(2) I loved this book! I am not sure why it does not seem to be more popular on LT. Long-listed for the National non-fiction book award 2022. I am not always a big biography reader, but I am from Massachusetts and grew up with Kennedy as our senator. My parents were Kennedy Democrats and my city was full of working class Irish/Italian immigrants flowing out from South Boston. I named my son Edward, and we call him Teddy - in homage to Massachusetts - my grandfather, Ted Williams, and Ted Kennedy - so of course I would read this...

I am amazed at how many things that are commonplace now such as HIPPA, CHIP, chain immigration had Kennedy's imprint on them. In addition, he was key in brokering peace in Northern Ireland and ending the Vietnam War. Amazing that senators actually worked across party lines in my lifetime. What a great senator he was. I completely remember like it was yesterday his showing up to vote on healthcare legislation while dying of brain cancer, JFK, Jrs plane crash, the skiing death of RFK's son, the Palm Beach trial of William Kennedy Smith. Of course what I don't remember is Chappaquidick, but felt its ghost in the whispered conversations of my elders. .. and read Joyce Carol Oates 'Black Water,' -- masterful.

Anyway, I read this voraciously for some reason. Whether it is a feeling of personal connection; whether it was because it was so well-written; so compelling -- I don't know. I just know I liked it and it was incredibly interesting to have some perspective on US events through the Bush and Clinton years. The reflective hindsight of an intelligent well informed author really helped me see things I lived through in a historical context that I found essentially 'unputdownable.' This seems weird for non-fiction biography for me. Not my usual response.

I miss Teddy with all his flaws despite the fact that I haven't lived in Mass. for most of my adult life. I have empathy, respect, and admiration for him despite his flaws. Great and fascinating reading for light-weight non-fiction readers like myself. Reads more like narrative and while long acknowledgments and sourcing - no footnotes or other distracting academia. Bravo! RIP John, Robert, and Teddy. ( )