by Sean Wilentz
First published 2012
Sean Wilentz strips away the mythology surrounding John F. Kennedy to reveal a presidency far more complicated than popular memory suggests. Kennedy entered the White House at forty-three as the youngest elected president, bringing unprecedented vigor to the role and embodying his vision of a "New Frontier" for 1960s America. Wilentz argues that Kennedy's actual record mixed notable failures with significant successes. The Bay of Pigs invasion stands as a major blunder that influenced every subsequent national security choice. Yet Kennedy also navigated the Cuban Missile Crisis successfully and eventually took a strong position against racial segregation. The president moved constantly between crises spanning Cuba, Laos, Berlin, Vietnam, and civil rights battles across the American South. His public controversies reflected equally risky private behavior that remained hidden for years. Wilentz presents Kennedy as a leader who fundamentally changed how Americans view the presidency, offering readers a complete portrait of both the man and his lasting impact on American political culture.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, american, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: historical-fiction
Setting: America, Cuba, Laos, Berlin, Vietnam, American South
Period: 1960s
224 pages · Kindle Edition · Times Books