The Kennedy Men audiobook

The title of this book is somewhat misleading. It is ostensibly about all of the Kennedy men, but in reality it is largely about Joe Kennedy Snr and John F. Kennedy, with a healthy side-helping of Bobby and Joe Jnr, but Teddy gets fairly short shrift. And the fact that book ends with JFK's assassination in 1963, despite the fact that Joe Kennedy lived another six years, Bobby another five years and Teddy until 2009, is telling.Bobby and Teddy's lives are very much written as an adjunct of their brother's - the book doesn't mention Teddy's Senate career at all after he has won his seat, and Bobby is only mentioned in his capacity as his brother's Attorney General. It's a shame, because they are both such interesting personalities in their own right, and it would have interesting to have some comparisons drawn between Teddy's early days and his later role at the Lion of the Senate.That said, it's an excellent book, incredibly detailed and well-written, as the nearly thousand pages attest. As a bit of a Kennedy buff, there was little new here for me, but it would serve an excellent introductory biography to the Kennedy men. The level of detail about JFK's injuries and health was certainly impressive - I'm not sure which is more of a miracle, that with such poor health JFK ever managed to serve in WW2, campaign for and serve as a Congressman, Senator and President of the United States, or that he somehow managed to conceal such ill health and project such an image of youth and vitality.

At times there was too much minutia while other topics were completely ignored......absolutely no mention of the space race or his speech which compelled NASA to the moon after his death. I found the Kennedy men to be rather self-absorbed and opinionated, moreso than I had known previously and not a particularly likable lot.

I thought I'd heard it all, but I learned quite a bit about the dark side of what really happened behind closed doors regarding Cuba and Vietnam. I have the book and the audiobook. The audiobook is heavily abridged, which made me unhappy, but it contains excerpts of President Kennedy's words in his own voice.

THE KENNEDY MEN is likely the longest book I've read in 2021. Laurence Leemer traces the lives of the Kennedy Men, ending with President Kennedy's assassination on November 22, 1963. This book was informative, interesting and quite revealing about the Kennedy family. I definitely plan to read the author's book THE KENNEDY WOMEN also.

Author Laurence Leamer provides the reader with a brilliant, detailed and comprehensive history of the Kennedy men. This biographical epic provides valuable insights into each of them. Most valuable is Leamer’s description of the influence on and relationships with his four sons. This is a very long volume of work, but well worth the effort to read from beginning to send.

Long (of necessity) but good read. It gave me a fuller understanding of Joe Sr., who made a fortune but whose real ambition was power and influence, both directly and vicariously through his sons. It is also a reminder that the political forces in play today are not so different from those of the past I recommend the book.

The book is long but informative. I particularly enjoyed learning about Joe and Joe Jr. and their impact on Jack, Bobby, and Ted. The author makes no secret that’s he is enamored with the whole clan, but most readers who take on this epic tale would feel similarly.

A well researched and written book. If you are in to the details of the lives of the Kennedy men, I recommend that you read this book.

Interesting read showing the power of Joseph P and Rose Kennedy in shaping their boys who in turn, shaped the country.

this book is packed with lots of detail. skipped certain sections.

Opens your eyes to the truth of JFK

It’s same to say this is probably the best book not just on the Kennedy’s but also on JFK I’ve read, a lot of info that I had never knew about. Well done.

The limited scope of this book makes it excellent reading. the descriptions of the Bay of Pigs and the Cuban missile crisis are very succinct and clear. There's hardly any mention of the Kennedys' understanding of the civil rights movement., and Edward is given very short shrift. Still, a very good biography.

Very good book, lots of information however a bit fuzzy. Well researched but it reads more like a psychological fiction then historical biography. The author has a lot of symphathy for the Kennedy's and is diminishing some of their sins. Nevertheless it is rather devastating reading for Kennedy's myth.

I really enjoyed the book. I learned a lot of history too. Thank goodness the press had respect for public figures at that time. Some times it's best to only know the good side of people. The only thing that could've made the book better, is if it would have continued with The lives of the last two Kennedy men.

I am reading this book right now. If I didn't have to feed my husband and clean, I probably would be finished with it by now. Very interesting and insightful. I have learned many thing so far, not just about the Kennedy men. I would recommend this to someone who is interested in Kennedy history.