First published 2004
R. Sargent Shriver stands at the crossroads of public service and family obligation. After marrying Eunice Kennedy in 1953, he must balance his own ambitions with the demands of America's most powerful political dynasty. Shriver creates the Peace Corps from scratch, then launches Head Start and Legal Services for the Poor as part of the War on Poverty. He establishes the Special Olympics and serves as ambassador to France, all while serving four different presidents across six decades. Yet his marriage into the Kennedy clan threatens to overshadow every achievement. Scott Stossel gained complete access to Shriver and his family to tell this story. The book reveals how one man's vision and ability to motivate others created lasting institutions that changed American society. At its heart, this is the story of an indomitable spirit who survived the Depression, World War II, and the Kennedy family machine.
Genres: history, 20th-century, political-science, biography-memoir, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-obligations, public-service
Period: 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s
704 pages · Hardcover · Smithsonian Books