A Twilight Struggle: The Life of John Fitzgerald Kennedy

A look at the life of John F. Kennedy discusses his involvement in civil rights, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and his decisions about war in Vietnam

Great affection for its subject marks this portrait of one of our most popular presidents. Fortunately for the reader, the adulation is tempered with some honest looks at the failures of the president who reigned over an American Camelot: the Bay of Pigs, his overly cautious stand on civil rights, his gross infidelity to his wife. The authors successfully reveal Kennedy for the man he was, one with high ideals who tried his best to live up to them and inspired others to do likewise. While the book briefly examines the dispute over the authorship of Profiles in Courage , there are items currently being debated in scholarly circles they did not touch upon, namely the charges that the events of PT-109 were substantially fabricated. Despite the book's rather textbookish appearance, it will be a useful research tool for young historians. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The directors of research for the TV documentary JFK: In His Own Words (1988) draw on the extensive available resources for a carefully balanced portrait. Beginning with JFK's extraordinary background--the politician grandfather, the father who demanded fierce competition as well as success--the authors depict a gifted, deeply complex man molded by his family's standards and by his own resistance to them; shaped as much by tragedy, poor health, and pain as by wealth and power. He's presented as a charismatic politician of genuine eloquence who pursued his sincere ideals with pragmatic zeal; a man of his time, not always wise, who learned from his mistakes (forthrightly described here)--a man growing in breadth and wisdom and showing every promise of continuing to do so. Without commenting on it explicitly, the authors make the tragedy of his loss compellingly clear. A handsome book, well illustrated with photos, and with a narrative remarkable for its clarity and grace. Important facts are illuminated with a wealth of telling details and quotes (inexplicably, and most annoyingly, only about half are attributed). Chapter epigraphs from Frost's ``Birches'' poignantly underline the theme of JFK's life as personal struggle and historical turning point. An intelligent, authoritative, and beautifully crafted biography of a fascinating figure. Selected bibliography; comprehensive ten-page chronology; source notes; index. (Biography. 11+) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.