Customer Reviews

True Compass: A Memoir

5 star:		(167)
4 star:		(57)
3 star:		(27)
2 star:		(9)
1 star:		(31)

 

 

As a rule, biographies don't arouse my interest, and anything labeled a "memoir" is not likely to be at the top of my reading list--or anywhere else on it for that matter. In the case of TRUE COMPASS, however, I'm thankful to have made an exception. This particular memoir held my interest for a variety of reasons:

As one who came of age politically during the presidential administration of JFK, I recognize most of the names and the events that populate Senator Kennedy's narrative. Any reader of age 50 or more who paid any attention at all to the world in which he or she was growing up will recall the radio bulletins, the TV newscasts, and the newspaper headlines of the past fifty years as events unfold in this book. We can relate to much that is here on a very personal level.

The narrative takes us beyond the surface news that we recall, giving us an insider's view. Kennedy opens the stage door for us and lets us see a fair amount of the backstage action. While no striking, history-altering revelations are here, we do get to see personal actions, interactions and reactions of major players on the world stage that we probably missed during the public performance. (Sorry, my metaphor seems to be getting a bit unwieldy.) The point is that this is not a rehash of news that we digested over the last five decades but an insider's view of the events that made the news.

These memories give us a very mortal, human view of the Kennedy clan. We all know that the Kennedy family personified influence, wealth, and political power. We may have admired them or detested them for this, but we all saw them as different, above the crowd, not really one of "us." They were the American version of royalty, untouchable, shining, and often wearing the crown of public adulation. TRUE COMPASS, however, gives us a new insight into this prominent family, and we can finally see the brother-to-brother, brother-to-sister, and child-to-parent love and respect that played a huge role in shaping the character of a president, of a U.S. attorney general, of a U.S. senator, and of an ambassador. This memoir may bring the Kennedys as close to the rest of us as they can be brought.

The textual narrative is outstanding. There are no dull, dry, or merely factual passages anywhere between the covers of this book. Every jot and tittle of every sentence and every paragraph is imbued with feeling, conviction and commitment. The narrative is neither salacious nor slick--it is sincere. Now, I'm not at all certain how much of this book was physically written by Edward Moore Kennedy, perhaps little of it. The acknowledgements section makes it rather clear that an author named Ron Powers and an editor named Jonathan Karp were highly instrumental in creating the product that we may purchase and read. I came away with the impression that the events and feelings and observations in this book were more than likely recorded from Senator Kennedy's spoken reminiscences for an oral history project at the University of Virginia and that Powers transliterated these recordings into the written word. Regardless, however, of who wrote what, the narrative flows smoothly and inexorably from beginning to end, carrying the reader along from revelation to revelation. And the grammar and mechanics are perfect except for the appearance of an objective rather than a nominative pronoun here and there, but that reflects actual and natural American speech habits, so I suppose that I cannot legitimately criticize that usage.

A spiritual message also weaves its way through these memories, often hidden but sometimes on the surface. I am not referring to the Kennedys' Catholicism, although that is certainly mentioned whenever it becomes relevant to the text, but to Edward Kennedy's connection to the sea. Permit me to say simply that it is a beautiful message.

TRUE COMPASS is, I feel, one biography, one memoir, one history that deserves to be read by every American who lived even a portion of the years that it covers. If, good reader, you are my contemporary, born in the mid 1940s, give or take a few years, you will see your own history in this book. If you are much younger but still interested in the forces that have shaped your country, you will also enjoy the recollections here. In fact, were I on the American history faculty of any university, I would definitely put this book on the reading list for my students. Every book read consumes a number of hours or days or weeks from the reader's lifetime. This book is worth that expenditure.

Senator Edward M. Kennedy's deeply moving memoir is the story of how the youngest most underrated of the nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, through great perserverence, through a long and difficult journey found real purpose carrying out the course his brothers had set.

An avid sailor, Kennedy said sailing helped him, "displace the emptiness inside me with the awareness of direction" and so it could be also said that the direction his brothers left him also helped displace the void left by their deaths. He not only picked up where they left off in politics but he took on the role of father-figure to all of their children too.

While there are hundreds of books about the Kennedys, this is the only definitive inside account from a member of the family, evoking high expectations for candor and revelation into the inner lives of this family like no other.

While this book is exquisite in its detail - a testament to Ted Kennedy's love of painting a picture, telling a story and lighting the dark with humor - it may leave you wanting for deeper introspections into the virtually relentless litany of tragedies that befell his life. Alas, this sailor didn't like to look back and peer too deeply into the darkness he had escaped - even in his memoir - for fear that the darkness might overtake him and engulf him in despair. Keep moving forward, stay ahead of the storm, "I can handle this" seems to have been his mantra and code for survival.

At the heart of this autobiography is the message that through perseverance, will-power and fortitude we can overcome any shortcomings, atone for any failures and succeed in our chosen course. By sticking with it and telling himself "I can handle this" he was able to survive everything from devastating deaths and accidents, to passing both legislation and kidney stones - and he unwincingly delivered a speech through the pain of these kidney stones in much the same fashion he survived all the pain in his life - through his mantra "I can handle this," "I can handle this."

Ted Kennedy even teaches his grandson "Little Teddy," "we might not be the best," but "we can work harder than anyone." That, he tells us in his memoir, "is the greatest lesson anyone can learn"... "stick with it," through everything life hands you, follow your "true compass," "work harder than anyone" and you will eventually "get there."

A great sailor indeed.

Sailing seems a metaphor for Senator Kennedy's life, and in turn his uniquely American life seems to be a timely metaphor and lesson for how we might endure the rough waters we find America in today, and prevail.

As a Massachusetts resident, Ted and the rest of the Kennedy's have been a part of fabric of the Boston since before this reviewer arrived here nearly 50 years ago. Naturally, I was anxious to see this memoir. Over the years our family has supported him but sometimes supported his competition as well. We had supported his nephew Joe Kennedy and attended the latter's birthday parties at the Hyannis Cape Cod Compound where Uncle Ted was always in attendance. My kids have strolled the famous sandy dune paths with some of the Kennedy brood and chased their dogs around the circus-sized tents set up by the Kennedy's for their many social and political events. Our family will never forget the "Blues Brothers Production" the Kennedy family acted out at one of these rallies and sing-alongs for political supporters. They are like a troop of uninhibited traveling performers. My Mother-in-law practically swooned when she met Senator Kennedy and commented on how much he resembled the picture she had of JFK on her living room wall. The entire Kennedy family is a well-oiled political machine.
The fact that the Senator died just before his memoir's release made me want to see it even more. At a hefty length of 532 pages I was hoping to finally hear Senator Edward Kennedy's explanation of a couple of important events in his life that he hasn't been exactly forthright about in the past. The most important of those events was his driving his car off a bridge on Chappaquiddick Island in 1969 and swimming to safety while his passenger Mary Jo Kepechne, a campaign worker and maybe much more, drowned. That accident destroyed his chance to become President because by not even reporting it while there was still a chance of saving the young woman's life, he clearly was either drunk out of his mind, frightened, perhaps terrified of the bad publicity that would effect his career and he had panicked. Clearly not the actions of a man who people want to have his finger on the nuclear war button. His actions were so different than the historic rescue of his PT 109 shipmates that JRK performed in WW II also in the shark infested waters of the ocean in the pitch blackness of night. Ted's panicked actions plus the manipulation of the local legal system that followed and allowed him to cop a plea of leaving the scene of an accident have no doubt haunted him and all the rest of his friends and supporters for 40 years. I was most curious as to whether Ted would provide his readers with the whole truth, even if it weren't brutally exact. The Kennedy's haven't exactly been very upfront about the truth in the past if it was negative. They much preferred to seal it away and then spin it to death.
So, did the good Senator from Massachusetts come clean or at least enlighten his friends, supporters and admirers in this final official testimony of his life? Yes, and no. He said his actions were "Inexcusable and he made terrible decisions." He was drunk, frightened and confused. But what about the rest of the story? The memoir doesn't add anything to his accounts of those terrible days even though Ted kept a daily diary throughout his long career. He and co-author/collaborator/ghostwriter Ron Powers probably decided to leave those unhappy memories shrouded in mystery and just concentrate on the more positive aspects, of which there were many, of Kennedy's long and fruitful life.
If the old folk saying that a picture is worth a 1,000 words, then this book is twice as long as the word count would indicate. The book is packed with wonderful photos that most people have probably never seen before. In the caption next to one photograph of baby Ted in an old fashioned baby carriage is the comment that "Jack wanted me to be named after George Washington because I was born on his birthday." On another page is a picture of Bobby and his younger brother Ted at the reopening of the Royal Children's Zoo in 1938." It's Ted's first encounter with the Republican Party. Still further along in the memoir is a picture of Ted Kennedy, dressed in cowboy gear "Coming out of Chute 4 on Skyrocket, Miles City, Montana, August 27, 1960." The bucking bronco is rearing back to launch the future U.S. Senator off his back. Who among us has the guts to try this dangerous rodeo event? Across the page is a copy of 1962 campaign poster "I Need You and Your Two Votes" that reminds us of the young Kennedy's movie star good looks. A more recent color photo shows the Senator "Dressed as the Grinch for the office Christmas Party." He is wearing the Santa Claus Grinch costume complete with green face paint. He actually looks like the cartoon character and that is kind of scary. Opposite that picture is a color reproduction of "`Daffodils' a painting I made for Vicki." The readers don't have to be an ex-photographer like this reviewer to see some of the Kennedy's real personality captured by the terrific selection of photos included in this volume. And yes, all the Kennedy's inherited their parent's good looks. One is better looking than another. It's nice to see the photo portraits of their parents as young adults so one can compare the family's looks.
This book is of course a very valuable resource for historians. Even though all memoirs are how their authors wish to be remembered, they can still be valuable even if they ignore the warts and only focus on the triumphs. There include insights, memories and thought processes connected to any individual that only that individual is privy to and only they can explain why the event was important to them. This memoir is filled with personal stories about life within his family. Joe Sr. comes across particularly wise in the ways of the world in business as well as being a good father and passing on to his children what is really important in life. It's good that this book was produced and it's also good that Senator Kennedy sat down for a series of recorded interviews about the events in his life. Hopefully, there may even be material included in those personal histories that was left out of this memoir, but will eventually be released for future historians to better understand the life and accomplishments of the youngest of Rose and Joe P. Kennedy's sons. To be honest, this reviewer finds Joe P. Kennedy Sr. the most interesting member of the family. That's usually the case with the founding founders of a dynasty. However, Joe Kennedy's children have made extraordinary contributions to their country. Like every human, they had flaws but they still succeeded. What a shame that Joe Kennedy's namesake was killed in WW II because the entire family felt he was destined for true greatness. Both Ted and his sister Eunice's deaths closed the books on their long careers of public service. It remains to be seen whether Ted or Eunice will have made the greater contributions to humanity. This is an excellent read even for people who may not have always agreed with Kennedy's political causes or decisions. Every reader will learn more about the warm human being that was Edward Kennedy. Frankly, most readers will probably find the personal information and family anecdotes much more interesting than the good senator's detailed reminisces about behind the scenes hardball politics within the U.S. Senate itself. It's definitely a good read.

I enjoyed reading this book. It was written well, it's easy to read, and it is interesting. That being said I can't give it five stars because there is so much more to Ted's story, good and bad than what is in these pages. Ted gives us a glimpse behind his life and it's well recorded highs and lows. The most poignant moments include his childhood school experience, including his teacher who molested some of his friends and his life after Vickie arrived. To all those that would judge Mr Kennedy based on the low moments in his life I say read this book. You might find some compassion in your heart for this all too human man.

With memories of Ted Kennedy's final illness, death and elaborate funeral still fresh in our minds, it will be hard for anyone, friend or foe, to approach this book as simply another politician's memoir. The passions he evoked are still raw. TRUE COMPASS becomes not just a book, but a public event.

The memoir has two main strands. First, there is the family saga, told with a kind of rosy-hued nostalgic glow: the vast influence of family patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. on his nine children, the intense rivalry and enduring affection among them, the zest for public service --- and, of course, the relentless series of family tragedies that befell them, starting with the death of brother Joseph in World War II, the assassinations of brothers John and Robert, the mental illness of sister Rosemary, and the sad succession of accidents (plane crashes in particular) that have dogged the family down to the present day.

The other strand is Kennedy's unapologetic liberalism. It earned him the admiration of many over his 47 years in the U.S. Senate and the furious hatred of others (at least one detractor during the 2008 campaign bluntly branded him a "murderer"). Here he makes his case as an advocate for civil rights, health care, working people, minorities and activist government in general. He writes of his "personal distaste for self-justification," but inevitably there is a strain of that very thing in his narrative. It is hard to see how he could have avoided it.

Kennedy is candid --- up to a point --- about his personal life. There are passing references to excessive drinking, a dryly factual account of his divorce and a glowing tribute to the woman who became his second wife. His account of the fateful 1969 events on Chappaquiddick Island repeats the version he told at the time; he describes it as an accident with consequences that he deplores and for which he accepts some responsibility. Nothing really new there.

The Kennedy family, of course, was (and still is) immensely wealthy. Kennedy takes this pretty much for granted, dropping casual phrases like "dad always bought his horses in Ireland" as though they were trivial family chitchat. The jaunts to Europe and vacations in Hawaii are simply recorded without fanfare as the normal doings of the very rich.

On the political side, there are occasional juicy nuggets. As expected, Kennedy gives poor marks on policy to Ronald Reagan and George W. Bush. But he is also highly critical of Jimmy Carter ("a difficult man to convince --- of anything... He did not really listen; he loved to give the appearance of listening"), plays down the much-touted bitterness between Robert Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, and deplores the lasting public image of Robert as ruthless. Among several neatly told stories, the best is a wryly hilarious account of a failed effort to discuss with Reagan relief for the shoe manufacturing industry. Reagan rambles on about shoes in general, avoiding the issue at hand until time is up and the utterly flummoxed group of senators is ushered out of the Oval Office, their message undelivered.

One Kennedy family factoid that will surprise some and appall others: Kennedy says there was some sentiment for putting his father on the Democratic ticket for vice-president in 1936. One can almost hear FDR, who came to despise the man, rolling over in his grave.

Inevitably, TRUE COMPASS will be seen as a heavy artillery salvo in the current battle over health care reform. Kennedy labels that issue "the cause of my life" and comes out forcefully for a major role of government in the final product. Liberal Democrats in the Senate have already adopted him as their patron saint; they want to name their proposed bill in his honor. Kennedy revisits the failed Democratic attempt to tackle the issue in 1994, and highlights aspects of the opposition that have resurfaced unchanged in the current debate.

The writing is smooth and graceful, rising frequently to real eloquence. Kennedy worked with a collaborator, Ron Powers, whose name does not appear on the title page but is generously credited in the back-of-the-book acknowledgements. Powers may have contributed to the book's literary polish, but he also did a fine job of capturing the thought and personal commitment of Edward M. Kennedy.

No matter how much you loved or hated Ted Kennedy, TRUE COMPASS is well worth reading --- whether you give it a place of honor on your shelves or toss it at the nearest wall.

--- Reviewed by Robert Finn

I have to admit from the start: I am not a fan of Edward Kennedy, or of the Kennedy family in general.

But with Kennedy's autobiography "True Compass: A Memoir," I did my best to embrace objectivity. And it's an interesting albeit deeply flawed book -- a look at the slow decline of a once-powerful political dynasty, vast world changes, and a world that changed drastically due to war and massive political shifts. But at the same time, Kennedy whitewashes the entire family and skims over their uglier moments and recorded sins.

You know the drill: Edward Moore Kennedy was born to the wealthy and connected Joseph and Rose Kennedy, as part of a vast brood of energetic kids. And of course, Kennedy was the younger brother of the revered president John F. Kennedy, and his almost-as-adored brother Robert Kennedy. He followed his brothers into public office, becoming an outspoken member of the U.S. Senate... but those brothers were both assassinated in the space of a few years, and Kennedy himself nearly was paralyzed in a plane crash.

He also charged ahead with his strong viewpoints on health care and the controversial Vietnam War, and even flirted with the idea of running for president himself. But he also was involved in some seedy and sometimes deadly scandals: particularly the Chappaquiddick incident, resulting in the death of Mary Jo Kopechne (whom Kennedy unconvincingly insists he was TOTALLY not involved with), and the rape of a young woman by his nephew. It also explores how he remarried late in life (after his mostly-ignored first marriage to Joan Kennedy), and how his determination to uphold the Democratic party even led him to make a speech when seriously ill with cancer.

Reading "True Compass" is a bit like sitting down in a cafe, and having a very long and intricate conversation with the late senator -- he talks at length about his love of sailing, the political wheels-within-wheels of the Senate and Congress, and about his large extended family. It also reveals firsthand a more human side of John F. Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy, and the everyday life that they enjoyed with their family -- a rare thing with any presidents or public figures.

And he handles this with humor and geniality, speckled with humanizing anecdotes (President Reagan's shoe-related filibuster) and funny stories about the people he knew and was related to (the hilarious story of "Teddy dear! You forgot your dancing shoes!"). His style becomes less forgiving and more embittered as the book winds on, but he does try to put in a good word for others almost all the time. And the last stretch of the book becomes more relaxed and philosophical.

The biggest problem with "True Compass" is the whitewashing of the Kennedy family -- apparently they're all devout, moral, unselfish, politically uncorrupted, care about The People, and never even had a squabble growing up with their equally flawless parents. Kennedy glosses over every single foibles, infidelities and scandals -- the only scandals he'll acknowledge are the ones that people clearly remember, while insisting that these are untrue (the rape case) or not his fault (Chappaquiddick).

Ir even goes to the point of pretending the Kennedy men weren't rabid horndogs who juggled lovers, trysts and mistresses like Reagan's little jellybeans. Kennedy only admits to having "failings," while carefully not mentioning what they are. As a result, the book gradually ends up feeling less like a biography and more of a carefully coordinate PR push for the legend of the Kennedy clan -- and it leaves you wondering how much of the political stuff is embellished as well.

Moreover, where are the women? Until the final stretch of the book (when Kennedy marries Vicki and starts raving about how happy he is), all women except the matriarch Rose are reduced essentially to faceless figures who fade into the wallpaper. His first wife Joan is especially neglected -- though they were married for more than twenty years, she's treated as an annoying cameo figure in his life. Nice. Classy.

"True Compass: A Memoir" is a biography that is both fascinating and flawed -- it gives firsthand and intriguing insights into the growing pains of America in the second half of the 20th century, but too often whitewashes the facts in favor of a glorified political legend.

Excellent reading. As I read it I can hear Ted Kennedy saying all the words. As I am reading I feel as though I am a part of a conversation that he is having with a few special friends, he just draws me into the events of the Kennedy family. Highly recommend this book.

Vividly, I remember shaking Senator Kennedy's hand as a college student after he spoke at Southern Illinois University sometime near 1974. Most striking in his life's portrayal is the fact that he loved people. He proved that point to me after his speech. A friend and I attended because we were both majoring in political science so we felt strongly about meeting him to bring our studies to life. We concocted a plan to do just that. As soon as he concluded speaking, we dashed out of the auditorium, knowing where the exit door was for speakers. As we ran out of the front door of the auditorium, and down the steps and sidewalk, we hastily ran to our right to proceed to the spot we thought we'd have the best chance to shake his hand. Now remember, this is the 70's and we are students: long hair (mine was blonde, stringy and shoulder length, and my friend of Italian descent, had an Afro about the size of two bowling balls put together), torn jeans with patches, looking like we just got off the train tracks as hobos. We spotted him leaving and so did the secret service (at least we assumed it was the secret service). They stopped us dead in our tracks and we thought the moment would escape us. As this happened, Senator Kennedy saw us and his protective entourage, walked immediately in our direction, saying words to the effect, "It's okay fellas", introduced himself, shook our hands, exchanged a few words, making our day and a memory for our lifetime.
This may seem small for many, and yet, his desire to reach out as he did, to even two motley looking college students, is the measure of his connection with us all and to the American spirit as a true believer in our republic.
Today, so many of my friends and acquaintances are angry with the state of our country and our politicians. Some of the reviews of his book find it shallow and self serving. I find the opposite. In an era where bipartisianship is necessary and where little seems to be found, Senator Kennedy demonstrated his humanity with his perspective of his uplifting historical accounts, statements of life's lessons from many sources and teaching us to enjoy the time we have here by remembering to enjoy the beauty and blessings around us.
His book is a tremendous contemporary gift to us all as we face a new era of unrest in our country and the world. If you want to renew your spirit as a citizen, and realize how fortunate we are to have such as an icon as Senator Kennedy share his thoughts and personal feelings, as a man, and servant of the people, read this book. I do believe you will find it uplifting, if not spiritually invigorating.
Thank you Senator Kennedy for all you did for our country!

It has been a long time since I have read any serious books and I'm disappointed in this one. I just finished reading "True Compass". While I enjoyed it, I found it pretty superficial and came away with how great it was to be Ted Kennedy. He barely touched on things that happened in his personal life and comes over sounding almost like St. Edward Kennedy. I wouldn't recommend it - the parts about Viet Nam were pretty interesting but I lived through that period and remembered it well. On the other hand he didn't bash anyone except Jimmy Carter. He kind of skips over his marriage to Joan and writes almost endlessly about his wonderful marriage to Vickie. He also does not mention any of his affairs or his excessive drinking. His view of Chappaquiddick just doesn't ring true to me. I'd suggest taking it out of the library rather than buying it or wait for the paperback edition.

This must have been ghost written, there were several errors that Ted Kennedy should have known. The most interesting is that he didn't know where his Mother was buried. He states on page 476 that she was buried at St Stephens Roman Catholic Church in Bostons North End. In fact, she is buried at Holyhood in Brookline. He also didn't know his niece Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was not the Lt Governor of Rhode Island but of Maryland (page 414). Also Jacqueline Kennedy was not at the Democratic convention in 1960, so she couldn't have been on the stage waving as he states on page 150. Makes one wonder what he actually did remember of those years or was it a rush to publish with no time for fact checkers?