Customer Reviews

Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died

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The astonishing amount of media coverage surrounding the death of Ted Kennedy sent me to Ed Klein's recent biography of the Senator. ("Ted Kennedy: The Dream That Never Died.") I was looking for insight into this singular American life. The book puts that life into a cultural and historical perspective and offers a three-dimensional portrait of the man. Ted Kennedy, like his brothers, can be too quickly understood. It takes a skilled biographer to put the life -- so filled with well known events -- into a balanced portrait that not only explains Kennedy's great accomplishments and his terrible flaws, but also captures the often soul-rattling changes in our country from that awful day in 1963 when Ted Kennedy seemed so callow until the years when he achieved his lasting greatness in the Senate. Ed Klein, who is an acquaintance, has defined the Senator in full.

David Freeman

This book is truly wonderful. One of Ed Klein's best. It is interesting, fun, informative and a great read. Klein gives us the good, the bad and the inspiring. He gives the reader information only an insider could get. I think this is my favorite Kennedy book.

This is a well researched book with lots of great information. Well written and gets into the heart and soul of Ted Kennedy. It is balanced with the good and the bad that made Ted Kennedy such a complicated and interesting man.I would recommend this book to everyone.

Although this book has given me a better appreciation of who Ted Kennedy was, it doesn't really give much info about Ted's dream. The author pulls together quotes from sundry places & patches them together into a story. Naturally, there's detail about the Mary Jo incident - how could a book about Ted Kennedy NOT have that. But, it really did nothing to enlighten me about Ted's dream. Nor did the sketchy info about the rape incident help. It seems that "the dream that never died" never really got clarified or supported. Yet, it's supposed to live on vis-a-vis the reprehensible behaviors that were clarified?

Now that there are so many book available examining Ted Kennedy's life and work, I was surprised that Edward Klein's book had so little new to offer. This volume is a rather fair and affectionate telling of Senator Kennedy's life, and certainly includes his drinking, divorce and Chappaquiddick, but has little or no background or motivation. His current marriage to Vicki is explored in greater detail than the one to Joan. So while this book is OK, it's far less than I expected. (While I appreciate that biography isn't a competitive sport, I'd recommend The Kennedy Legacy over this book.)

This book was an interesting read. However Klein seemed to take creative license in some areas for dramatic effect. I checked his footnotes, and did not find sources that would have proven some facts. There were a lot of comments into Ted Kennedy's thoughts at different times of his life, and no footnotes referencing these "thoughts." I enjoyed the book, but came away uncertain about the "facts."

I actually like this book, although I am a moderate Republican. Senator Kennedy was a product of his time. There was much to admire about his life, and much to lament. I admire his ability to move legislation forward even if it meant half a loaf, rather than the full loaf. The current Congress could learn about his style by practicing this ability.

The stuff I hate is also there. His hiding out and failure to speak to Mary Jo K's death is absolutely shameless. If he notified the police, she might still be alive. His painting of Bork in the Senate as a pseudo Fascist was also very wrong-on the scale of Nixonian. The author points out Nixon's failing, but Kennedy doing it to Bork was very much in the mode of Richard Nixon.

This is a good book about the late Senator. It is a fair appraisal of his ability.

Another book of Ted Kennedy and the missed Presidency. A good read and easy to follow. A few things we didn't know especially about the dirty tricks of Nixon and his cheap entourage. A.T.Kiln

I bought the wrong book I wanted True Compass I found out later but I'm glad I bought it I enjoyed it very much. I would recommed it to anyone who wants to learn more about the Kennedy family.

I intended to purchase this book until - thankfully - the first chapter was available online and I read it. Stuff like, As he fell to the sand, he thought that he did not want to end up "like Dad." Or as he is getting initial emergency treatment in the hospital, the power struggle to become head of the Kennedys is starting. The sample chapter, at least, had none of the politics or history that would attract me, it only had gossip and uncited speculation. I'll wait for Ted's autobiography.