From Publishers Weekly
This volume--covering the life of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. as a family man, businessman and ambassador to the Court of St. James--does not limit itself to letters written by the progenitor of a political dynasty. It also includes much correspondence from his wife, Rose, and his children through nearly five decades (1914-1961), along with carefully chosen entries from his journals, which Smith--a Kennedy granddaughter--claims preserves, as much as possible, an accurate account of the private and public man. The journals, like the letters, have up to now been embargoed by the family, and generally unavailable to scholars; therefore this volume is welcome. More discerning readers, however, aware of Kennedy's well-documented (by Richard Mahoney, Ron Kessler and others) business skulduggery, political opportunism, anti-Semitism and cowardice in the face of Nazism, will find that this collection offers a sanitized, whitewashed image. Smith allows Kennedy's blatantly untrue, disingenuous and self-serving statements to stand unchallenged. The journal accounts concerning meetings with FDR, for example, flatly disagree with the published records of other participants, not to mention with FDR's own secret Oval Office tapes. Still, for the record, these documents are worth having; for the reader familiar with the Kennedy literature, they do much to fill out a portrait of a fascinating clan and a fascinating man. (Jan.)Forecast: First serial rights have been sold to the New Yorker, and the book will be supported by a four-city author tour. There does seem to be an insatiable hunger for Kennedy books, but this one is not likely to have the kind of sales that Sarah Bradford's American Queen is enjoying.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
From Library Journal
Access to the private letters of Joseph P. Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Library has been restricted to all but a few authors; others have had to locate his letters among the papers of those with whom he corresponded. As noted by Smith, his granddaughter and a graduate student at Harvard, this situation has created an incomplete and unbalanced picture of the man. In editing this collection, she draws largely on material in the Kennedy libraryDexcept for some letters she herself uncovered in an abandoned garret on Long IslandDin an effort to create a more balanced picture of her grandfather. The result has significant strengths and weaknesses. For the first time, readers can see an orderly presentation of the words of one of the most enigmatic Kennedys as he operates largely behind the scenes and eventually sees his son rise to the presidency. Perhaps the most fascinating aspect of these letters is the extent to which Joseph P. Kennedy's public and private lives were inextricably linked. Unfortunately, as in any collection of this sort, the editor's family ties have added insight but may have blinded her to opportunities a less subjective expert might have explored more effectively. Despite its shortcomings, this book will be a useful addition to all libraries with readers who want to know more about the Kennedy family. Since the Kennedy family seems intent on carefully guarding access to these papers, the sample here will be extremely useful to scholars.DCharles K. Piehl, Minnesota State Univ., Mankato
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
