Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "When John F. Kennedy dictated his inaugural address to Evelyn Lincoln in his private compartment on the Caroline on January 10, he was relying on..." (more)
Key Phrases: presidential stand, places with any other people, glow from that fire, New York, Joe Kennedy, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Ever since the success of Garry Wills's Lincoln at Gettysburg, various authors have tried, with varying degrees of success, to create similar books focusing on the personalities, events and politics surrounding great rhetorical moments. One of the more valuable such efforts is this new study of JFK's inauguration and his memorable "Ask not what your country can do for you" speech. Clarke (Pearl Harbor Ghosts; Lost Hero) offers an excellent reconstruction of the details of that frigid, snow-encrusted day in January 1961—and the many busy days before, when Kennedy and such advisers as Ted Sorenson and John Kenneth Galbraith joined words that still resonate in our national memory. Contesting accepted wisdom that gives Sorenson the bulk of the credit for the address, Clarke—through assiduous sleuthing—documents Kennedy's primary authorship of the speech considered by many to be his greatest public utterance. One quibble: for all the value of tracking numerous drafts of the inaugural remarks back to JFK's original dictation, handwritten draft and on-the-spot changes from the podium, following all these minuscule revisions sometimes makes for a blizzard of detail only the most devoted Kennedy fan will want to negotiate. Nevertheless, Clarke clearly breaks new ground, creating a valuable book worth making room for on the crowded Kennedy shelf.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine

Clarke has two purposes in Ask Not: to examine the Kennedy Inauguration in precise detail and to determine J.F.K.’s role in writing the speech. Clarke uses newly discovered primary source material to make his case for the ex-President’s authorship over speechwriter Ted Sorenson. Critics disagree about the efficacy of his argument, but in the end, it veers in his favor. Does this event deserve the intense scrutiny of an entire book? The Washington Post calls Ask Not padded (how much, really, do you want to read about Jackie’s dresses?); The San Francisco Chronicle relishes the personalities and small details that set the stage for Camelot.

Copyright © 2004 Phillips & Nelson Media, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (September 9, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805072136
• ISBN-13: 978-0805072136
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #739,732 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars New Insights on Kennedy Speechwriting. And More, September 27, 2004

By	Rodolfo Camacho (Hermosillo, Mexico) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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"Ask Not" is, without doubt, the most interesting addition to Kennedyana of recent years. Thurston Clarke, a gifted storyteller, takes the reader into a detailed journey into the lives of JFK, his family, friends and advisers on the hectic days of January 10-20, 1961, as Kennedy created an Inaugural address that, 43 years after it was delivered, hasn't lost any of its power and magic. At the center of this quest, Thurston introduces new evidence establishing that Kennedy, and not Ted Sorensen, was the author of the speech's most poetic, stirring and fascinating passages. If it is true that Sorensen has never written or said that he was the author of Kennedy's Inaugural, he has always mantained an ambigous position on the subject. Most historians and scholars have keep this ambiguity alive, and many still believe today that Sorensen was really the author of a message that defined the Kennedy era and launched America into the revolutionary and contradictory sixties.

Clarke writes a captivating day-to-day (almost hour-to-hour) account of when and how John F. Kennedy dictated or wrote the words and sentences that converged in one of the most important speeches of the twentieth century. From the moment during a flight on his private plane to his family's mansion in Palm Beach when he dictated to Evelyn Lincoln, his secretary, the core of the most beautiful lines of the speech, till the very moment when he made minor corrections as he was delivering it, this book reivindicates Kennedy's authorship. It also makes the case that the Inaugural can be seen as a philosophical and spiritual biography of JFK, tracing the origins of its ideas and setences not just to previous extemporaneous speeches delivered during his 1960 campaign, but also to episodes and experiences of Kennedy's life.

"Ask Not", of course, is comparable to "Lincoln at Gettysburg" by Garry Wills, which I think is the most fascinating book on Lincoln (and even speechwriting) ever written. But "Ask Not" can also be read as a shorthand biography that reveals not well-known insights on Kennedy's life and character. It's also a lofty reminder of how Americans lived the dawn of the Kennedy years, the neverending fascination about him and Jackie, his family, and a time when high-flying ideas were so close to politics that it seems almost unbelievable today.

There's no complacency in this book. You wiil find a good amount of well-docummented criticism on Kennedy, but reading it (and, of course, Kennedy's Inaugural once again), one cannot but make a comparison to the present state of not only political rhetoric, but politics in general, and sadly contemplate what has been lost.

Could "Ask Not", as "Lincoln at Gettysburg" did on 1993, win a Pulitzer? Certainly it has the right stuff. If you're a Kennedy fan, or a history buff, or enjoy speeches and speechwriting, or just love to read a very good book, get your hands and eyes on this one.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good at recreating 1960-1961., November 27, 2004

By	P. D. Lenihan (Southwest) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

You must bring several grains of salt to the author's discussion of what exactly JFK might have been doing or thinking here or there, but the main premise (that JFK wrote the speech, not Sorenson) is convincingly laid out. Also, Clarke's overview of that Inauguration Day (Jan. 20, 1961) is fascinating...he provides great sixties details and a keen assessment of what people on that podium (such as his brief but vivid portrait of Mamie Eisenhower) thought about JFK, based on firsthand accounts, memoirs, conversations. Also, this is a good refresher on what real Democrats and real Republicans stood for in Kennedy's time. I really enjoyed reading this book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars He spoke from the heart, February 6, 2005

By	Swissmiss "Swissmiss" (Lausanne, Switzerland) - See all my reviews

I loved this book. As a New Englander who was only 6 years old at the time of the inauguration, I can no longer tell if I remember watching the Inaugural or if over the years seeing the newsclips and videos at the JFK Library have indelibly stamped his words in my brain. In any case, the book made me want to hear the speech again. A visit to the Library during my next visit to Boston may be in order.

One bone to pick. How is it that a regular person like me constantly finds errors in books that seem to be otherwise well-researched and the editors don't catch them? Henry Fonda's ex-wife who was at Joseph Alsop's party was named Afdera, not Alfreda. Errors like that drive me nuts.