Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an Epic Life [Hardcover]

Boston Globe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 3, 2009

Offering a magnificent visual account of Ted Kennedy's heroic life, this beautifully produced book highlights the Senator's childhood in Hyannis, London, and New York; his days at Harvard and in the Senate; and his roles as devoted son, brother, husband, father, uncle, and grandfather.

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About the Author

The Boston Globe, winner of twenty Pulitzer Prizes, has a distinguished record of public service journalism, including astute political coverage that digs deep into the issues, processes, and personalities that shape our democracy. The Globe developed its nationally recognized expertise in a city that has produced an impressive roster of politicians; today, few of those politicians stand larger than Senator Ted Kennedy. The Boston Globe is wholly owned by The New York Times Company.

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Foreward
by Senator John Kerry

There's a revealing contradiction in this photographic project because the life, the liberalism, the love, and the loss -- the story of Ted Kennedy -- has never stopped at the frame's edge.

The Kennedy family will forever be associated with the words of Tennyson; but perhaps more than any other, it's Ted who gave new life to the old poet's line, "I am a part of all that I have met." No portrait of Ted Kennedy is complete without all those whose lives are forever enriched by his life's work -- the sick, the poor, the elderly, the disabled -- for whom, as the Boston Globe once declared, "in actual, measurable impact on the lives of tens of millions of working families...Ted belongs in the same sentence with Franklin Roosevelt."

And there's something unmistakably genuine, beautifully private, wholly authentic -- that word overused in American politics but thoroughly Ted in every way -- in the fact that this giant touched so many of those lives when the cameras were nowhere to be found. There are countless stories of friends who, facing a grim diagnosis, found Ted Kennedy personally working the phones to doctors across the globe on their behalf; of political adversaries and ideological opposites who benefited from Ted's compassion, men like George Wallace, who found Ted Kennedy intimately involved in his rehabilitation from a paralyzing gunshot wound; and the folks Ted met along the way -- the child in a wheelchair whose hand Ted held for a long while in the hall of the Russell Senate Office Building on his way to a vote; the old man from Leominster, Massachusetts, oxygen tank by his bedside, whom Ted stopped to sit with in the hospital time after time; and, yes, the straggly haired, angry Vietnam vets facing possible arrest and political threats from the Nixon administration, whom Ted visited in April 1971, while other prominent politicians stayed away.

To appreciate fully the greatness of Senator Ted Kennedy is to understand that behind each snapshot, there has always been a heroic steadfastness. Behind the liberal lion who roared -- gloriously -- "the dream shall never die" is a lifetime spent in tireless service to the creed that "circumstances may change, but the work of compassion must continue." Day after day, decade after decade, Ted Kennedy has lived and legislated according to this creed, amassing a record of groundbreaking legislation equal to that of any United States senator in 232 years of American history.

Behind each flash photograph of Ted smiling, surrounded by dignitaries, heads of state, fellow politicians, brothers and sisters, cousins and nephews, there are countless stories of dear and faithful friendship. On Inauguration Day 2005, it was Teddy and Vicki who arrived first at my family's home in Washington and lightened a day we'd all hoped might have been different. Each photograph of a warm embrace is testament to a friend who was always there by our side when the sun wasn't shining, but who seemed always -- for our benefit -- to have the sunlight in his face, that beaming smile and unmistakable baritone. Among his not-so-secret weapons have always been great humility, good humor, and a genuine affection for friends and strangers alike. His brother Robert once said that "all great questions must be raised by great voices." Ted's singing notwithstanding, the cause of American idealism knows no greater voice than that of this youngest Kennedy brother.

These photos capture his journey from the youngest of nine children to the patriarch and custodian of American liberalism and also our nation's journey from the "new frontier" to "new hope" to "the audacity of hope." It is the long, impressive, and enduring story of a great American life.

John F. Kerry has represented Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate since 1985 and was the Democratic nominee for president in 2004. A high school volunteer for Kennedy's first Senate race in 1962, Kerry became reacquainted with Senator Kennedy in 1971 as a Vietnam veteran testifying against the war before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. In January 2009, Kerry became the committee's chairman.Copyright © 2009 by the Boston Globe --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 208 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster (March 3, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1439138060
• ISBN-13: 978-1439138069
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 8.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,141,173 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ups and downs and ups of a great man, July 17, 2009

By 

Jean E. Pouliot (Newburyport, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an Epic Life (Hardcover)

It is highly unfashionable in my hometown of Manchester, NH to express anything but bitter contempt for Teddy Kennedy. But just a few miles south of there, in the rolling hills of Massachusetts where I now make my home, people have come to different conclusions about the man. This mostly-pictorial biography of Senator Ted Kennedy by the past and present staff of the Bsotoin Globe, hits all the right notes. His boyhood with Papa Joe, the deaths of siblings and family, the tragedy of Chappaquiddick (40 years ago this weekend), his marital wobbliness, medical scares with son Pat, his run for the presidency in 1980 and his gargantuan achievements (ADA, HIPAA, COBRA, AmeriCorps) as a Massachusetts Senator for nearly 50 years. The photos capture Ted's charm and grit amidst the numerous body blows he has absorbed over the years. He has persevered through more adversity (sometimes self-inflicted) than the average hundred people and still emerged as a champion of the poor and downtrodden. The writing is honest, even if it sometimes glosses over the tough spots, like wife Joan's drinking and emotional issues. Those looking for an in-depth look at the man will have to look elsewhere.

Congratulations Ted, on a marvelous life, and with God's help, a few more years to enjoy your achievements.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Astounding pictures, August 26, 2009

By 

Paul Allaer (Cincinnati) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an Epic Life (Hardcover)

Ted Kennedy passed away today. By complete coincidence, I saw this book at my local library today and I immediately felt compelled to pick this up. I am glad that I did.

"Ted Kennedy: Scenes From an Epic Life" (210 pages) brings Ted Kennedy's life mostly in pictures, and what an amazing collection of pictures this book is. The most fascinating part of the book is in the initial third or so, with pictures from his earliest years. The Kennedys being the celebrated family that they are from the beginning of the 20th century, there is a motherload of pictures from the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s that are just a delight to look at. There is a commentary text to most of the chapters (which are divided into the decades).

The book gives 4 pages to the 1969 Chappaquiddick disaster, making clear a lot of questions were left unanswered. Other less-favorable moments in Ted Kennedy's life (and there are many) are mentioned briefly as well. But in the end, this is just a trip back in history with lots of memorable pictures. And that is what this book is about. I may not have agreed with Ted Kennedy's political positions on many/most occasions, but I really enjoyed going through this book. RIP Ted Kennedy.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A salvo for me!, September 22, 2009

By 

Liz Ellerbe (Fresno, CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ted Kennedy: Scenes from an Epic Life (Hardcover)

This is a book about a great human being who had faults like a lot of famous men -Gandhi, Jefferson and dozens of others. And Sigmund Freud said that if we get rid of the sex drive, civilization will crumble. Much of Teddy's negative side was learned behavior from observing his father, who brought his mistress to the Kennedy home to meet his wife, Rose, who graciously put up with her. Then there was Jack, the one people love to adore, who was, in the opinion of many, not as great as Teddy, but for his tragic assassination.

There was also Bobby, who was more conservative, but campaigned as a liberal. So we get back to Teddy who did more for the underprivileged than anyone in American history. Others, including Dr. King wanted to do more but were cut short.

Senator Kennedy was fortunately able to get an astounding amount of legislation passed, while tending to every relative's birthday, graduation, etc. After reading three books about him, I am delighted to be reading "True Compass", his own bio, and I agree with Larry King, it's awesome.