Robert Kennedy

Ray Porter's authoritative voice is well suited to Thomas's meticulously researched biography. The listener meets the young RFK, a sensitive boy largely ignored by his powerful father. Thomas doesn't gloss over the truth--as a teenager, RFK was angry. He had few close friends; his grades were poor. While RFK eventually found his place as his brother's keeper and, later, a political force in his own right, he understood disenfranchisement and felt driven to fight for social reform. Thomas shows us Robert Kennedy in all his complexity--as family man, ruthless adversary, champion of the poor, idealist. In sync with Thomas's text, Porter's narration is simultaneously matter-of-fact and reverent. For Kennedy fans and political history buffs, this biography delivers. D.J.P. (c) AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine

September 4, 2000
Thomas has made a career writing about Washington insiders (he was co-author, with Walter Isaacson, of The Wise Men). A high-ranking editor at Newsweek, Thomas (an insider himself) has now written a nuanced biography of one of the 20th century's most iconic insiders. Although there are no startling revelations in this capably written, thick book, there is a lot of new information, thanks to the increasing openness of Kennedy's surviving colleagues and the new availability of oral histories, RFK's personal files, declassified national security documents and other sources. As a result, Thomas offers an illumination of the man's failings as well as his strengths, and unravels the complex knot of relationships within the Kennedy family. Portraying RFK as a man whose "house had many mansions," Thomas calls him "the lucky one"--he was raised in the shadow of his brothers, and his passion-filled life shined a light into "the family cave" of secrets. Throughout, Thomas highlights the contradictions of Kennedy's persona--he was an extraordinarily wealthy individual who could act spoiled one day, then express empathy with the have-nots on the next; he was a devoted, sometimes around-the-clock protector of his often wayward older brother, John, but still established his own career; he was shy but sought out publicity; and he was an enthusiastic family man who ran for the presidency despite its obvious risks. Though primarily a tribute to a man whose potential for greatness was cut short, Thomas's book sheds new light on a man--and an era, and a family--about whom Americans will probably never know the whole truth.

Starred review from April 1, 2007
The presidency of Robert Kennedy remains one of the greatest "What Ifs" of contemporary political society. What kind of nation would we have today if Kennedy's life had not been cut short by an assassin's bullet? Thomas's large, comprehensive biography of this complicated man is refreshingly unbiased. RFK is presented as a person, not an icon, and his faults are covered just as thoroughly as his virtues. Growing up in a family that prized public accomplishments over personal happiness, Kennedy was the often ignored "third son," the boy who vainly tried to win his father's love while living in the shadows of Joseph Jr. and John. Throughout his life and political career, he had to try a little harder to show that he was not just JFK's little brother; as a result, he was often too intense, too quick to make decisions, too determined to prove himself equal in every way. Ray Porter reads with the precision that comes from his training at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival as well as from many TV and movie performances. In light of the public's fascination with Robert Kennedy, this audiobook is highly recommended for academic and public libraries.Joseph L. Carlson, Allan Hancock Coll., Lompoc, CA

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.