short, intense read followed by additional material from other authors that rounds out the edges of the story. This book clearly shows how good President Kennedy was a balancing the military option with diplomacy to save us from nuclear war. It is hard to imagine how this could have beeen handled better by any other President.

On the Brink of Nuclear War.......2005-05-21

Thirteen Days recounts the days that the United States seemed to be on the brink of a nuclear war. The author Robert F. Kennedy chronicled his role in the think-tank that steared the United States out of this crisis in the book. It is a tragedy that the book was never truly completed as Kennedy intended to add a section that questioned the ethics of war and nuclear war. It is a shame that the world was robbed of the view point of his scholarly mind.

In the era of the cable news networks , much of the information in this book seems thin. There is so much Kennedy could have elaborated on in this book. In its time, the book gave Americans their deepest look into the Kennedy White House. Many other books have more indepth accounts of the Cuban Missle Crisis, but none have the personal touch of a Kennedy. Learning from the disaster caused by groupthink that caused the failure of the Bay of Pigs, President Kennedy surrounded himself with a diverse group that was willing to debate all sides of the issue. All ideas were encouraged, but only one was selected. Seeing multiple view points allowed them to explore all the aspects of the issue, including how the Soviets might react/feel. Great thinkers traditionally explore topics in very open forums such as this. There is no narrow minded partisanism here, just a quest for peace. Though slight, this is a great account of one of the finest hours in the Kennedy administration.

Critical moment in history.......2004-02-13

I was surprised at how simply this book was written, and it was not bogged down at all by political mumbo-jumbo that most politicians write with. This becomes a compelling read, because it is accesible to everyone, and the account is obviously first-person, the only book of this nature. The Cuban Missile Crisis was the most important two weeks in our history, and it is the closest the world has come to nuclear war, and inevitable destruction. It seems that many people are forgetting how close the US and USSR came to pushing the button here.

I like the way RFK writes, and it is unfortunate that this book is unfinished, but this is an interesting read for anybody who is interested in the magnetic Kennedy family and the history of the Cold War.

Book Description

Robert Kennedy's role in American politics during the 1960s was pivotal yet has defied attempts to define it. He was a junior senator from New York, but he was also much more. The public perceived him as possessing the intangible qualities of his brother, the slain president. From 1965 to 1968 Kennedy struggled to find his own voice in national affairs.

In His Own Right examines this crucial period of Robert Kennedy's political career, combining the best of political biography with a gripping social history of the social movements of the 1960s. How did Kennedy make the transformation from cold warrior to grassroots activist, from being a political operator known for ruthlessness toward his opponents to becoming, by 1968, a "tribune of the underclass"? Based on never before seen documents, this intimate portrait of one of the most respected politicians never elected president describes Robert Kennedy's relationship with such well-known activists and political players as Benjamin Spock, Eugene McCarthy, Allard Lowenstein, Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez, as well as the ordinary men and women who influenced Kennedy's views as he came to stand in the public arena and in the national consciousness as a man and a leader in his own right.

Customer Reviews:

What is here is good, but..........2001-12-10

Palermo's study of RFK on his own is well-researched and well-written, but it pays scant attention to the issue which dominated Kennedy's senatorial career - his attempts to do something about poverty in the U.S. While Vietnam is what drew him into his presidential run, poverty is the issue Kennedy spent more time on.

A Unique Political Journey.......2001-09-28

"In His Own Right", describes Robert Kennedy's political journey in the years after President Kennedy's assassination in 1963. Robert Kennedy suffered through a time of deep sorrow and grief after the death of his brother, and began a struggle to find his own political voice. RFK was in a unique position of national prominence, and many people looked to him to take the place of his slain brother. This book tells the story of how his political views began to change and evolve through very turbulent times both at home and abroad. Robert Kennedy had always been in the shadow of his brother, but he gradually began to stand in his own right. His own unique heart and spirit began to emerge, and it ultimately revolved around a sense of compassion and justice. By the time that he ran for President in 1968, there was much that Robert Kennedy could have given to America and to the world. This book explores that final political campaign, and the path that RFK always strived to find and follow.

Robert F. Kennedy was the Key Figure of the Sixties.......2001-07-14

While reading this fine book, I found myself immersed in the politics and social upheavals of the 1960s. My understanding of Robert F. Kennedy's role in the mid-1960s as a leader of a coalition of social movements was greatly enhanced. It was a joy to read!

Remembering grassroots efforts.......2001-07-09

Palermo's book is intriguing because it takes a closer look at how Bobby's campaign really began with grassroots politics. As a reader I found myself rallying behind the campaign that was abruptly and tragically cut short. I look forward to further exploration into the motivations behind Bobby's campaign.

A closer look at grassroot politics.......2001-07-08

The role of Robert Kennedy in Cold War politics is becoming a popular topic in academia and the media. At a time of growing disillusionment with American government and politicians I find Palermo's research an inticing and important step towards reviving interest in grassroots approaches by politicians. This book was well-written and deserves a reading because it explores the political philosophies and actions of an amazing man and truly caring politician.

Average customer rating:

If only...
A Sweeping History of Robert F. Kennedy
Thoroughly researched, inspirational biography
Bobby Up-Close
Real Good Book

Robert Kennedy and His Times
Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr.
Manufacturer: Mariner Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0618219285

Book Description

Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., chronicles the short life of the Kennedy family's second presidential hopeful in "a story that leaves the reader aching for what cannot be recaptured" (Miami Herald). Schlesinger's account vividly recalls the forces that shaped Robert Kennedy, from his position as the third son of a powerful Irish Catholic political clan to his concern for issues of social justice in the turbulent 1960s. ROBERT KENNEDY AND HIS TIMES is "a picture of a deeply compassionate man hiding his vulnerability, drawn to the underdogs and the unfortunates in society by his life experiences and sufferings" (Los Angeles Times).

Customer Reviews:

If only..........2007-05-28

This affectionately written biography of Bobby Kennedy is both pleasurable and painful to read. The man's transformation from his early years as a rackets investigator and attorney general who probably deserved the description of "ruthless," to his years following the assassination of his brother when he became a champion of the disenfranchised and an outspoken critic of U.S involvement in Vietnam, is nothing short of remarkable. One cannot help but imagine how our history might have been changed had he not been killed just after winning the California Democratic Presidential Primary in June, 1968. Could Kennedy have gone on to win the nomination? It seems likely. One thing to keep in mind when playing "What if?": The eventual Democratic nominee, Hubert Humphrey, a man with virtually no charisma at all, nearly beat Richard Nixon for President.

A Sweeping History of Robert F. Kennedy.......2007-01-26

I really enjoyed reading this book. Schlesinger has given us a true portrait of Robert Kennedy, including wonderful insights into his childhood and early adult life by publishing excerpts from family letters.

He goes into great depth to show the work that RFK did as his brother's Attorney General (sometimes a little too much depth) but it gives you an appreciation for RFK's great administrative skills. After seeing how RFK worked as head of the Justice Department, surrounding himself with the `best and the brightest' I believe that he could have a made a great president.

What is amazing from this book is the transformation of RFK following his brother's assassination. He became a champion of the poor, of blacks and an outspoken opponent of the Vietnam war. RFK is shown to be a man of great conviction, courage and compassion. Schlesinger also portrays a man of introspection, humor and family values.

It was a great tragedy that he was himself killed in 1968. Unfortunately the book ends rather abruptly upon RFK's death, while I thought a chapter summing up his life and legacy was needed.

That said, this is still the best book available on the life of Robert Kennedy. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to know more about the complex historical figure of RFK.

Whether you agreed with all his politics or not, you come away from this book inspired by Kennedy's example and by his quest to "tame the savagenesss of man and to make gentle the life of this world."

Thoroughly researched, inspirational biography.......2006-08-09

I highly recommend this book to those who enjoy reading political biographies and especially those who are interested in the 1960's and in learning about RFK. I decided to read this book after first reading An Unfinished Life: John F Kennedy 1917-1963.

Before reading this book, I knew very little about RFK. It is a long book, with some parts a little slow going. Beginning with the chapter "The Brothers: II", examining the JFK-RFK relationship during the Kennedy administration, I found the book to be totally engrossing. I concur with another reviewer who remarked the book is compartmentalized, and might have read better if told in chronological order. Yet the author's approach may be the most intelligible way to present such detailed examinations of political and social issues of the time.

In conclusion, I found this to be a superb biography, thoroughly researched, well written. Truly an inspirational story of a man of integrity and great compassion.

Bobby Up-Close.......2006-03-16

Schlesinger, a Kennedy insider, takes advantage of that and of his skill as a historian to present a wonderful study of Bobby Kennedy during his life on the national scene, especially as Attorney General and after.

His few years after JFK's assassination -- 1963-68 -- were years of profound changes in Bobby. Previously characterized as ruthless and opportunist, he seemed after his brother's death to also become a more compassionate and tender public figure. Though many bitterly criticized his entry into the presidential race in 1968 -- after Eugene McCarthy's single-issue anti-war challenge had forced LBJ's withdrawal -- Bobby won back most of liberal America in a few short months of campaigning, and was on his way to win the Democratic nomination when assassinated -- the night of his victory the California primary. Schlesinger was up close during this time, and sheds light on this extraordinary transformation with rationality, perspective and great care. Beyond being Bobby's friend, Schlesinger is at the same time truly a scholar. His scholarship allows his book to systematically present an extraordinary number of quotations by the major players in Kennedy's life in those years. It is thoroughly referenced, with good notes. Beyond that, the quotations add great dimension to the portrait of a great man moving through private and public transformation.

Real Good Book.......2005-09-06

This book is very insightful and very well documented. You can tell the author is very pro-Kennedy, but it is still interesting to hear the story from someone on their side. Very easy to read also.

Average customer rating:

Corruption of Blood
Who Shot John?
Kennedy, anyone?
Attention conspiracy nuts! Fasten your seat belts!
Boring

Corruption of Blood
Robert K. Tanenbaum
Manufacturer: Signet
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0451181964

Customer Reviews:

Corruption of Blood.......2004-08-09

when I first began reading, I thought "Oh no, another who killed jfk book" but I was wrong. This was very entertaining and well worth the read. Love the Butch/Marlene books but this one was GREAT.

Who Shot John?.......2002-04-16

This book takes a unique approach to the Kennedy conspiracy theories. Inserting Butch Karp and his wife into the investigation provides fans of this couple a new venue for their antics away from their usual crime-infested streets of New York City.

Knowing the author was involved in the investigation of the assassination of JFK, I was distracted by constantly attempting to determine which parts of the book were fact and which were fiction. The description of Congressional interference had to be factual. His conclusion on the assassination plot is probably as open to debate as any other theory.

Be prepared for a long list of characters with aliases and code names. Having some knowledge of the actual people involved helps keep these characters straight as you continue to read.

I liked the book, except I felt it should be about 100 pages longer. By the time I was half way through the book, I realized something was going to bring this story to a rapid close. I was a bit disappointed with the way the author wrapped up the story. Too many things explained themselves too easily and numerous situations were left unresolved. But, then again, I guess that can also be said about the Warren Report.

Kennedy, anyone?.......2001-11-13

As someone typically fascinated with the Kennedy mystique, this book's subject matter (the Kennedy assassination) intrigued me, especially since in one hand, its author worked on the actual Kennedy investigation... and in the other, he's fluent and creative enough to have invented the mythical Butch Karp, prosecuter extraordinaire. Putting those hands together, we get this particular novel, which examines the assassination from a fictional historical perspective.

I gave the story only three stars because, after a while into it, the Kennedy thing gets kind of muddy. It's really hard to keep all the characters and their interrelations straight (considering that some are good guys, some are known bad guys, some are mysterious and seldom-seen bad guys, some are good guys masquerading as bad guys, most have several aliases, and none of them use first names), and the political double-speak gets hard for me to digest. However, the "answer" in this book as to who killed JFK is sufficiently intriguing and satisfying for conspiracy theorists... and sufficiently absurd in its genesis to satisfy those with less tolerance for flights of fancy.

Much more interesting to me in this book is the sub-plot concerning Butch's wife Marlene, who delves into an investigation of her own, which (as seems to happen regularly in Butch Karp novels) winds up dovetailing neatly with her husband's. This book also introduces readers to the Karp family dog, Sweetie, the rescued Neapolitan mastiff that grows into the treasured family pet who spends half of his time drooling on Karp family belongings -- and the other half as Marlene's partner in vigilantism.

I would recommend first checking out this book in a library for a good preview... and while it does begin tantalizingly, remember what I said about its foggy middle and end. However, if you've been a hard-core Butch Karp fan, this is a necessary, although not especially noteworthy, addition to your Karp collection.

Attention conspiracy nuts! Fasten your seat belts!.......2000-01-28

Let's see. In secret, we routinely violated Russian airspace. What else? Oh yea, we also violated their territory via our spy submarines. So what else has been kept from the American public? Of course! The truth about the Kennedy assassination! Surprised? Don't be. Interested? Read Corruption of Blood. Tanenbaum tells it like it is. A five star journey into history. My favorite quote: "After the smoke cleared, it's a wonder anyone was left standing in Dealy Plaza!"

Boring.......2000-01-19

I believe the author is a good writer, particularly judging from the comments of other reviewers here. Nevertheless, the plot and characters in this book are annoying. I hate the women, kids, & dog angle as the conversations are mundane and just plain boring. I don't care about who killed JFK in this book because all of the options (cubans, mafia, castro, etc) have been examined endlessly elsewhere and all the time. Please you potential JFK writer's out there if you don't have anything new and exciting - don't bore us.

Forever Young: My Friendship with John F. Kennedy, Jr.

Average customer rating:

great
Fa;ntastic!!
Would love to know how William and Caorline are doing today
Selling out?
Subtle telling of a friendship

Forever Young: My Friendship with John F. Kennedy, Jr.
William Sylvester Noonan , and Robert Huber
Manufacturer: Viking Adult
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0670038105

Book Description

A uniquely intimate portrait of John F. Kennedy, Jr., from his closest friend For twenty-five years, William Noonan and John F. Kennedy, Jr., were best friends. Sharing an adolescence in Hyannisport, Massachusetts, the two frequented beach bonfires and the Monday night yacht-club dances, took road trips, shared albums, sneaked cigarettes on the widow's walk of John's house, and scored beer together. And as they grew older, John and Billy never lost the connection they forged in the Kennedy compound as two young boys who had both tragically lost their fathers.

A humble and touching memoir, Forever Young uncovers the private John F. Kennedy, Jr., from the matchless vantage point of a longtime childhood friend. Forever Young is packed with never-revealed details of John and Carolyn Bessette's courtship and wedding, the launch of George, John's unusually close relationship with his mother Jackie, and the heartbreaking aftermath of the plane crash off Martha's Vineyard that killed John, Carolyn, and Carolyn's sister. Noonan also shares the more ribald episodes, including John's many famous conquests, skirmishes with paparazzi, and his stint as People's “Sexiest Man Alive.” The definitive story of the son of Camelot, Forever Young is a touching and revelatory tribute to a friendship between two men—and a life cut devastatingly short.

Customer Reviews:

great.......2007-03-20

i am reading the book now like that they are not bad mouthing him

Fa;ntastic!!.......2007-02-10

This books gives more insight to JFK Jr.'s personal life giving personal stories. It is a fun read and is well worth the time. I really enjoyed learning more about John, the private person.

Would love to know how William and Caorline are doing today.......2007-02-06

Having followed the Kennedy story since I was 20 (some 43 years ago) I enjoyed the book tremendously. My own mother died the week after Jackie, partially over grieving Jackie's death. I grew up Democrat, Catholic in Connecticut and felt a closeness to the whole Kennedy "thing". I am still feeling sad over the loss of JFK JR some even rumored that Hillary could have played a part, I honestly hope not.

Selling out?.......2007-01-23

There is a huge desire for information on the Kennedy family and people like me lap up every piece of information written about them because the Kennedy kids were my contemporaries. Coming from Ireland the President and the First Lady were like Gods. I remember aged 5 when I watched the funeral of JFK on television and his wife being very controlled, I couldn't understand why she wasn't crying. My mother said she had probably been given a tranquilizer, but I had no idea what she meant. Talk about the American dream, it was the Irish dream that died that day and it took thirty years to recover.

Anyway certainly Billy Noonan fills a big void in that quest for knowledge of their son John's life and Robert Huber captures his voice very well. However I have a few reservations. Firstly let's start with the front cover, why does he use 'William Sylvester Noonan' Some priests in Ireland wouldn't even allow parents to baptise their sons William because of the association with William of Orange. Yet the guy seems proud to be Irish but denies it with his 'full' name.

The back cover made me wonder why I was even bought what looked like the book of a phoney friend. 'Billy' looks like he superimposed a photo of himself onto one of John Kennedy sitting on a beach. (Speaking of pictures, inside the book we get three of JK in the same clothes on the same chair in different poses, a bit unoriginal)

And maybe that back cover sums up the relationship. You had a walk-on part in JK's life but it was so compartmentalised you were really a little cog in that life. Even if he did call you his 'best friend' which even took Noonan by surprise at his own bachelor party, but you got the feeling it was JK being generous given the event

What really annoyed me most in the book was the part about how desperately his mother wanted to go to the wedding of Caroline Kennedy. Billy had an invitation for himself and a partner. But only under duress did he 'allow' her to come to the church. As she tried to board the bus to take a sneaky look at the marquee and promised to then go home, he ordered her off. Oh God the humiliation.

Now the very reason he was friends of JK was because his own father had helped the President in his election campaign. His mother knew many people at that church and probably had more right to be there than he did. Noonan said he was mortified when Jackie spotted his mother. What a shame. The coolest guy there would have taken his mother when he didn't have a date but not Billy Noonan, he just wasn't confident enough. Of course his mother died a few years later and I felt disappointed for her to have been locked out of that special day by her own son.

In a way it was reiterated when he went to Anthony Radziwill's wedding while his new wife went to her best friend's wedding the same weekend. He was friends with Anthony sure but you got the feeling he always had to be where John was. I would have had more respect for him if he had chosen his wife's friend wedding in deference to their own recent nuptials.

Knowing how well the Kennedy's guard their privacy, I'm sure they hated seeing this book published. I feel slightly ashamed it was penned by an 'Irishman' but we all have our price.

I read Carole Radziwill's account of her wife with Anthony and I felt it was one of the most poignant books I have ever read. It didn't feel like she was cashing-in. I wish I could say the same about this one.

However I did enjoy it and in fairness he gave us a real insight in how things were as opposed to what the press invented. Clearly he was a witty and entertaining friend for JK and as he seemed to be at every big event he had several stories to tell.

But when JK died and another minor friend of JK's tried to get into the house on the Cape he locked him out and threatened to have him arrested. Did Billy Noonan see himself in that person; someone who had once slotted in to an opening in the Kennedy's lives and was preventing others from doing the same.

JK was someone who had the world at his feet and was just coming into his own. His tragedy was that everyone close to him seemed to die or be dying. The fact that John, his wife, her sister and then his cousin Anthony died within three weeks of each other is unbearable. How did Lee or Caroline cope with such loss? It's mind-blowing. The fact that those three Kennedy women (Jackie included) were cold and aloof didn't help any newcomers into that fold. They didn't really allow the next generation to flourish.

I'll continue to read the good, bad and ugly words which will be written about the family so I in turn help fuel the desire for such books. But I guess the real friends are the ones who don't tell their story.

Subtle telling of a friendship.......2007-01-20

I loved this book. I have purchased books written by Richard Blow and Michael Bergin, friends of JFK Jnr and his wife Caroline, after their deaths. This one was superior to both, in that Noonan subtly and proudly tells of his long friendship with JFK Jnr. The way they came to be friends is told realistically and numerous photos are supplied as proof. As a big Jackie O fan, I was surprised to read of the author's telling of encounters with her, and there were many. It makes Jackie more real and writes of her in her role solely as a mother to John and puts a first hand perspective on her fame in NY after the death of the President. The books by Blow and Bergin lack this as they never met Jackie. The test for me was how Noonan would tell of the drug use by Carolyn and the marital troubles at the time of their deaths. I was pleased to see Noonan dealt with the matter with as much sensitivity as he could, while being truthful about the fact that Carolyn Bessette could not deal with the overwhelming celebrity and all that came with it, of being married to John. As we all know their wedding was a huge secret and the only time I have read about the whole affair from the engagement to the honeymoon was in this book. Only a handful of people were invited to the wedding or even knew about it and the author was one. It leaves potential purchasers of this book in no doubt that they will have a first hand insight into John's life. The author lost his father young, as did John, so there was a bond there for life. The author is also realistic about JFK's foibles, ie being late etc. Caroline Kennedy is barely touched on in this book, the author did not have a lot of dealings with John's sister from the content of the book. Buy this book if you are a Jackie O fan or just admired JFK Jnr. The only negative about this book was the constant references to the shared Irishness of the families, but it is only an irritation. I thank Noonan for writing the book, I could not put it down. The negative reviews on this site show that those reviewers didnt "get it".

Average customer rating:

St. Francis wasn't just for the birds!
Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy
St. Francis of Assissi
a very special book.
Great book for all!

Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy
Robert F. Kennedy
Manufacturer: Hyperion
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

General | Ages 4-8 | Children's Books | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0786818751

Book Description

He turned away from his life of wealth and privilege to live with lepers, the "untouchables" of his society. He preached the idea of the sanctity of all life, becoming an advocate of animal rights and environmentalism in a time when even human life often had little value. He found joy in owning nothing, and giving everything away. He was story of Saint Francis of Assisi and the story of his life is inspiring and radical. And now more than ever, it bears important messages for American children living in a culture of casual abundance and waste. Saint Francis of Assisi is the patron saint of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr.-a father, a devout Roman Catholic, a crusader for clean air and water, and a member of a family famous for its dedication to public service. It is no wonder, then, that this saint's story should resonate so powerfully with him. Mr. Kennedy has retold Francis's story as a lesson and inspiration for his own children-and for children everywhere.

Customer Reviews:

St. Francis wasn't just for the birds!.......2007-04-07

Very good for beginners of the study of st. Francis.

Saint Francis of Assisi: A Life of Joy.......2007-03-09

When I visited the Basilica of St. Francis in Santa Fe, NM, recently, I browsed through the collection of illustrated books on St. Francis, but none could compare to this one by Robert Kennedy, Jr. The illustrations in his book capture the eye immediately with boldness of color and design. While I am familiar with the life of St. Francis, this storyline presents the facts in a new way that children of any age will give rapt attention. Especially charming is the insight Mr. Kennedy gives on his family prayerfully honoring this unique Saint.

St. Francis of Assissi.......2007-01-11

Beautifully illustrated and beautifully written book. Makes a very nice gift.

a very special book........2006-08-05

This is a delightful book with high quaility art work. It is a book to keep for generations to come.

Great book for all!.......2006-04-23

I teach second grade in a public school in a large Catholic nieghborhood. I get invited to many first communions. I am not Catholic, but growing up in this nieghborhood I know a lot about this deep faith. The story of St.Francis reaches out to everyone no matter thier religion. It has always interested me. So when this book was released I borrowed it from the library. I was taken back by it. I now buy this book for all of my students that receive their first communion, and I personally inscribe each one. My students love this story!

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