This month marks the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's death, and the bookstores are filled with tomes commemorating his life and times. And yet you won't find my favorite: JFK: Reckless Youth, because it's out of print. Devoted to young Jack's early life, it was supposed to be volume one, with volume two covering the last 16 years -- from Congress to Dallas. But the Kennedy family was so outraged that they withdrew their support and the second book never happened.
And that's a shame, because it's not only the best I've read about John Kennedy, it's one of the best books I've read, period. Hamilton is a Brit by birth and his outsider's take on the US adds dimension and texture to stories I thought I already knew. If you can find it, pick it up. The story itself is compelling -- taking the future President from birth to Congress, a span of about 30 years. And the spin is masterful -- how a man who looked to have the world beat with his looks, wealth and charm was really struggling with physical and emotional pain every step of the way.
Remember, no matter how good someone's life looks on the outside, you have no idea how it feels to live it. That's the life lesson I learned from this extraordinary book.
I always feel sad when a book I love goes out of print. And then if I happen to run across a copy in a used bookstore, it's kind of like bumping into an old friend.
ReplyDelete(I am a big Kennedy book fan as well--we must trade favorite titles sometime!)
Sounds like a book I might like. I will have to search for it. I can remember sitting in the 7th grade the day they announced his assassination over the intercom. I cannot believe it has been 50 years ago!
ReplyDeleteI want to read it! I'll look it up.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to track down a copy of this--I'm fascinated by the Kennedys--especially the early years. Thanks for posting this!
ReplyDeleteMmmm... more books! I know you've referenced this book before. I wonder if my local library has it? I shall investigate!
ReplyDelete