Customer Reviews

Robert F. Kennedy: In His Own Words

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RFK: In His Own Words gives the listener a taste of the atmosphere during the turbulent and dynamic times of the 1960s. It depicts RFK as one of those rare leaders who had the ability to inspire an entire generation not only in the United States but around the world with his eloquence and appeal for a better life for all. He challenged the way we think about ourselves and each other and sought to close the gaps between rich and poor, black and white. RFK: In His Own Words begins with his memorable speech in tribute to his brother at the 1964 Democratic National Convention and contains several speeches addressing the many societal issues of the 60s, mainly the divisions resulting from racial tensions and the public opposition to the war in Vietnam. You begin to get a grasp of RFK's political views and you witness his maturation as a politician and statesman. From his statement announcing his candidacy for president to his touching and largely impromptu announcement of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. to a stunned audience in Indianapolis and his appeal for compassion and love and not hatred and division. It concludes with an emotional eulogy at his funeral by his brother Senator Ted Kennedy that leaves you with thoughts on what could have been if not for the tragic loss of yet another Kennedy brother who has been taken from us at a time when his leadership was most needed.

This is a single CD approximately 50 minutes long that provides highlights of some of RFK's best, and most memorable speeches. There are 12 tracks including RFK's speech at the democratic national convention in 1964 and his speech announcing the assasination of Martin Luther King.

This is an excellent introduction to the RFK's political beliefs, and reminds the listener why he continues to captivate the nation's hopes. The CD jacket provides a brief historical background to each of the speeches and is helpful for those with less knowledge of the current events of that time. I would also recommend a compilation of speech excerpts put together by his son Maxwell Kennedy entitled "To Make Gentle the Life of this World." Neither source provides the complete text of his speeches, but they distill the essence of what he offered America in his time.

When you first listen to this, it takes a while to get into it. The first speech at the 1964 democratic convention has a poor audio quality and RFK takes a while to get warmed up before we hear the famous Shakepearean ode to his recently deceased brother JFK. Some editing would have helped that one. Then we hear RFK give a heartfelt, but sincere speech on the need for young people to repudiate bigotry at Ole Miss in 1966. Still pretty relevant. The 1967 speech on ghetto conditions shows amazing insight for a White man who was born rich.

But the tour de force here is the improvised speech to Black Indianapolis residents upon the assassination of Martin Luther King. I've heard excerpts of this before, but to hear it in what appears to be its entirety is extremely moving and one of the best recorded speeches I've ever heard aside from MLK himself and Nelson Mandela's CD. To hear how RFK was able to speak so sincerely and hopefully on such a tragic occasion will really make you beleive in the nest of human nature and that alone is worht the price of admission.

Next we hear a more measured and formal speech on the aftermath of the King killing recorded a day later. Still worht a listen about the futility of violence, all the more ironic considering that RFK himself would soon become the victim of such violence.

I've read books that complied RFK's speeches, but that does not match actually hearing them. Do youself a favor and get this. Now all that needs to be done is to release a DVD of the 1988 documetnary RFK in His Own Words.

This book is an excellent compliation of Robert Kennedy's speeches. The speeches give an excellent overview of the times and issues Robert Kennedy was living in and his responses to same. His frequent references to classical literature not only serve to augment his points, but to include the listener/reader in his knowledge base. Robert Kennedy was a man who was universally recognized as a diligent worker and one who not only set, but met personal goals. His determination was evidenced from the football field (where he played with a broken leg in college to secure the coveted Harvard letter) to the presidential platform, where he held his own with some rather formidable competitors/opponents. His knowledge of and appreciation for classical literature is a true nod to his intelligence. He became self-educated in adult life classical works. He also became self educated and personally involved in the lives and issues of minorities and persons living below the poverty line. The contrast between these areas of his self education further emphasize the complexity of this man. Robert Kennedy comes across as sincere in his efforts and his work record will certainly support that finding. Robert Kennedy was by far the most interesting of the brothers of his generation and his work record was exceptional in his tenacity and dogged determination.

I was hesitating between giving this collection 3 or 4 stars.

It was great to hear Robert Kennedy giving voice to these words, some of which have become quite famous in the years since they were spoken. And it is quite interesting to hear some of the speeches selected--such as the one he gave stepping off the plane after Martin Luther King Jr was assasinated.

However, I think this collection could have been better. There are too few speeches here (I believe 9 of Robert's and Teddy's eulogy) and they are spaced very close together. Would have been interesting to hear some of his speeches over a more extended period of time to see how his thinking about issues or his speaking style evolved.

Also many of the speeches are just presented as excerpts. The only part presented of the famous "GDP" speech is that excerpt--I would have liked to hear the rest of that speech.

Finally, the production quality of the insert is not very good. Brief notes on the context of the speeches are given but the references to the speeches are often erroneous. It would also have been nice to have the text of the presented speeches.

In the end there are not many alternatives to this CD and it does present an overview of the great RFK speeches, as superficial as that overview may be.

I have heard these words in my youth and was somewhat ignorant of the rarity of such thinking and passion. Even more astonishing is to find it in a politician. It should be an inspiration to orators, politicians, thinkers and those who hope for something better. Its a shame the quality of the sound is a little fuzzy but good value to me. It is a must for those who dream to make a difference