by Edward Klein
First published 2009
Edward Klein examines the complex life of Ted Kennedy, the senator who lived long enough to fulfill promises his assassinated brothers could not. Klein draws on original research and access to Kennedy's associates, friends, and family to explore the contradictions that defined the longest-serving Kennedy. The biography reveals why Caroline Kennedy withdrew from the New York Senate race at Ted's urging, how Kennedy ended his longest romantic relationship to marry Victoria Reggie, and what happened during private meetings between Kennedy and Mary Jo Kopechne's parents after Chappaquiddick. Klein portrays Kennedy's transformation from destructive thrill seeker to respected lawmaker, his influence on progressive legislation spanning health care to civil rights, and his personal struggles including his troubled marriage to Joan. The book examines Kennedy's late-life redemption and the feuds likely to emerge over his fortune and political legacy.
Genres: biography, history, 20th-century, american, political-science, biography-memoir, 21st-century, kennedy-family
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: redemption-arc
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
272 pages · Hardcover · Crown Archetype