DAVID NASAW is the author of Andrew Carnegie, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, awarded the New-York Historical Society Prize in American History, and named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst, winner of the Bancroft Prize for history and the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for biography. He is the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.
A highly readable biography of the dynasty and larger-than-life figure whose presence still haunts American political life ... Exhaustive yet accessible, Nasaw's book illuminates Kirkus Reviews [Nasaw] gives readers a much fuller look at various accusations made against Kennedy, especially the charge that he was an anti-Semite ... There is no doubt [The Patriarch] makes a major contribution to Kennedy history Booklist Riveting ... The Patriarch is a book hard to put down -- Christopher Buckley New York Times Book Review
Kennedy, father of a U.S. President and eight other remarkable children, was a complex man. He was Boston-Irish from a privileged background but far exceeded his forebears in moneymaking and ambition both for himself and his children. For his offspring, he was always there-a family man extraordinaire. On other fronts he greatly admired British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain-they both wanted to avoid a devastating war-up to a point and made an impact on Hollywood as founder of RKO Pictures, absorbing in the process a distrust of Jews that affected the rest of his life. Kennedy was also a philanderer but discrete about it to the point that his wife, Rose, didn't believe the rumors. There's much else to tell, and Nasaw tells it. Reader Malcom Hillgartner mimics the Boston accent we know from the president very nicely, as well as those of many other characters, especially the British. Both success and tragedy followed Kennedy, and the text is presented in a way that listeners can feel their impact. VERDICT With the 50th anniversary of JFK's death approaching, any related titles will be in demand. Recommended.-Don Wismer, Trustee Emeritus, Cary Memorial Lib., Wayne, ME (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
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