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6th out of 121 books
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13 voters
The Last Campaign: Robert F. Kennedy and 82 Days That Inspired America
The definitive account of Robert Kennedy’s exhilarating and tragic 1968 campaign for president—a revelatory history that is especially resonant now
After John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Robert Kennedy—formerly Jack’s no-holds-barred political warrior—almost lost hope. He was haunted by his brother’s murder, and by the nation’s seeming inabilities to solve its problems of r...more
After John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Robert Kennedy—formerly Jack’s no-holds-barred political warrior—almost lost hope. He was haunted by his brother’s murder, and by the nation’s seeming inabilities to solve its problems of r...more
Hardcover, 336 pages
Published
May 27th 2008
by Henry Holt and Co.
(first published 2008)
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I'd like to write a lengthier review of this book later, after I have an opportunity to meet with my friends to discuss this at our book club (my first ever...apparently I'm all growns up).
Suffice it to say, I did not love this book. In fact, I didn't even like it that much. I felt that most of the book bordered on hero worship, to the point that I could not form an objective opinion about Kennedy's storied '68 campaign.
That said, I ultimately gave "The Last Campaign" three stars rather than 5...more
Suffice it to say, I did not love this book. In fact, I didn't even like it that much. I felt that most of the book bordered on hero worship, to the point that I could not form an objective opinion about Kennedy's storied '68 campaign.
That said, I ultimately gave "The Last Campaign" three stars rather than 5...more
I started reading this with really no knowledge of the events of 1968. But I really enjoyed this read; I frequently found myself reminded of a handful of people whose political opinions I really value because of how balanced, diplomatic, and rational they are. I found myself wondering (and asking those people I was reminded of) how different our country would be if Kennedy had lived to be elected.
Several things struck me most about the politics of Bobby Kennedy:
He was sincere. I truly believe th...more
Several things struck me most about the politics of Bobby Kennedy:
He was sincere. I truly believe th...more
1968: a time it was...
Released at a time that corresponds with both the 40th anniversary of RFK's run and the last presidential election, it make for an engaging read. As Kennedy stated he didn't "...lightly dismiss the dangers and the difficulties...but these are not ordinary times and this is not an ordinary election." True words of the turbulent era. Vietnam was in its 3rd year as far as direct involvement of US combat troops, racial tension and riots continued at home and Americans were look
...more
First, I must say that I am a fan of narrowly scoped biographies. So much more can be learned by focusing on a small, rather specific, event or period of time as opposed to trying to capture a man or woman's entire life into one book.
By focusing on the 82 days between Bobby Kennedy's announcement that he would run for President and the night of his assassination, Clarke was able to show the ebbs and flows of Kennedy's final days. In this book, we are able to see development of campaign. Through...more
By focusing on the 82 days between Bobby Kennedy's announcement that he would run for President and the night of his assassination, Clarke was able to show the ebbs and flows of Kennedy's final days. In this book, we are able to see development of campaign. Through...more
Bobby Kennedy was one of my idols and heroes. I bought this book as soon as it was published, but just got up the courage to read it recently. It strengthens and cements my beliefs that my beloved country would be a very different, and better, place had Bobby become President. Moreover, it elucidates for me, as much as a book possibly can, that he was a tremendously gifted and sincere human being with more empathy and more desire for justice than anyone else that I have known of in the world of...more
Bobby Kennedy is one of my personal and political heroes. I think if he had lived and been elected President, as I think he would have, he had the potential to be a truly great President, one who really cared about the poor man, the black man, the Native Americans on the reservation. He believed in reconciliation and redemption, in accepting collective guilt and collective responsibility. I think America would have been a better place for a Bobby Kennedy Presidency, I really do. And it's the ult...more
Wonderfully detailed book about Robert Kennedy's tragic 1968 campaign. While Clarke's book describes a Robert Kennedy who is fun, intelligent, sympathetic to minorities' causes (particularly African-Americans' fight for civil rights), as well as occasionally cold and solitary, his book nonetheless sometimes veers towards hero-worshiping. I have nothing against Robert Kennedy, in fact I count him amongst my personal heroes, however, despite my favoritism for Kennedy when I started reading this bo...more
If RFK wasn't already my hero, he would be after reading this book. This really was the last "true" campaign and there has never been another 82 days like this in our history. It's a compelling and fascinating journey made all the more poignant by the inevitable ending. Robert Kennedy is one of history's great what "ifs" in life. He brought us hope, and still brings us hope today, but the yearning is still there, and I think it always will be. America missed out on something great-a politician l...more
This was a great book. Because I am old enough to remember what it was like that awful Spring in 1968 when Martin Luther King, Jr. was murdered and then Bobby Kennedy, I really appreciated having these events put into context. RFK's final 3 months were really amazing and, of course, beyond heartbreaking. I was only 9 years but I was enamoured with the man. I was living in San Diego on June 5, 1968 and was listening to the radio, following closely the primary results. I feel asleep with it on, kn...more
This book started out as one of the saddest books I have ever read. I choked back tears a couple times. I have always admired Robert Kennedy in a sort of "on a pedestal" way. This book showed his human side, faults and all. I realize that while he was deeply compasionate about social injustice, he was also a politican. Campaigns, especially those for the highest office in the land, often are laced with the darkest politics, and his campaign was no exception. He was stubborn to a fault and willin...more
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I was born in 1961, so was not old enough to appreciate or understand the role that 1968 would play in our nation's history. This book frames one of the key events of that year. What surprised me most about this book was the role that Indiana, my home state, played in helping propel Bobby Kennedy to the forefront of the Democratic party. The description of Hoosiers certainly echoes what I recall of my times there.
The first part of this book elevates Bobby to sainthood status, and that is quite a...more
The first part of this book elevates Bobby to sainthood status, and that is quite a...more
I absolutely enjoyed Thurston Clarke's portrayal of Bobby Kennedy as a flawed but sincere man looking for a way to carry on his late brother's legacy. At times it was a very emotional read, as it forced me to think about the state of politics today and Bobby Kennedy's sincere commitment to American poverty, a subject today's politicians won't touch with a 10 foot pole. This book is such a fascinating look at a turning point in the American political climate. For those frustrated with the current...more
Because I am still reading it, I'm reluctant to recommend it. But from what I've read so far (the first third), I would say it's a terrific read -- lively, insightful, and intensely interesting. This is the 40th anniversary of 1968, and reading this book is a fine way either to remember or to learn about that extraordinary year. For many people of that era -- the year I entered the University of Chicago Law School as a student -- RFK's campaign for president, ending in his tragic assassination,...more
I have been obsessed with the Kennedy family for years. 1968 was such a tumultuous year for America, and this book covers just a piece of what was going on during that time. (I was born in 1985, so I only know from books and movies-it's not the same as being there). Thurston Clarke does a great job of painting a picture of Robert Kennedy, a man that was tortured by the state of the country. He began to stand out with his message of wanting to change things for the better. This book is well-resea...more
An incredibly moving, detailed, and overall sad read because you know there is no happy ending to come.
Is this a piece written by an author that, like many of the reporters that covered the 68 RFK campaign, is slightly smitten with Bobby Kennedy? Absolutely. That shouldn't stop you from reading it. It's a good book, well researched and honest. It leaves you feeling like you want to hop in a Delorian and travel back to '68 for just one happy day mid-campaign so you too can say you were there. Yo...more
Is this a piece written by an author that, like many of the reporters that covered the 68 RFK campaign, is slightly smitten with Bobby Kennedy? Absolutely. That shouldn't stop you from reading it. It's a good book, well researched and honest. It leaves you feeling like you want to hop in a Delorian and travel back to '68 for just one happy day mid-campaign so you too can say you were there. Yo...more
This was sort of disappointing. It was as advertised, a close description of RFK's campaign, from his reasons for entering the race to his stump speeches on the trail. I didn't know much about RFK, but this book portrayed him as obsessive (not in a positive way) over the issues of poverty in particular and racial injustice as a close second. The author, who seemed awfully enamored of RFK's messages on these points, made it sound like this was nearly the only thing he talked about, ever. After a...more
I read this book directly after reading Scott McClellands book about the Bush administration. I suggest Scott should read this book to learn what true political heroes are like. McClelland would learn how to give a speech from the heart,how to be curious and ask questions and learn, how to bring out the best in others rather than their selfishness, how to feel for the hungry, the poor, the sufferers.
For those of you to young to remember, read this book and meet a true patriot, a great man, a gen...more
For those of you to young to remember, read this book and meet a true patriot, a great man, a gen...more
After John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Robert Kennedy—formerly Jack’s no-holds-barred political warrior—almost lost hope. He was haunted by his brother’s murder, and by the nation’s seeming inabilities to solve its problems of race, poverty, and the war in Vietnam. Bobby sensed the country’s pain, and when he announced that he was running for president, the country united behind his hopes. Over the action-packed eighty-two days of his campaign, Americans were inspired by Kennedy’s promise to lea...more
Thurston Clarke's book on Robert Kennedy provides a narrative account of the 82 days that he ran for President until he was killed at the ambassador hotel in early June 1968. It is a concise and well written account that goes over what happened on the campaign trail showing the triumphs and the struggles of RFK's campaign. From the rallies in Oakland to woo the African American vote to the triumphs in Indiana with the backlash vote that wanted "law and order" you are presented with a person who...more
This novel beautifully chronicled the last 82 days of Robert Kennedy’s troubled life. Robert Kennedy, the brother of our 35th President John F. Kennedy was a major political face, and ran against his brother’s successor, Lyndon Baines Johnson. Robert’s hatred for LBJ fueled his highest ambition, to fulfill his brother’s unfinished work in the White House, and Thurman Clarke tells his audiences Robert’s journey to the high office. On his 82 day journey, Robert’s popularity erupted among the black...more
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On March 16, 1968, Robert F. Kennedy stood in the United states Senate Caucus Room to annouce his candiadcy for the Presidency. Some called him opportunistic, some called him ruthless, but those people never really understood the struggle that Kennedy had gone through to get to this point.
As early as the fall of 1967, Kennedy had been urged by many to run and oppose President Johnson and his policies. But, Kennedy was worried abiout fracturing the Democratic Party and allowing the Republican ca...more
As early as the fall of 1967, Kennedy had been urged by many to run and oppose President Johnson and his policies. But, Kennedy was worried abiout fracturing the Democratic Party and allowing the Republican ca...more
Took a little work to get by the narration by 3-Pack-a-Day Larry, but I really found this a fascinating account, even as someone who isn't a huge RFK fan. Clarke does a fantastic job of bringing out RFK's character. He approaches Robert Kennedy as his own person, as opposing to "JFK Lite." Clarke also nicely contrasts the RFK approach to campaigns with current campaigns, in terms of his contact with real people, his willingness to say things people don't want to hear, and his spending time with...more
I had started this book before but had put it down because I became emotional reading about the train ride bearing Kennedy's body from New York to Washington. It was good to pick it up again and read the story of this 82 days that saw hope, despair and courage. I had always thought of Bobby Kennedy as a likable man who was intense and dedicated to the improvement of the lives of the poor, minorities and the common man. This book made me realize that he was much more complex with a tough, abrasiv...more
I had never read or studied RFK before; thus, I was absolutely amazed that a politician would ever say things so strongly about the poor, and Native Americans as he did (which as the book points out, the situation has not change since 1968; indeed, if anything it has become worse). I believe today's politicians only say what will get them elected or say what their constituents are already endorsing. To read of RFK speaking so passionately and speaking of "sacrifice" as if it is appropriate, as s...more
I mostly picked up this book because I attended a rally for RFK when he visited Milwaukee in the spring of 1968 during his campaign for the Democratic presidential nomination. I don't remember much about it except the crazed atmosphere of extreme adulation, and just how focused he seemed.
Thurston Clarke's thesis is that Robert Kennedy represented the best hope for a politics of reconciliation and compassion, shared responsibility and service to country, at a time when the country was reeling fro...more
Thurston Clarke's thesis is that Robert Kennedy represented the best hope for a politics of reconciliation and compassion, shared responsibility and service to country, at a time when the country was reeling fro...more
To read this book is to feel the heartbreak all over again.
The anecdote of the wedding party throwing their bouquets at the train bearing RFK's body is unforgettable.
His speech in Indianapolis the night of Martin Luther King's death must rank among the bravest acts of leadership in the history of this country. It is impossible to imagine any politician today being capable of such.
And telling black audiences that there was no free ride, student audiences that he would end their draft deferment...more
The anecdote of the wedding party throwing their bouquets at the train bearing RFK's body is unforgettable.
His speech in Indianapolis the night of Martin Luther King's death must rank among the bravest acts of leadership in the history of this country. It is impossible to imagine any politician today being capable of such.
And telling black audiences that there was no free ride, student audiences that he would end their draft deferment...more
Only someone who is a political junkie would enjoy this book. I found the adoration that the writer lavishes on Robert Kennedy bordered on nauseating. It also seems that his conclusion, reached perhaps for good reason, was that RK had a death wish. I did find the parallels between his short campaign to Barak Obama's recent election. I believe he would have been the president had he not been assassinated. Imagine how different the world would have been had Nixon not been elected.
An intimate look at RFK's too-short campaign for the presidency. Heartbreaking in its foreshadowing of RFK's assassination, and the candidate's persistence to campaign recklessly among throngs of frenzied crowds, despite what had happened to his brother just five years prior. The what-might-have-been ending and lingering questions about how the rest of the primary campaign would have played out as RFK plowed towards the Democratic nomination is mind-boggling and gut-wrenching. A mesmerizing book...more
The book mainly reported the facts of the 82 days of Robert Kennedy's run for the nomination of the Democratic Party in 1968. While it remained mostly un biased you could not help feel the author's admiration for his subject. After spending 82 days with him, so did I.
I knew I was growing attached to Mr. Kennedy as I reached the end of the book. The facts are something I could not change and toward the last chapter I really wanted to. The book left me with the feeling of 'What If'. Would he have...more
I knew I was growing attached to Mr. Kennedy as I reached the end of the book. The facts are something I could not change and toward the last chapter I really wanted to. The book left me with the feeling of 'What If'. Would he have...more
At such a contentious time in American history, Robert F. Kennedy offered a chance to change so many things and offer a new found hope to so many Americans in 1968. With his assasination, much of that hope disappeared and the contention would linger on through another presidential term. Thurston Clarke's representation of the interworkings of the campaign to elect Kennedy and the effects it had on the nation is magnificent and a really enjoyable read.
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“He had used it as the epigram to his 1967 book 'To Seek a Newer World,' and it expressed two pillars of his faith: that everyone has a duty to alleviate suffering, and that no one can live a fully happy life while surrounded by the unaddressed misery of others.”
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