First published 2024
Maureen Callahan strips away the Kennedy mystique to reveal a dynasty built on the systematic abuse of women. Behind the public image of wealth and power lies a pattern of violence spanning generations. Callahan documents how Kennedy men have physically and psychologically harmed women and girls, creating a trail of destruction that includes sexual assault, psychological manipulation, and death. The family has maintained their reputation through careful image management while the victims paid the price. Callahan restores these women to the center of the story, from famous figures like Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to lesser known victims whose suffering has been overlooked. Drawing on extensive investigative reporting, she chronicles decades of scandals that the Kennedy machine has survived through strategic damage control. The book examines how American society's fascination with Camelot enabled this cycle of abuse to continue unchecked. Callahan honors the women who escaped and amplifies the voices of those who could not, delivering an overdue accounting of how power protects predators.
Genres: biography, historical-fiction, abuse, crime, non-fiction, american-history
Vibes: dark, emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: deception, power-imbalance, systematic-abuse
Period: 20th-Century, 21st-Century
400 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: abuse, sexual-assault, violence