Robert Kennedy: A Memoir. [Hardcover]

Jack Newfield (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1969

Robert Kennedy: A Memoir. ASIN: 0525193154.

Product Details

• Hardcover
• Publisher: E P Dutton; First Edition edition (January 1969)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525193154
• ISBN-13: 978-0525193159
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,123,945 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #75 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > People, A-Z > ( K ) > Kennedy, Robert

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars And we were alone, April 24, 2000

By 

Matthew Pavich (Chicago, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Robert Kennedy: A Memoir. (Hardcover)

"And we were alone" is the final sentence of Jack Newfield's masterful analysis and memoir of Robert F. Kennedy and is an apt metaphor for how Newfield feels about RFK and about what has happened to America in the years following the assasination.

The book follows a two part format; the first acting as an analysis of the character of Kennedy and the second an insider depiciton of the last hectic, hopeful months of Kennedy's life. Newfield,a reporter for the New York Post, had a relationship with Kennedy which spanned the 1960's and through his eyes we see a man growing from a hard, tough, even ruthless pursuer of justice and family interests into a physical voice for those who were unable to speak for themselves. Newfield never glosses over Kennedy's personal faults and slides, but the result of that open-eyed honesty is a portrayal of a man who never stopped growing and who, until the end if his life, never stopped searching for the truth about himself, his country and his world.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars THE EVOLUTION OF ROBERT KENNEDY, March 30, 2001

By 

BeatleBangs1964 (United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Robert Kennedy: A Memoir. (Hardcover)

Jack Newfield held a unique position in that he had ready access to the late Senator and was privy to the latter's personal insights.

Newfield does an excellent job of analyzing the character, work and insights of Robert Kennedy. To his credit, he treats the late Senator with respect and presents an objective, yet sympathetic portrayal of the man who would be President [in 1968].

Newfield takes a middle ground approach in describing the late Senator; he does not whitewash the Senator's shortcomings nor does he put him on a pedastal. Through Newfield's eyes and voice it is easy to feel as though a full image of Robert Kennedy has been captured as opposed to fleeting ones. His professional/political career is closely followed; his extreme determination have led many to describe him as ruthless. Indeed, there appears to be some truth to that statement. In viewing the then future Attorney General's dogged pursuit, interrogation and prosecution of Teamsters and Mafiosi, it is all too easy to draw that conclusion. By 1964 and a Senator, the same qualities that had gotten him branded as "ruthless" were viewed by many in a more tolerant light; many supporters viewed him as driven, dogged, determined and very committed to his visions. Civil Rights and supporting the disenfranchised endeared him to many. Sadly, this man has been compared to and eclipsed by his brother, the late President Kennedy in many works. As Attorney General during the [John] Kennedy Adminnistration, Robert Kennedy worked behind the scenes, often promoting his brother.

By 1964 Robert Kennedy had literally come into his own and in finding his voice, became the voice of many. He was a changing, growing, developing person. He appeared to keep an open mind and be receptive to knowledge. The former hawk of the 1950s would become a dove within a decade. The man who admitted that he never stayed awake nights worrying about minorities became a very strong advocate for minorities. He was a very complex and interesting person and it is a grave disservice to him to portray him entirely in one type of light. Newfield is one author who does an excellent job of discussing his subject objectively. In reading this work as with so many on Robert Kennedy, one can never help wondering what he would have accomplished had he lived to be elected president in 1968.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Different Viewpoint, August 5, 2003

By 

Kristi Voskuhl "kristi" (Lexington KY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Robert Kennedy: A Memoir. (Hardcover)

I've read many books on the Kennedy family, especially Bobby. This book is not like most. Few books can make enjoyable reading out of a story told many times before. It is hard to read the same praise and criticism over and over. Newfield's memoir is simple, truthful, and an excellent read.
His writing isn't stuffy or obtuse, he is a journalist, not a historian. The book is short, but covers the last four years in some detail, and the last few months even closer.
If you are sick of reading that RFK and JFK were perfect, or that they were decietful men who used and abused thier power, this is the book for you. Newfield's own Introduction will admit that he initially hated Bobby. Only through exposure did a deep admiration develop, although Bobby was still flawed.
Read it- it's worth it.