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Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 1,423 ratings · 285 reviews

“What was he like?”Jack Kennedy said the reason people read biography is to answer that basic question. With the verve of a novelist, Chris Matthews gives us just that. We see this most beloved president in the company of friends. We see and feel him close-up, having fun and giving off that restlessness of his. We watch him navigate his life from privileged, rebellious you...more

Hardcover, 479 pages

Published November 1st 2011 by Simon & Schuster (first published 2011)

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Dec 06, 2011 John Kelley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Here is my overall review:

I just finished reading Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero. There is a deep lump in my throat. Chris Matthews captured in his book what has been missing in so many other books about Jack Kennedy - his soul. Maybe it is my empathy with Chris Matthews world. Forty years ago I was involved in doing graduate research on JFK; moving through the sources; interviewing Dave Powers; reading every single article and every single word Kennedy uttered. This was nearly 10 years after I saw...more

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Jan 30, 2012 Fergie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chris Matthews' mind, razor sharp and astute in his political assessments, found its way to dissect the question of what draws Americans, to this day, to the compelling charm of JFK. Heroes, by their nature, if they are to be compelling, should be complex and flawed. What has always pulled me toward considering Jack Kennedy a hero in spite of his personal shortcomings was his complete grasp of history...his willingness to admit and learn from mistakes...a determination to fight for the common m...more Chris Matthews' mind, razor sharp and astute in his political assessments, found its way to dissect the question of what draws Americans, to this day, to the compelling charm of JFK. Heroes, by their nature, if they are to be compelling, should be complex and flawed. What has always pulled me toward considering Jack Kennedy a hero in spite of his personal shortcomings was his complete grasp of history...his willingness to admit and learn from mistakes...a determination to fight for the common man in spite of his own, less than common upbringing...along with the cool, detached and steady manner in which he chose to lead. Without the failure of The Bay of Pigs, for example, the world may have very well met its end. When every military and political leader (including his 1960 Presidential competitor, Richard Nixon) were pushing for a military strike on Castro in spite of the indications that it would lead to a nuclear war, it was Kennedy, having learned from his earlier mistakes in Cuba, who kept a level head and stayed the steady course, thereby averting nuclear and world destruction.
At the dawn of a new decade, the tumultuous 1960's, America found a young, vibrant leader who inspired a nation to look to the stars for its sense of mission, accomplishment and pride. He envisioned a world of peace, calling on his nation's youth to, through their own actions, make the world a better place. He understood the moral implications and weight of his office, choosing to take, head on, the Civil Right issues of his time.
In trying to answer the question of JFK's legacy, Matthews uses a story to aptly justify his almost "hero worship" of JFK: In July of 1969, a fellow Peace Corp volunteer in Africa chose to look to the sky with the local villagers. There he saw his country's first flight to the moon. Matthews, in the telling of this story, aptly answers the question through the connection it shows in Kennedy's creation of both the Peace Corp for the world and Space flight for America.
Perhaps JFK advisor, Ted Sorensen said it best, summing up why Kennedy remains one of my favorite Presidents along with Lincoln and FDR when he spoke to the issue of JFK's legacy while, at the same time, providing a moral verdict:
"An American President, commander in chief of the world's greatest military power, who during his presidency did not send one combat troop division abroad or drop one bomb who used his presidency to break down the barriers of religious and racial equality and harmony in this country and to reach out to the victims of poverty and repression, who encouraged Americans to serve their communities and to love their neighbors regardless of the color of their skin, who waged war not on smaller nations but on poverty and illiteracy and mental illness in his own country and who restored the appeal of politics for the young and sent Peace Corps volunteers overseas to work with the poor and untrained in other countries -- was in my book a moral president, regardless of his personal misconduct." Because of these facts...the intertwined aspects of both his private and political life, Chris Matthews, I feel, has aptly named his book, "Jack Kennedy...Elusive Hero".(less)

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Feb 08, 2013 Ralph Hermansen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Chris Matthew seems very proud of his new book. I know this because I have watched his TV show "Hardball" for years and I can sense a new excitement and personal pride when he talks about his new book. Having read it, I can see why he is so pleased with his creation. The book is easy to read, It moves along at a crisp pace. Moreover, I learned things about JFK that I didn't know before. For one, I knew JFK had medical problems, but I never realized how severe they were. It is amazing that someon...more Chris Matthew seems very proud of his new book. I know this because I have watched his TV show "Hardball" for years and I can sense a new excitement and personal pride when he talks about his new book. Having read it, I can see why he is so pleased with his creation. The book is easy to read, It moves along at a crisp pace. Moreover, I learned things about JFK that I didn't know before. For one, I knew JFK had medical problems, but I never realized how severe they were. It is amazing that someone so sick and in chronic pain accomplished what he did. Also, I knew he was a hero in WWII, but the leadership, courage, and grit he showed were extraordinary. Matthews puts you in the battle and has you live the experience. JFK was not only brave but he was highly intelligent. From seeing him on TV, I knew that Jack Kennedy was sharp-witted. He routinely began answering reporter's questions before they finishing asking them. However, I never knew how scholarly he really was. His numerous bed-ridden sick days were not idle times for him. He was reading and thinking about what he learned. He was interested in world events from a young age. He was writing academic books early on. Chris Matthews must have done intense research to know all he tells about the inner workings of the Kennedy Dynasty. I had always assumed JFK was highly in sync with his rich and powerful father. We know that his dad funded part of the 1960 presidential campaign. However, Matthews says Jack was not intimidated by his father; quite the contrary. He was often 180 degrees out from his father on big issues. That independent spirit and faith in his own judgement served our country well during the Cuban missile crisis. JFK stood up to the military brass, who egged him on towards a showdown with the USSR. JFK saw the insanity in what they were advocating and acted wisely and independently to avoid a global nuclear war. Matthews doesn't omit the promiscuous side of JFK from the book, but he doesn't pass judgement either. I understand why he skipped over it lightly. The theme of the book is about JFK's heroism. Hey Chris, in case you are reading this book review, I remember how you crucified Bill Clinton on Hardball. Day after day, he pounded Clinton for what seemed to me to be nobody's business. JFK had hundreds of different women from what I have read. I can see why Clinton felt it was highly unfair. Do I recommend the book? Of course. Enjoy!
Ralph Hermansen December 22, 2011 (less)

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Dec 26, 2012 Carl Brush rated it 4 of 5 stars

Whatever your politics, if you’ve watched Chris Matthews on his “Hardball” TV show, you can’t fail to be impressed with his breezy, energetic delivery and his erudition about issues of the day. He writes just like he talks, and every page of Jack Kennedy resounds with his voice.
This is not an objective, or even an exhaustive biography. One might argue that you could learn as much about Kennedy from Caro’s deep-plunging biography of LBJ as from Jack Kennedy. However, it is a wide-ranging look at...more Whatever your politics, if you’ve watched Chris Matthews on his “Hardball” TV show, you can’t fail to be impressed with his breezy, energetic delivery and his erudition about issues of the day. He writes just like he talks, and every page of Jack Kennedy resounds with his voice.
This is not an objective, or even an exhaustive biography. One might argue that you could learn as much about Kennedy from Caro’s deep-plunging biography of LBJ as from Jack Kennedy. However, it is a wide-ranging look at a life of one of the most important political—and cultural—figures in American history from the pen of an enthusiastic admirer who is not afraid to look squarely at the invisible moles beneath the charming visage.
Matthews starts at the beginning and traces JFK’s development through his lonely, sickly childhood (Matthews never mentions it, but the situation begs comparison with growing up of Teddy Roosevelt.), through the familiar story of PT 109 and on to the presidency. We see a boy and man determined to prove himself against the odds. First, for his parents’ attention in the shadow of a favored older brother, then against pain and adversity in war, and finally against the political and religious establishment to become the ambitious officeholder who would be president. The pain followed him always—the back and the gut were always weak. He was given last rites three times. He didn’t survive the fourth, of course.
Matthews takes JFK to Dallas, but wisely skips the details of the assassination. Instead he jumps ahead to Jackie’s interview with Theodore White a few days after, in which she invokes the image of Camelot as an apt description for her late husband’s legacy. The aftermath becomes more poignant than any repetition of the event could possibly have been.
I came away from this book in some ways more admiring of Kennedy than ever, particularly for his refusal to bomb and invade Cuba during that missile crisis. However, I lost respect for him as a man. His philandering was legendary and has always been a spot of tarnish on his trophy, but I never before realized its magnitude.
After his election to the Senate, for example, he took off with his buddies for a Cote d’Azul cruise. Jackie was eight months pregnant. She went into early labor and was delivered of a stillborn by cesarean. He wasn’t present. As he often wasn’t present.
Aides tell stories of his simply ignoring her at important events to the extent that she’d just leave without his noticing her exit. He and his buddies would go on periodic “girling” expeditions. Even allowing for standards of the day or for both Jackie and Jack’s parental backgrounds preparing them for such behavior, it’s behavior to be despised. And, though there’s a nasty and salacious component to the public’s hunger for exposure of private lives, I would have welcomed a little more willingness on the part of the press to print what they certainly knew.
Whatever you know or don’t know about JFK, Chris Matthews gives you a fresh and entertaining look.
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May 03, 2012 Kaye rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

You know from the title that Chris Matthews is going to write about a personal hero. But I was surprised at how thoughtful and readable this was. I have read several other biographies of Kennedy and yet I still learned to things. I enjoyed getting to know Kennedy as a leader in WWII. Also Mathews spends a lot more time on the campaigns then on the marriage to Jackie. The setting up of grassroots campaigns for senate and later for the presidency are of particular interest to Mathews. He loves the...more

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Jan 21, 2012 Polly rated it 3 of 5 stars

We people from Massachusetts think we know all about the Kennedys: bootlegging dad, mum as daughter of Mayor Honey Fitz, the daughter who had shock treatments, Joe Jr. killed in WWII, Bobby's civil rights work and sad end, Chappaquiddick, and, of course, all about Jack and Jackie. Well, some of us were wrong.

This book goes over territory that should be largely familiar, but brought to this Massachusetts resident lots of new telling details.

Such as:
- Joe Sr. didn't force JFK into politics; Jack...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Stephen rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

There are stories foretold and stories that have been told.

"Jack Kennedy: Elusive Hero" falls into the latter category.

It's all here, the way the Kennedys built a political party within a political party, the vaunted "glamour" of the young couple, the Cuban missile crisis, the Berlin airlift, the confrontation with southern governors over desegregation of the universities down there...

Hardballer Chris Matthews said on Bill Maher's show that he wrote the book largely because he felt time had so...more

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Jan 17, 2012 Gary Land rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. It is not a full, definitive biography but rather an informal portrait that attempts, with considerable success, to get inside the mind and spirit of JFK. Matthews, a fellow Irish Catholic, places considerable emphasis on the role of both elements in American politics and Kennedt's career. Probably, the most surprising revelation is the apparent genuiness of Kennedy's religious belief, despite his notorious personal behavior. Matthews does not say so, but this seeming...more

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Dec 12, 2011 Shawn Bowen rated it 4 of 5 stars

In a display of powerful biographical literature, Chris Matthews is able to explore the question, "What was Jack Kennedy really like?" Beginning with Jack as a child striving to live up to the expectations of his over ambitious father, Joe Sr., and working its way through his political life and into the White House, this book gives the reader a clear window into not only the public side of Jack, but even more interesting, the private side.

Throughout the book, the direct quotes from friends an...more

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Nov 27, 2011 Irving Koppel rated it 5 of 5 stars

Chris Matthews has written an exciting,well-written,informative study of JFK's life. Most of us
have thought that there was no more to write;however,Matthews brings us such new information as how
dependent Jack was on a circle of close friends. He tells us that Rose was very chilly towards Jack.
The fact that Jack was given the last rites of the Catholic Church at least three times before he was
assassinated because he had been that near death. We never knew just how frail he was.He had a very bad...more

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Nov 08, 2011 Vivian Valvano rated it 4 of 5 stars

A very worthwhile addition to the trove of books on JFK. I like the way Matthews used material available through the Oral History Project at the Kennedy Library as well as interviews with everyone he could find that was part of Kennedy's life and career. I like the way he blended such excellent reporting with careful research via the body of published materials and archived materials at so many different places and some hard to find written sources. I like the way he did not hesitate to express...more A very worthwhile addition to the trove of books on JFK. I like the way Matthews used material available through the Oral History Project at the Kennedy Library as well as interviews with everyone he could find that was part of Kennedy's life and career. I like the way he blended such excellent reporting with careful research via the body of published materials and archived materials at so many different places and some hard to find written sources. I like the way he did not hesitate to express his admiration for JFK as a President, particularly his emphasis on the lessons the president learned from the Bay of Pigs fiasco and the importance of his handling of the Cuban Missile Crisis - which cannot be overestimated. I like the way he covered Kennedy's record on Civil Rights and on Vietnam, and I like his analysis of Kennedy's most important speeches. I like the way, despite his abundant admiration and even designation of JFK as a heroic figure, Matthews did not hesitate to emphasize the seriousness of negative aspects, particularly Kennnedy's blatant womanizing and the covering up of his medical condition. What emerges most forcefully here, more than in the more traditional biographies written by the historians (I believe I have read them all) is the complexity of character that the man possessed, the image of his not being entirely knowable. "Elusive" is an adjective that Matthews borrowed from Jacqueline, and it seems to be a wise one, in my opinion. And I have no problem with "hero," either, despite the disappointment attendant to the negative aspects that I do not in any way excuse. Four stars instead of five: no one can completely capture JFK, and this country is the lesser for the fact that he himself did not get to compose his own autobiography. (I will always believe that this country is the lesser for his having been murdered. We lost something. I will go to my grave believing that things would not have gotten as shitty as they did. But I digress.) Matthews did good work here.(less)

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Jan 07, 2013 Josh rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: politics

Firstly, the book amazed me with the details of the depth of illness and ailment that JFK faced throughout his life, and how his early life was spent mostly reading books about figures of history from hospital beds. How fitting, then, that he grew up to also become a figure of history with thousands of books written about his own life.

It covers in depth the three times JFK nearly died in the hospital, including having had the "last rites" read by a priest. After a poor surgery in 1954, a doctor...more Firstly, the book amazed me with the details of the depth of illness and ailment that JFK faced throughout his life, and how his early life was spent mostly reading books about figures of history from hospital beds. How fitting, then, that he grew up to also become a figure of history with thousands of books written about his own life.

It covers in depth the three times JFK nearly died in the hospital, including having had the "last rites" read by a priest. After a poor surgery in 1954, a doctor was certain he was going to die. When he woke up the next day, the doctor said he "did not know where he gets his strength from".

The part that will stay with me most, however, is how much he came to trust his own, and by extension the American people's, judgement in preventing the Cuban missile crisis from escalating into full-blown nuclear catastrophe. His military advisors were strongly in favor of swift attack and against the blockade idea, but he, a citizen first, and deeply repulsed at the idea of putting "70 million" to their death, pushed for another way, one that ultimately worked.

As mixed up as the world still is, it is awful to imagine what that nuclear exchange would have done. His meetings with Khruschev left him feeling mortified at the seeming indifference to the idea that 70 million would quickly die in such an exchange, and only strengthened his resolve. Perhaps as important, was a speech he gave that lauded the Russian people, as a nation, for their common human goals with Americans, and for their scientific and cultural achievements -- and for the fact that, as he put it their shared aversion to war and to the fact that, as he put it "nearly unique among world powers", having never been at war against each other.

Another interesting point was that, having done this, having prevented the war, he cemented his place within history, next to the heroes of the past he had read about.

In another foreshadowing, the book tells of a time when JFK said that he did not worry about his life, that it was the job of the Secret Service to do so, and that, besides, there had not been an assassination in 50 years.

I was not born until 14 years after he was killed, so my only knowledge of that time is from books, photos, and film, but it is difficult not to still feel the impact of that day, nearly 50 years later.

There is much more I could say, but you can read or listen to it and judge for yourself.(less)

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Jul 11, 2012 Misterd11 rated it 4 of 5 stars

Matthews' thesis is that, whatever else you may think about JFK, he saved the world from the brink of nuclear war in the fall of 1962. He not only stared down Krushchev over the Soviet missles in Cuba, but he stared down Gen Lemay & the other chiefs of staff who were hot to make a preemptive strike on the USSR. JFK was not a perfect man - he did not have a great presidency - he was not King Arthur at Camelot - but he by God had his shining moment of heroism.

I first learned about this book wh...more

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Jan 18, 2012 Jenn Chalifoux rated it 5 of 5 stars

My father took this book out from the library when I came home for sophomore year's winter break. "It's new," he said, placing it on the kitchen counter. "I thought you'd want to read it."

It's no secret among family and friends that the Kennedys inspire me to see the compassion and wonder in politics that I so often forget is there. Until I read this book, however, it was always Bobby who I respected the most as a politician and a man, someone committed to truth and equality at home and abroad,...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Heidi rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bio-memoir, read-2012

Yes, there were a couple historical inaccuracies which many Americans woud know, such as Robert Kennedy's middle name. Those errors do not take away from the fact that this book gives great insight into the life of Jack Kennedy. Chris Matthews had the inside track on research for the book from his days as an aide to Former House Speaker Tip O'Neill and his work in the news media gave him access to many people who worked with Kennedy. The book reads almost like a novel, detailing both personal an...more

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Dec 28, 2011 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

It is a good book and I did learn some things from it about JFK and the overall Kennedy "Machine". What I took away from it was that JFK helped to create modern political campaigning and what he was able to accomplish in his life with the physical infirmities he had was impressive. I wonder now if he would have accomplished even more had he not had the physical issues such as Addison’s Disease, the degenerative back, and all of the childhood diseases that kept him bedridden for weeks at a time a...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Larraine rated it 5 of 5 stars

I was 14 yrs old when John F. Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic elected as President of the United States. I was 17 and a junior in high school when he was assassinated. My father, a WWII veteran, was enthusiastic about Kennedy's candidacy although he kept on telling me that he wasn't going to win. Everyone I knew pretty much was enthusiastic about Kennedy.

Of course I lived in something of a bubble: a working class row house neighborhood in Northeast Philly where you were, for the most pa...more I was 14 yrs old when John F. Kennedy became the first Roman Catholic elected as President of the United States. I was 17 and a junior in high school when he was assassinated. My father, a WWII veteran, was enthusiastic about Kennedy's candidacy although he kept on telling me that he wasn't going to win. Everyone I knew pretty much was enthusiastic about Kennedy.

Of course I lived in something of a bubble: a working class row house neighborhood in Northeast Philly where you were, for the most part, either Catholic or Jewish. Most of the kids I knew went to our local Catholic school. It was expected that we would go on to the local Catholic high school.

Chris Matthews is a few years younger than I and comes from a more affluent background. His father was a Republican and white collar worker. Mine was a Democrat through and through and blue collar all of the way.Chris Matthews came from a more affluent neighborhood - Somerton - which seemed so very far away.

I lived in a slightly grittier neighborhood called Mayfair. Not that it was very gritty actually. Keep in mind that this was a different time. There were no gangs roaming the streets in my neighborhood. It wasn't until I was an adult that there was much of anything but Whites in our neighborhood. Philly was a highly segregated city like so many other cities. Matthews was a little boy when Kennedy was running so he was for Nixon.

My family was never for Nixon. My father and mother despised him. What Jack Kennedy was to my parents was a fresh face, their own age, a Democrat, not as liberal as Roosevelt, but certainly more acceptable to them than Eisenhower. My father had no respect for Eisenhower partly because he was in the Pacific Theatre during WWII and was a fan of Douglas McArthur and partly because he didn't like Republicans at all.

I grew up in that kind of home. I still don't much like Republicans at all. So I admit to some bias here! I watch Chris Matthews on Hardball pretty regularly. I like his style, and I enjoy the fact that he doesn't pussyfoot around with some of the conservative crazies out there. At the same time, though, he is still respectful - something that is lacking in a lot of the conservative commentators right now. He is a practicing Catholic. I am not. However, he is not afraid to go after the pedophiles either.

Having said all this, I have to tell you that I have some bias here when it comes to JFK. He is my hero - a flawed hero, but still a hero. He wasn't perfect. I wouldn't have agreed with everything he said or did or believed. He was friends with Richard Nixon for one thing!

Matthews makes the case for JFK and why he ranks as one of the important presidents despite his short tenure. I have read that he didn't accomplish anything. That's simply not true. His signature achievement was a nuclear test ban. He took us from the brink of war with the then Soviet Union without firing a shot - with the hard work of diplomacy and statesmanship.

He got the space program moving although he didn't get to see us land on the moon. He loved technology. He would have been right at home with today's technology. I believe he would have embraced it. The Peace Corps was his idea and it endures today.

As I finished the book last night, I thought about those tumultuous years that followed his death. Vietnam, Nixon, Carter, Reagan. I believe things would have been VERY different if he had lived to fulfill two terms. The book brought back a lot of memories and also taught me a lot about those times when I was a little girl and not aware of the world outside my own neighborhood and family.

This book is a fascinating look at an interesting and complex man - one who could love his wife and still have a multitude of affairs, who could leave her behind when she was suffering a miscarriage. Then he stays by her bedside and talks about the baby who died after only a few days of life and weeps in private. When Kennedy died, I was a junior in high school attending a large Catholic girls' high school in Northeast Philadelphia. As we left for the day, there was total silence. I still remember seeing the wet eyes of my classmates. He meant a lot to us. For me he still resonates.

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Apr 28, 2013 Nancy rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This is not an extensive or unbiased account of JFK’s life and legacy. It’s clear from the title “Jack Kennedy, Elusive Hero,” that the author greatly admired Kennedy and intended in this biography to explain why. He did that, but he also discussed Kennedy’s character flaws such as his emotional coldness, womanizing, and fierce personal, ruthless ambition. That amount of objectivity surprised and pleased me.

As a young woman, I lived through the Cold War, the Kennedy Presidency, the assassination...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Diana rated it 3 of 5 stars

So much of what people know today about President John Kennedy is mythical. This book attempts to
tell us a true story about this man. Chris Matthews wanted to give a real picture of him before the people who knew him best were all gone. Matthews tells the story from Kennedy's birth into a wealthy family to his untimely death at age 46. The family of President Kennedy had been involved in politics for years, but politics is not all. They made their money from illegal booze.
Matthews does not suga...more

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Apr 06, 2012 Billy rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was left on my chair at work by a co-worker; I happened to be right in between books so I started, partially to be polite. Scoffed at some of the redundancies (both minor, in the form of repeated phrasings just pages from each other, and major, as in the superfluousness of basically anything JFK-related at this point, including a biography written by a loudmouthed TV personality [I did get to make the joke a few times that it was written in all caps] and its drawing heavily on existing seco...more

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Aug 13, 2012 Kelly Johnston rated it 5 of 5 stars

For those who have read extensively about JFK, this book may not be as wonderful as it was for me. Chris Matthews tells about the life of JFK with facts, emotion and a respect for history. I was impressed though disturbed by the information about his relationship with Jackie, and his mother, and other women, though this isn't what I would call an expose. You just can't write about JFK without mentioning this feature of his life. But he also held very close many old friends, and seemed scared to...more

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Jan 11, 2012 JoEllen rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was written for us, the kids that remember when this life ended; our parents and aunts and uncles and grandparents leaking tears in the kitchen as they talked in quiet, secret tones. Do you remember the bomb drills in elementary school? Remember hiding under your desk, or going out to the hall and huddling up against the lockers? This book is for you. It's Kennedy, the guy. Some of it's not pretty. YAY. I'm not looking for the pretty boy. I'm looking for the rest of it. It's in here. E...more

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Nov 13, 2011 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've never been a huge JFK fan. I guess that just knowing so much of the behind the scenes realities of his life, that it is hard to put myself in the position of those Americans of the early 1960s who saw him as such a figure of hope, optimism, and change. I really have no idea what he accomplished in his three years to be viewed as a top 10 president in more than one historical ranking.

If you've ever listened to Chris Matthews to any extent, you know about his Bill Clinton-esque hero worship o...more

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Dec 30, 2012 Joe rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: politics

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. As a frequent viewer of "Hardball", I expected Chris Matthews's biography of our 35th President to be one of hero worship. Matthews often harkens the legacy of JFK on his program and it's no shock that he eventually would write a book on the man.

But I was a bit wrong, sure there is a lot of optimism regarding Kennedy in the book but plenty of Kennedy's faults are on display. His, at times, cruel ignoring of his wife Jackie and his continued womanizing is often one of the few criticisms often lau...more

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Oct 29, 2012 Hal rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have read a great deal on John Kennedy for two reasons. One being he was one of the most interesting figures of the 20th century. Two because there is so much written about him. Chris Matthews well known for his reverence of the man pretty much devotes the entire book to reinforce this. So we see a picture of the man painted in this perspective. Bare mention is made of the darker side of his nature but then again there is a lot out there available on that side. The tragedy of losing such a cap...more

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Aug 02, 2012 Bobbi rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

An excellent biography by Chris Matthews. I knew that Matthews has always admired John Kennedy and assumed this biography would paint a very glowing picture. So I was surprised at the profile of the young man who would do almost anything to get what he wanted. His mother didn't seem to care for him at all and he didn't get along well with his father. He was a sickly and lonely person who could never stand to be alone. While he had lifelong friends, he would shed them like a coat if they displeas...more

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Nov 24, 2012 Mike Carey rated it 3 of 5 stars

Chris Matthews is clearly in awe of Jack Kennedy and the book is much less penetrating that I thought it would be. That being said I think that Matthews did bring out several excellent points -

Kennedy was a master at compartmentalizing and had certain people in his life to fulfill particular purposes. He also was a person who was alone so much as a young boy ( due to his health issues) that he needed people ( lots of different types of people) to engage and entertain himself later in life. He si...more

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Jun 23, 2012 Barbara Figlewicz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Because I love watching MSNBC,love Chris Matthews, and grew up in the Kennedy era in a Catholic household, I rushed to get it and read it when I found out about it. It was particularly interesting as I was reading the conversations Jackie had with Arthur Schlesinger (after Jack's death) at the same time.

This book showed a side of Kennedy we never knew as people who worshiped him. It's clear from this book how shrewd and calculating he was as a politician, and how much of a "game" he had to play...more

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Apr 14, 2012 Gale Jake rated it 3 of 5 stars

Audio. Written by a strong fan boy. Fairly shallow life overview, mostly politics. Written on the very positive side. Some interesting inside details of politics. First hand knowledge from those close to Kennedy that the author knew or knows.

I lived through these times, just completed my Navy stint in 1960 and my first time being legally able to vote, cast it for Kennedy. Camelot was an exciting time. The assassination of Kennedy was one of the most traumatic events of our times, days of innoce...more Audio. Written by a strong fan boy. Fairly shallow life overview, mostly politics. Written on the very positive side. Some interesting inside details of politics. First hand knowledge from those close to Kennedy that the author knew or knows.

I lived through these times, just completed my Navy stint in 1960 and my first time being legally able to vote, cast it for Kennedy. Camelot was an exciting time. The assassination of Kennedy was one of the most traumatic events of our times, days of innocence were over. As with most people who lived through the time I remember first hearing the news when I was on a customer visit in Seattle, I returned to a grief stricken office and we closed up and went home to suffer. Tragic!

Like 9/11 it reduced our freedom, restrictions tightened. Political incorrectness, security, new laws, methods of protecting the public have resulted from events such as these. Flying commercial has gone from pleasurable to a nightmare with the TSA. Private aircraft have been greatly restricted. I had flown my plane back from Sunriver, Oregon to Portland the day before 9/11, a day later I would have been ordered to land immediately and find another way home. We were all grounded for several weeks, then IFR flying only, and today there are secure areas all over the country that are forbidden airspace. The Kennedy assassination was one of the events that began tightening security and causing infringement of freedom. I guess necessary, but not desirable. Anyway, back to the story. It was well written and very well performed with a lot of emotion.

There was a lot of focus on Kennedy's physical disabilities, bringing to light facts of which I was not aware. Sickly at 13, back problems, Addison's Disease, scarlet fever, hypothyroidism, many medications, constant pain, given the last rites three times. Further research indicates that he was on 9 different medications. Most of this was hidden from the public during his political life. However, his bed-ridden youth resulted in voracious reading of books, especially history. This knowledge certainly was a benefit to him as a leader. The book mentions a few Kennedy affairs with women, but very superficially. Other reports tell of his very high libido and constant affairs. The book infers that his marriage was maybe more of connivence than true love.

The book talked about him, told of episodes of grief and crying in private, but showed him as a bit of a recluse in private. There was no in depth view of or analysis of his personality He certainly inspired me, the nation and the world with his speeches and some of his goals. We felt rudder-less and devastated with him gone. Lyndon Johnson could not fill the emotional gap. Kennedy made quite a few mistakes, the Bay of Pigs being one of the worst, he took it very hard per the book. And the Cuba /US relationship is still seriously broken. I always wonder what his legacy would have been had he lived to 80+.

I would have desired a more objective analysis of Kennedy's life and politics. The book was all about the good side, not much at all about the bad. It was definably written by a Kennedy apologist. Kennedy could do no wrong. Did Kennedy really save the world from nuclear holocaust as the book suggests? Debatable. I'd recommend the book, but it did not compare to many other biographies I've recently read. For example the Steve Jobs bio by Walter Isaacson seemed to me to be more realistic, excellent in my opining. By contrast "The Steve Jobs Way" by Jay Elliot made a hero of Jobs on every page, unrealistic, would not recommend that book. This Kennedy book was similar, but better.

The book began by stating "Why does one read biographies?" The answer "To find out what the person is really like". After hours of listening to the audio of the John Kennedy, Elusive Hero, I did not gain much insight as to what John Kennedy was really like-other than elusive.
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Feb 21, 2012 Glucose Johnny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Some of you may be familiar with my obsession with one Stephen King. After reading 11/22/63, I realized all I knew of John F. Kennedy was the controversy and speculation surrounding his assassination. Steve insisted there was much, much more to the man, so I listened to my little Steve voice and followed him down the rabbit hole.

This is a very well-written and engaging narrative on the life of this "elusive hero" by Chris Matthews of Hardball fame. I call it a narrative because it reads much mor...more

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About Chris Matthews

Christopher "Chris" Matthews is an American news anchor and political commentator, known for his nightly hour-long talk show, Hardball with Chris Matthews, which is televised on the American cable television channel MSNBC. On weekends he hosts the syndicated NBC News-produced panel discussion program, The Chris Matthews Show. Matthews makes frequent appearances on many NBC and MSNBC programs. On M...more

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Books by Chris Matthews

Hardball: How Politics Is Played Told By One Who Knows The Game

Life's a Campaign: What Politics Has Taught Me About Friendship, Rivalry, Reputation, and Success

Now, Let Me Tell You What I Really Think

The Hardball Handbook: How to Win at Life

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“It was his detachment that saved us. Another man would have reacted with force to the Soviet treachery. He would have shared the righteousness of the cause, been stirred to attack by the saber rattling. Jack resisted. He was not moved by the emotion of other around him. He knew his course and stayed to it. Thank God. The boy who had read alone of history's heroes was now safely on of them. He had done it not winning a war, but by averting one far more horrible than any leader in the past could have imagined." - p.373” — 2 people liked it

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