"Celebrated historian David Nasaw brings to life the story of Joseph Patrick Kennedy, in this, the first and only biography based on unrestricted and exclusive access to the Joseph P. Kennedy papers."--

Describes the life of the Kennedy family matriarch using information culled from her newly-made-public diaries and letters from defying her father's wishes and marrying Joseph Kennedy through the crushing tragedies that seem to plague her extensive family.

Presents a portrait of Senator Robert Kennedy's son that discusses his reputation as a crusading environmental activist and lawyer, his drug and sex addictions, and the tragic suicide of his second wife.

The Kennedys endure as American icons because of the mix between power and vulnerability that so many of them embodied. Our fascination and connection to them comes most strongly through the wives, whose pain, heartbreak, and grief seemed immensely public and lonely and personal at the same time. The Tragic Lives of the Kennedy Wives examines five of the Kennedy matriarchs: Rose, Jackie, Ethel, Joan, and Vicki through the lens of their marriages,...

A coming-of-age memoir by a young woman who was Jackie Kennedy's personal assistant and sometime nanny for thirteen years describes her witness to significant historical events and the lessons about life and love she learned from the beloved First Lady.

"Joe and Rose Kennedy's strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. Yet Rosemary was intellectually disabled, a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family. In [this book, the author], Kate Clifford Larson uses newly uncovered sources to bring Rosemary Kennedy's story to light. Young Rosemary comes alive...

"Filled with a wealth of revealing new material and insight, the biography of the vivacious, unconventional--and nearly forgotten--young Kennedy sister who charmed American society and the English aristocracy and would break with her family for love."--Provided by publisher. Encouraged to be "winners" from a young age, Rose and Joe Kennedy's children were an ebullient group of overachievers, but the fourth Kennedy child, the irrepressible Kathleen,...

"Based on genealogical breakthroughs and previously unreleased records, this is the first book to explore the inspiring story of the poor Irish refugee couple who escaped famine, created a life together in a city hostile to Irish, immigrants, and Catholics, and launched the Kennedy dynasty in America. Their Irish ancestry was a hallmark of the Kennedys' initial political profile, as JFK leveraged his working-class roots to connect with blue-collar...

Examines the life of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, covering her Stanford education, her inspirational relationship with her sister Rosemary, her advocacy on behalf of disabled citizens, and her role as founder of the Special Olympics. "While Joe Kennedy was grooming his sons for the White House and the Senate, his Stanford-educated daughter, Eunice was hijacking her father's fortune and her brothers' political power to engineer one of the great civil rights...