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Bobby Kennedy
Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon | Larry Tye
11 posts | 9 read | 10 to read
From the New York Times bestselling author of Satchel comes an in-depth, vibrant, and measured biography about the most complex and controversial member of the Kennedy family. History remembers Robert F. Kennedy as a racial healer, a tribune for the poor, and the last progressive knight of a bygone era of American politics. But Kennedys enshrinement in the liberal pantheon was actually the final stage of a journey that had its beginnings in the conservative 1950s. In Bobby Kennedy, Larry Tye peels away layers of myth and misconception to paint a complete portrait of this singularly fascinating figure. To capture the full arc of his subjects life, Tye draws on unpublished memoirs, unreleased government files, and fifty-eight boxes of papers that had been under lock and key for the past forty years. He conducted hundreds of interviews with RFK intimatesincluding Bobbys widow, Ethel, his sister Jean, and his aide John Siegenthalermany of whom have never spoken to another biographer. Tyes determination to sift through the tangle of often contradictory opinions means that Bobby Kennedy will stand as the definitive one-volume biography of a man much beloved, but just as often misunderstood. Bobby Kennedys transformation from cold warrior to fiery liberal is a profoundly moving personal story that also offers a lens onto two of the most chaotic and confounding decades of twentieth-century American history. The first half of RFKs career underlines what the country was like in the era of Eisenhower, while his last years as a champion of the underclass reflect the seismic shifts wrought by the 1960s. Nurtured on the rightist orthodoxies of his dynasty-building father, Bobby Kennedy began his public life as counsel to the red-baiting senator Joseph McCarthy. He ended it with a noble campaign to unite working-class whites with poor blacks and Latinos in an electoral coalition that seemed poised to redraw the face of presidential politics. Along the way, he turned up at the center of every event that mattered, from the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban Missile Crisis to race riots and Vietnam. Bare-knuckle operative, cynical White House insider, romantic visionaryBobby Kennedy was all of these things at one time or another, and each of these aspects of his personality emerges in the pages of this powerful and perceptive new biography. Praise for Bobby Kennedy We are in Larry Tyes debt for bringing back to life the young presidential candidate who . . . for a brief moment, almost half a century ago, instilled hope for the future in angry, fearful Americans.David Nasaw, The New York Times Book Review This is not just another Bobby Kennedy book. It is the definitive biography of one of Americas most compelling political figures. Tyes book rests on prodigious and original research including rare, on-the-record interviews with Bobbys widow, Ethel, who confesses that seeing Bobby for the first time was like meeting George Clooney.Roger Mudd, winner of the Peabody Award and former co-anchor of NBC Nightly News Robert Kennedy led one of the great unfinished lives in American history. With skill and verve, Tye has written a fascinating account of a transformative figure.Jon Meacham, Pulitzer Prizewinning author of Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power This biography will appeal not only to those wanting a portrait of a dynamic idealist, but also to those seeking to understand the emotions of the times in which he lived.Henry A. Kissinger From the Hardcover edition.
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LeftyDv
Mehso-so

A tough read - especially through the early years. It‘s rewarding to finish and definitely has me longing for what could have been.

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BookishMarginalia
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Pickpick

Excellent biography that is not only engaging but also explains well the evolution of Bobby Kennedy. What might have been is heartbreaking. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Kaye Always great to see NF books in here. ♥️ 7y
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BookishMarginalia
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#MiaCat naps as I am #audiocoloring to this engrossing biography of #BobbyKennedy

squirrelbrain 😻😻So cute! 7y
Lcsmcat 😻😻😻 7y
Tera66 This looks alot like my kitty, I had to do a double take.😍 7y
ladym30 So sweet! 7y
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mrozzz
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Last night I was stunned with the intelligence and research of historian & author Larry Tye. Liked listening to his enthusiasm for the Kennedys so much that I went and bought his book (unexpectedly but is anyone surprised?) and got it signed. Lovely night of learning.

Pruzy They gave you a really nice bag for your purchase, too! 7y
mrozzz @Pruzy that's exactly what I thought too!! Gonna hold onto it for sure ☺️ 7y
Caroline2 Oh that books sounds fascinating! Stacked!! 👍🏻 7y
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Kaye Cool book I like the cover ! 7y
mrozzz @Caroline2 it's a big one but I watching the author talk I could tell he's put so much care into it that I can only think it will be a brilliant read 😊 7y
mrozzz @Kaye right?!! And I love the Kennedys, can't wait to jump into it 7y
Kaye @mrozzz Have you read True Compass by Edward Kennedy ? Such a really good book. I was curious as to how he dealt with so much tragedy is his life and kept on going. 7y
mrozzz @Kaye no! I don't read a lot of nonfiction unless it's essays on feminism or memoir but I'm trying to change that! Since I have such an affinity for the family I just might check out True Compass too! 7y
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JulieB
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Pickpick

Very interesting! Tye did a good job of trying to explain RFK's character and motivations, as well as the political and social events happening in the 60's.

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451Degreez
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Pickpick

Since today is the 49th anniversary of #RobertKennedy's death, I thought I would start with this biography I read a couple of weeks ago. I've always been interested in how RFK evolved throughout his life, and I thought Larry Tye told his story in a good, meat-and-potatoes kind of way.

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AlexTardiff
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"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 those ripples build a current which can sweep down the mightiest walls of oppression." - Robert F. Kennedy

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QuintusMarcus
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Fantastic book--I didn't realize how very little I knew about Bobby Kennedy until I started reading this book. Just now finishing the section about the Cuban missile crisis.

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Darthdad
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I've been eating lunch quickly the last couple of weeks to duck into the Barnes and Noble near my office and read for 15 or 20 minutes. Today's selections couldn't be more different.

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Howseldomtheydo
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Added to my TBR list #Augustphotochallenge

[DELETED] 2232195534 I liked The Long Game! 8y
katedensen The Hopefuls is on my shortlist. 8y
Laalaleighh The hopefuls is on my shelf!! I loved loved The Long Game. Have you read the first book in the series, ? 8y
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Laalaleighh Also infomacracy looks amazing! 8y
Howseldomtheydo @Laalaleighh Haven't read either. I love the cover on Infomacracy! 📚 8y
Howseldomtheydo @katedfisher Added the Hopefuls to my TBR. 8y
Arcana Bobby would have been my favorite president 💔 8y
Laalaleighh @mrswaynermiller same! He's one of my favorite historical figures! 8y
Posemn I just put the Nordic Theory of Everything on my library Hold list. Thanks @Howseldomtheydo! 8y
Howseldomtheydo @Posemn Sounds interesting. 8y
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bookishkai
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My ever expanding TBR list and this morning's iBooks haul. I need to stop looking at lists of "best" and "most anticipated" books of the summer. But I think the Kennedy bio is oddly appropriate, because I keep coming back to the unfulfilled possibilities of both JFK and Bobby's lives.

Suetara I checked out Life Moves Pretty Fast from the library. Looks like fun! 8y
Leelee08 I love Kennedy books. I can't seem to get enough of them.... 8y
Megabooks I'm reading Girls on Fire right now! 8y
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