Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver [Hardcover]

Scott Stossel (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2004

Working for four presidents over six decades, R. Sargent “Sarge” Shriver founded the Peace Corps, launched the War on Poverty, created Head Start and Legal Services for the Poor, started the Special Olympics, and served as ambassador to France. Yet from the moment he married Joseph P. Kennedy’s daughter Eunice in 1953, Shriver had to navigate a difficult course between independence and family loyalty that tended to obscure his incredible achievements.

Scott Stossel, through complete access to Shriver and his family, renders the story of his life in cinematic detail. Shriver’s myriad historical legacies are testaments to the power of his vision and his ability to inspire others. But it is the colorful personality and indomitable spirit of the man himself—traits that allowed him to survive the Depression, WWII, and the Kennedy family—that will inspire readers today to expand the “horizons of the possible.”

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This is a superbly researched, immensely readable political biography by Stossel, a senior editor at the Atlantic Monthly. Although Sargent Shriver (b. 1915) was never victorious in electoral politics, he emerges here as one of the more adept and dedicated public servants of the 20th century. His early professional direction was determined less by his own ambition than by his relationship to the Kennedys through his marriage to John and Robert Kennedy's sister Eunice. Suspending his own political aspirations to devote his efforts to John's 1960 presidential campaign, he went on to serve as the first director of the Peace Corps. Worried about charges of nepotism, Shriver agreed to serve only if Kennedy put his nomination before the Senate for review. In the minds of many, he would never emerge from his connection to the Kennedys, but his legacy, as Stossel argues convincingly, is impressive in its own right. Shriver headed the War on Poverty for President Johnson, which led to the eventual creations of VISTA and Head Start, and other services for the poor. He later served as ambassador to France, created the Special Olympics, ran for vice-president with George McGovern in 1972, and was a candidate for the presidential nomination in 1976. While some may find Stossel's view of Shriver hagiographic, that may have less to do with Stossel than with his subject, an inspiring figure whose life reaffirms the power of politics and government to effect positive, creative change. Set against a century of totalitarianism, war and gross inhumanity, Shriver's devotion to the "empowerment of impoverished groups" is a model of integrity and idealism. 40 b&w photos.
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Review

“In this lengthy but lively biography, the journalist Scott Stossel explains in exhaustive detail how Shriver translated vague mandates to found an international service program and wage war on poverty into the creation of some of the most successful social programs of the past half-century.”—Washington Post

“Required reading for anyone interested in the political affairs of 20th-century America and the story of the Kennedy dynasty.”—Robert Dallek, author of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963

“This is a superbly researched, immensely readable political biography.”—Publishers Weekly

“A careful and capable portrait, of much interest to advocates of an activist, beneficent government and students of the Kennedy era alike.”—Kirkus

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 704 pages
• Publisher: Smithsonian Books; Jacket Torn edition (May 17, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1588341275
• ISBN-13: 978-1588341273
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 2.2 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #665,877 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very readable (and inspiring, too), May 8, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver (Hardcover)

I found this book to be a fascinating way to look at 20th century American history through the prism of a very inspiring man's life. It was also pretty interesting to get the inside scoop on some of the personalities and behind-the-scenes maneuverings that shaped major events in our nation's history. What was maybe most interesting to me, though, was the thoughtful way the book explored what it was like for Shriver being sort-of-but-not-quite a Kennedy. Both the book and Shriver himself are inspiring. It seems like they don't make people like him anymore!

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sarge is awesome, April 23, 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver (Hardcover)

This is one of the best biographies I have ever read. I was fascinated by Sarge's life and he is the coolest Kennedy. Stossel is a great writer and he is able to make political writing fun. I recommend this book to anyone interested in politics, the Kennedies, or biographies.
A really good book.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reminds you of how real leaders welcome diverse viewpoints, November 24, 2004

By 

D. A. Matthew (Silver Spring, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Sarge: The Life and Times of Sargent Shriver (Hardcover)

Read this book not only for its historical value. Read it also for a contrast to the current Bush administration and the kinds of leaders currently recruited to public service. Bush seems to punish diversity of opinion within his circle, and he promotes less competent folks while rooting out those who get "off message." When a problem comes up, Bush instantly wants to zero in on one single solution.

In contrast, Sargent Shriver, as this biography shows, was someone who gathered the best minds about him. They would openly and heatedly debate each other about not only the problem, but also about various solutions (rather than one alone). What kept them from all hating each other? For one thing, they knew that Sargent Shriver valued each of their varied contributions; for another, they also knew that they were serving the greater good, not just their boss, Shriver, or the president (JFK or LBJ).

This book will impress you with how much good was accomplished by one man. But it will also impress upon you the fact that the good things Sarge accomplished were the product of a man who had a largeness of mind, an openness to different ideas, an intellectual curiosity that always sought out the wisdom of others.