Bobby Kennedy: A Raging Spirit

This hardback has been very well cared for and has surpassed my expectations, as the cost was very low. Very impressed.

Long ago

yes indeed...

Having read a number of books on Robert Kennedy I bought this hoping for additional information - The author had previously written about President John F Kennedy and a majority of this book covered John Kennedy's rise to power with a cameo role by Robert Kennedy - the only time he devoted to Robert Kennedy was the last couple of chapters after Kennedy was assassinated - I feel I should return the book under the Trades Description Act - If you, like me, want to read about Robert Kennedy's life avoid this book -

The book was very badly manufactured, the pages being very roughly and cheaply cut - I was surprised. The charge on my Amazon account was £16.98, however the charge to my Barclay card was £19.98 - a difference of £3.00?? which I have never experienced before. I really am disappointed with this purchase and would certainly not recommend this item to others.

V good

It’s doubtful that more than a handful of writers and historians have the depth of experience, the credibility, or the personal relationships that Chis Matthews brings to this delightful book. He takes us behind the curtain of the Kennedy years, with a special emphasis in this case on Robert Kennedy, to a place where few could obtain access, now fifty years after the fact. Every author has a perspective and Matthews is no exception. Nonetheless he gives a refreshingly complete and balanced narrative that in many ways reflects the Kennedy’s themselves. They had a perspective, too, but were remarkably pragmatic, clever, and determined in putting their often idealized perspective into practice. Bobby in particular, Matthews tells us, was an idealist naturally aligned with the disadvantaged, yet with a competitive, sometimes ruthless, drive born of both his own burden as the third son of an aspiring Irish Catholic family and the relentless drive passed down by his domineering and competitive father. While I am younger than Matthews, it is hard to convey to those who were not alive at the time the sheer scale and influence of the Kennedy clan during the late 50s and most of the 60s. While Jack, in particular, is revered in retrospect, the family, as Matthews chronicles, was not universally embraced across the nation or the political spectrum. They, however, worked with what they had and pushed the nation forward in areas like civil rights and checking the growing influence of the Soviets without pushing the country to the breaking point. They had an uncanny ability to understand what the country wanted to do but couldn’t bring itself, for a myriad of reasons, to accomplish. They received, processed, and amplified all that was best about America and Americans. And then they got it done. From civil rights to putting a man on the moon, they thought big and accomplished a good deal of what they set out to do. While you read the book Matthews reminds us just how broad and complicated is the political agenda of our country. Once you appreciate the dimensions of the challenge it is no surprise that our government barely works in the best of circumstances. The Kennedy’s, however, proved that it can work, and it is that optimism for which we are most indebted to their memory. The process of governance is loud and messy and mistakes are inevitable, but the battle can be won with grit and determination and the guiding hands of noble ideals and pragmatism (i.e., compromise!) Which, in the end, is what makes this book both sad and inspiring. It is, indeed, sad to realize how little progress we’ve made in areas like civil rights and the promotion of world peace. The Kennedy’s certainly broke down barriers for Irish Catholics, but many barriers remain intact and many more have been erected since that time. The whole contemporary debate about immigration is a good example. The debate, such as it is (not much of a Socratic debate, actually), being so remarkably anachronistic but nonetheless contemporary. How far we’ve come and yet how little we’ve accomplished. I don’t watch much television, so I have to admit I have never viewed Hardball. I wouldn’t know Chris Matthews if he showed up at my door. I have to thank him, however, for this delightful tour and stimulating reflection. He certainly made me think and that is the greatest gift any author can give us through his or her prose. Yes, I remember exactly where I was the day President Kennedy was shot. I was sitting in Mrs. Sanderson’s fourth grade class and when the principal came into our class and privately told Mrs. Sanderson of the news, she immediately broke down sobbing. Indeed, that nation sobbed in the most literal sense. The Kennedy’s, however, cannot be understood as a single man. They were a clan in every facet of the concept and Bobby Kennedy played an important and very influential role. Lacking the natural charisma of Jack, he was both the idealist and the guy who made things happen, his strong will to take on injustice, particularly when his brother or his heritage was called into question by it, was both his greatest strength and greatest political weakness. I honestly don’t remember where I was the day he was shot, but with Matthew’s help, I certainly feel I have a much better gauge of the man. More than anything else, I think the Kennedy’s proved that politicians can have it all. You can stand by your principles and still get things done. Success and progress, Matthews, through the example of the Kennedy’s, reminds us, are not achieved through stagnation or backing up. Our current politicians would be well served to take this entertaining and informative stroll through a time in political history that was so much different, yet so remarkably the same.

This audiobook is read by the author himself. Unfortunately, he has a terrible high pitched voice, he uses weired emphasis on syllables and his chaotic melody makes this audio book very hard to enjoy. I am disappointed.

I saw Bobby Kennedy several times in Chicago and Toronto and revered him as a political figure. Both Kennedy men grew in front of our eyes, always better and for both it would have continued if they had not been cut down by midgets. The country’s direction changed for the worse when JFK was killed and RFK was the man to put it back on course. Never happed. Hasn’t still. The loss incalculable.

I'm only part way though this book but am a huge fan of Chris Matthews and as I had hoped, a beautifully written and affectionate look back at Bobby Kennedy. Had he become President, we'd all be living in a different world now. A great, great book, and a must for Kennedy aficianados.

Valuable book for me for following reasons: 1. It took me back through a history I've lived and allowed me, by seeing the history through different folks' eyes to see the limits in the critical thinking of my younger me. 2. The style of writing, pithy, made for a very easy yet informative read. 3. It gave me a good perspective of the political maneuvering which are always intriguing to a political "semi-junkie." 4. Putting the Bobby Kennedy history in concise perspective re: influences of family, religion, brotherly devotion and ideology it is quite fascinating to see the psychological transformation that took place in a span of 10-12 years. Many of BK's positions changed, his attitude changed one could even say his morality, but there remained a type of emotional naievte in his certainty that he could practically implement his positions. 5. Finally, the relevance to today: Near the end Matthews paraphrases Richard Goodwin's believe that BK had "...found his inner urge toward definance -of unjust privilege, indifferent power, concentrated wealth, which provide so much hatred among some -was also the source of his greatest strength, arousing the hopes and expectations of millions who felt themselves victimized." To this I ponder - didn't Reagan, Bush, Clinton, Obama and now Trump all play to the same hopes and expectations of self anointed and real victims to get elected? Perhaps each had his own rhetoric to promote their charisma, but the strategy was election by addressing the alienation that exists in this country. And here I am 57 years later observing that same alienation. But I am typing this on an ipad so that I guess things must be better for everyone else too. Great read. Get it.