The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty

Thompson, Neal

ISBN 10: 0358437695 / ISBN 13: 9780358437697

Published by Mariner Books, 2022

About this Item

THERE IS A BLACK "CLOSEOUT/REMAINDER" MARK ON THE BOTTOM PAGE EDGES.The iconic Kennedys are known for their political power, wealth, and style. For generations they were America's royal family. But before the remarkable ascents of JFK, RFK, and others, and long before the myty of "Camelot," there was the poor Irish refugee couple who escaped famine to start a new life in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics. Patrick and Bridget arrived penniless, hungry, and hopeful, like many mid-1800s immigrants. They met, married, and had five children together, losing their firstborn son as an infant. Three years later, Patrick got sick and died of consumption. This left Bridget to raise four children single-handedly in the slums of East Boston, the island across from Boston proper that was thick with poor Irish newcomers. Showing uncommonly shrewd business acumen, Bridget rose from housemaid to hairdresser to shop owner. Her success in the face of rampant poverty and discrimination kept her family intact, clearing a path for her surviving son, Patrick Joseph, or P.J., to make his own extraordinary ascent from dockworker to saloonkeeper to banker, becoming the first Kennedy elected to public office and a highly influential power-broker -- the first of many, P.J.'s political powers capped a phenomenal trajectory made possible by the tenacious and strong-willed Bridget, the overlooked Kennedy matriarch. Written by the grandson of an Irish immigrant couple and based on first-ever access to P.J. Kennedy's private papers, The First Kennedys is a story of sacrifice and survival, resistance and reinvention: an American story. THERE IS A BLACK "CLOSEOUT/REMAINDER" MARK ON THE BOTTOM PAGE EDGES. MARINER BOOKS, HARDCOVER, 2022 THIS IS A BRAND NEW BOOK.

Seller Inventory # 002983

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The First Kennedys: The Humble Roots of an American Dynasty
• Publisher: Mariner Books
• Publication Date: 2022
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0358437695
• ISBN 13: 9780358437697
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: New
• Dust Jacket Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

“Here is that rare thing: an untold chapter in the Kennedy saga. . .Compelling and illuminating.”—Jon Meacham

Based on genealogical breakthroughs and previously unreleased records, this is the first book to explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple who escaped famine; created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics; and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America.

Their Irish ancestry was a hallmark of the Kennedys’ initial political profile, as JFK leveraged his working-class roots to connect with blue-collar voters. Today, we remember this iconic American family as the vanguard of wealth, power, and style rather than as the descendants of poor immigrants. Here at last, we meet the first American Kennedys, Patrick and Bridget, who arrived as many thousands of others did following the Great Famine—penniless and hungry. Less than a decade after their marriage in Boston, Patrick’s sudden death left Bridget to raise their children single-handedly. Her rise from housemaid to shop owner in the face of rampant poverty and discrimination kept her family intact, allowing her only son P.J. to become a successful saloon owner and businessman. P.J. went on to become the first American Kennedy elected to public office—the first of many.

Written by the grandson of an Irish immigrant couple and based on first-ever access to P.J. Kennedy’s private papers, The First Kennedys is a story of sacrifice and survival, resistance and reinvention: an American story.

About the Author

Neal Thompson is the author of four critically acclaimed books, including A Curious Man: The Strange & Brilliant Life of Robert “Believe It or Not” Ripley and Driving with the Devil: Southern Moonshine, Detroit Wheels, and the Birth of NASCAR. Thompson’s writing has appeared in Esquire, Outside, Men’s Health, and other publications. He lives in Seattle with his family.