The Kennedys at War

March 11, 2002
Veteran biographer and historian Renehan (The Lion's Pride,
etc.) presents a well-written, well-researched account of the Kennedys in the years leading up to and during WWII. Renehan begins with the ambitious patriarch, Joseph Kennedy, Sr., his ambiguous relationship with President Franklin Roosevelt and his disastrous turn as ambassador to Great Britain. Kennedy's fervent isolationist views, combined with both anti-Semitic and pro-fascist leanings, made him an ardent supporter of Neville Chamberlain's disastrously failed policy of appeasement. Not long after WWII broke out, the ambassador resigned, to FDR's relief. Rehehan is most revealing on the way the sinking of son JFK's boat, the fabled PT 109,
was turned from a disaster into a public relations triumph: initially, JFK was to be blamed for not noticing advancing enemy vessels, one of which rammed his boat, and Gen. Douglas MacArthur "is supposed to have said that Jack should have been court-martialed." However, molded by sympathetic journalists like the New Yorker's John Hersey, the PT 109
saga benefited from early public relations "spin" and boosted JFK's later political career. JFK's brother Joe Jr., the family's heir apparent, was killed in 1944 during a mission over France. Tragedy struck the family again when sister Kathleen's new husband was killed fighting in Belgium. Renehan argues quite convincingly that the war was the transformative experience of young JFK's life, and set the tone for both the triumphs and tragedies that would mark the family for the rest of the century. This is a worthy installment in the always-popular Kennedy saga. (Apr.)Forecast:A Broadway Books paperback is already scheduled for 2003 for this BOMC and History Book Club featured selection. Expect very strong sales among Kennedy watchers, a considerable contingent.

April 15, 2002
Biographies of the Kennedy clan have become their own category of niche publishing. This latest entry begins with Joseph Kennedy's stint as ambassador to Great Britain and continues through World War II. An unrepentant isolationist, Kennedy tried to keep both England and America out of the war. He failed, of course, and to his utter despair, his worst fear was realized: his eldest son, Joe Jr., was killed in the war, and Jack, next eldest, narrowly escaped the same fate. Other family members are not forgotten in the narrative, especially daughter Kathleen, who married a Protestant scion amidst much familial turmoil. An engaging and forthright biographer, Renehan is not afraid to state his opinion about his subjects. The reputation of Kennedy Sr. as an anti-Semite is well known, but Renehan paints him as particularly callous about the fate of European Jewry. Joe Jr and Jack don't fare much better in that regard, but Renehan argues persuasively that Jack grew in unexpected ways from his war experiences, paving his way to the presidency. A fine addition to the Kennedy canon.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2002, American Library Association.)