First published 2008
Theodore Sorensen opens his account in January 1953, when he first met the freshman senator from Massachusetts who would change his life. The young Nebraska lawyer quickly became John F. Kennedy's most trusted aide, rising from legislative assistant to speechwriter to Special Counsel. Sorensen takes readers inside the Kennedy White House during America's most dangerous moments. He describes drafting crucial correspondence to Khrushchev during the Cuban Missile Crisis, when nuclear war seemed imminent. He reveals how he and Kennedy crafted the speeches that defined a presidency and worked together on Profiles in Courage. The memoir follows their partnership through Kennedy's failed 1956 vice presidential bid, his successful 1960 campaign, and the tragic assassination in Dallas. After Kennedy's death, Sorensen remained briefly with Lyndon Johnson before leaving to write Kennedy's biography. He later returned to politics to manage Robert Kennedy's 1968 presidential campaign. Throughout, Sorensen maintains his focus on the ideals that drew him to public service and his commitment to promoting free societies around the world.
Genres: history, 20th-century, american, political-science, politics, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family
Setting: Cuba, Dallas, Massachusetts, Nebraska
Period: 1953, 1956, 1960, 1968
556 pages · Hardcover · HARPER