First published 2020
The Kennedys built their legend on charisma, ambition, and public service that spanned multiple generations. Patterson traces how this Irish Catholic family rose to become American royalty, producing presidents, senators, and cultural icons. Yet their story carries equal measures of triumph and tragedy. Assassinations cut down promising leaders. Fatal accidents claimed young lives. Substance abuse and scandals shadowed their achievements. Patterson examines how each generation faced the weight of expectation and the pull of self-destruction. He reveals a family that embodied both the American dream and its dark underside. The Kennedys remain paradoxical figures who fascinate and perplex observers worldwide. They achieved extraordinary political success while battling personal demons that became public spectacles. This account explores how fame, power, and tragedy intertwined to create a legacy that continues to captivate America's imagination.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, biography-memoir, 21st-century, kennedy-family, american-history
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: family-secrets, tragedy
Setting: United States
Period: 20th Century, 21st Century
432 pages · Hardcover · Little, Brown and Company
Content warnings: death