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Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption – A Frank Autobiography of Life Inside the Kennedy Family, Addiction, and Sobriety
At last, the first memoir from a Kennedy family member―an inspirational, candid, and explosive personal story sure to be one of the most sensational bestsellers of the year Christopher Kennedy Lawson was born to enormous privilege. But with fame, money, and power came tragedy and heartbreak. In this clear-eyed, sensitive, and compulsively readable autobiography, he breaks his family’s long-held silence to a rare glimpse into the exclusive worlds of both Washington politicos and the Hollywood elite during the socially turbulent 1960s and 1970s. As the first born child of famed Rat Pack actor, Peter Lawford, and John F. Kennedy’s sister, Patricia, Christopher Lawford was raised in Malibu and Martha’s Vineyard with movie stars and presidents as close family members and friends. But this little boy who learned the twist thanks to private lessons from Marilyn Monroe would grow up to become a spoiled adolescent with a near-fatal jones for heroin and alcohol. With deep sincerity, Kennedy sets the record straight, sharing many never-before-told stories about the good, the bad, and the ugly in his life, including the deaths of his uncles, his parents’ divorce and its effect, his hard-fought struggle to overcome addiction, his long-lasting sobriety, his acting career, and his relationships with his famous cousins and his own children. Surprisingly frank, Kennedy pulls no punches as he tells us what it’s really like to be a member of America’s first family.
389 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2001
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379 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 80 reviews
November 11, 2021
Had mixed feelings about this memoir. And gave it 3.5
stars.
Pat Kennedy, considered gifted when it came to financial
issues, wed English actor Peter Lawford, an only child.
Both had drinking problems. Pat was the favorite of 9
kids of millionare Patrick Kennedy, also the father of
future US President, Jack Kennedy. Pat and Peter had
1 son, Christopher, the author, and 2 daughters.
Chris (herafter CKL) spoke of the public perception of
the Kennedys: entitled, advocates for social justice, risk
takers IE mountain climbers, white water rafters, Amazon
explorers, faux matadors. But also withholders of real
feelings and preservers of a good public image (not always
accurate).
CKL began drug experimentaion at age 13 & his drug of
choice became heroin. He knew 'smack' was addictive,
but he tried it anyway. He nearly died at one point. Twice
he impersonated a MD on the phone to order narcotics
for a bogus person (himself). An average person would've
landed in prison for this. Addicts are selfish + he supplied
many examples of his negative behaviors. I wanted some-
one IE parent, teacher, friend to grab CKL & tell him he
was wasting his life with drug abuse. Someone who gave
him hope. If only CKL would have channeled his devious-
ness in obtaining street drugs and methadone into good
works!
CKL at times glossed over illegal behavior by fam. members
: he and fav cousin David who panhandled in Grand Central
Station, Chris+ 2 friends who knocked down/ stole from a
woman for drug $, drug arrests for Chris (and cousins).
And Uncle Ted had no consequences for Chappequiddick,
ditto for cousin Michael whose statutory rape case dis-
appeared. Did Pat or Peter ever have real-deal convos w/
their offspring? But that would have cut down on their
traveling/ partying.
Chris had been accepted by Boston College law school
around the time of one of his drug arrests. Did CKL need
a reminder that a licensed atty was an officer of the court?
He knew lawyering was not for him. Why did he graduate
from law school?
I know that wealthy parents may elect to have the nanny
raise their children. But it bothered me that Pat sent Chris
away, especially in the summer. When Chris & cous David
were both age 14, Pat & SIL Ethel allowed them to travel
alone to Austria to attend tennis camp! Half or more of the
3rd gen Kennedys had no adult guidance as youth & young
adults. Duh! The 3rd gen seemed easily bored, so trouble
found them? Or their choices exposed them to temptations?
Chris tended to admire superficial people IE movie stars,
rock stars. Then he saw the underlying Hollywood politics
& agendas. Beautiful women were CKL's obsession. Would
he shun a woman who developed wrinkles or laugh lines
or a few extra pounds? What about the woman within?
After the death of David and then Peter, CKL dedicated him-
self to leading a clean/sober lifestyle. I laughed when his
cous Joe (described in this + 2 other bks as an ill-tempered
"bully") lectured Chris on character as it related to tree
maintenance. Where was Joe's character? A bully is devoid
of character.
Revised.
stars.
Pat Kennedy, considered gifted when it came to financial
issues, wed English actor Peter Lawford, an only child.
Both had drinking problems. Pat was the favorite of 9
kids of millionare Patrick Kennedy, also the father of
future US President, Jack Kennedy. Pat and Peter had
1 son, Christopher, the author, and 2 daughters.
Chris (herafter CKL) spoke of the public perception of
the Kennedys: entitled, advocates for social justice, risk
takers IE mountain climbers, white water rafters, Amazon
explorers, faux matadors. But also withholders of real
feelings and preservers of a good public image (not always
accurate).
CKL began drug experimentaion at age 13 & his drug of
choice became heroin. He knew 'smack' was addictive,
but he tried it anyway. He nearly died at one point. Twice
he impersonated a MD on the phone to order narcotics
for a bogus person (himself). An average person would've
landed in prison for this. Addicts are selfish + he supplied
many examples of his negative behaviors. I wanted some-
one IE parent, teacher, friend to grab CKL & tell him he
was wasting his life with drug abuse. Someone who gave
him hope. If only CKL would have channeled his devious-
ness in obtaining street drugs and methadone into good
works!
CKL at times glossed over illegal behavior by fam. members
: he and fav cousin David who panhandled in Grand Central
Station, Chris+ 2 friends who knocked down/ stole from a
woman for drug $, drug arrests for Chris (and cousins).
And Uncle Ted had no consequences for Chappequiddick,
ditto for cousin Michael whose statutory rape case dis-
appeared. Did Pat or Peter ever have real-deal convos w/
their offspring? But that would have cut down on their
traveling/ partying.
Chris had been accepted by Boston College law school
around the time of one of his drug arrests. Did CKL need
a reminder that a licensed atty was an officer of the court?
He knew lawyering was not for him. Why did he graduate
from law school?
I know that wealthy parents may elect to have the nanny
raise their children. But it bothered me that Pat sent Chris
away, especially in the summer. When Chris & cous David
were both age 14, Pat & SIL Ethel allowed them to travel
alone to Austria to attend tennis camp! Half or more of the
3rd gen Kennedys had no adult guidance as youth & young
adults. Duh! The 3rd gen seemed easily bored, so trouble
found them? Or their choices exposed them to temptations?
Chris tended to admire superficial people IE movie stars,
rock stars. Then he saw the underlying Hollywood politics
& agendas. Beautiful women were CKL's obsession. Would
he shun a woman who developed wrinkles or laugh lines
or a few extra pounds? What about the woman within?
After the death of David and then Peter, CKL dedicated him-
self to leading a clean/sober lifestyle. I laughed when his
cous Joe (described in this + 2 other bks as an ill-tempered
"bully") lectured Chris on character as it related to tree
maintenance. Where was Joe's character? A bully is devoid
of character.
Revised.
August 25, 2009
Oiy! This guy is such a *rick! I admit he's been through a lot of really gruesome stuff--namely the murder of his two Uncles. It was also hard that his parents' boozing was more important to them than their kids and that their marriage fell apart. It's very difficult being in the limelight as part of one of America's most famous families. It IS very, very hard on kids to be ignored by their parents and to have to beg them to notice. HOWEVER, what kind of a jerk brags for hundreds of pages about all the "naughty" stuff he did to SCREAM his pain to people who didn't care (i.e. his parents)? What kind of a man brags page after page about about his sexual antics, drug taking, and generally obnoxious behavior in the name of "coming clean" and "helping others?" NO one but a Kennedy male. Chris, I really DO think it stinks that your parents didn't care about you. I think it was unspeakable that your Uncles were killed--they were ICONS in my home growing up. But, poor you on having to go to an elite boarding school! Poor you that Uncle Steve had to arrange once-in-a-lifetime internships! Poor you that Harvard only wanted the "real" Kennedys and you had to settle for Community Colleges called Tufts and Georgetown. I think it is 100% sick that your Dad shared drugs with you and that he bedded your girlfriend, but isn't that the Kennedy way? Or is that some of the "untruths" that have been written about your family?? I'm so happy you've written this crap so your own poor kids will "know who you are"?? What kind of an ego drives a man to write about his sex life for his KIDS??? Oh, yeah, I forgot....you're a .......JERK! Glad I only paid 25 cents for this turkey.....
January 22, 2013
I thought the first 200 pages or so were well-written and engaging. Unfortunately, the author decided to skate over his marriage and divorce issues in a way that made him seem arrogant and unfeeling and I lost my respect for him.
April 25, 2008
Non-fiction.
Cast in the authentic voice of a guy talking to his shrink-- believable despite trendy psycho-babble terms --dysfunctional,wealthy and famous, a patented combination for serious problems. This is a book that should NOT have been written, but I didn't stop reading it. Christopher Lawford paints "L" on his forehead as a "second tier" Kennedy yet uses Kennedy as his middle name rather than his actual middle name, Sidney. Hmmm, delve into that one!
I know I wouldn't have read it except for the Kennedy connection. It's like listening in on sessions with his shrink. I know I shouldn't be doing it, but can't stop. He shows himself to be a person of weak character with an excuse for every feeble moment and poor choice. I was left with true distaste for this author as a man. Though he put the word "redemption" in the title, I failed to identify a hint of it happening in his narrative.
Cast in the authentic voice of a guy talking to his shrink-- believable despite trendy psycho-babble terms --dysfunctional,wealthy and famous, a patented combination for serious problems. This is a book that should NOT have been written, but I didn't stop reading it. Christopher Lawford paints "L" on his forehead as a "second tier" Kennedy yet uses Kennedy as his middle name rather than his actual middle name, Sidney. Hmmm, delve into that one!
I know I wouldn't have read it except for the Kennedy connection. It's like listening in on sessions with his shrink. I know I shouldn't be doing it, but can't stop. He shows himself to be a person of weak character with an excuse for every feeble moment and poor choice. I was left with true distaste for this author as a man. Though he put the word "redemption" in the title, I failed to identify a hint of it happening in his narrative.
December 28, 2011
I enjoyed the inside and honest view inside the Kennedy family, and also the biographical info on Peter Lawford, Christopher's father. However, I was very let down, not only in the personal life of an actor I had admired in my childhood (Peter Lawford) but also in Christopher himself, who seems to be quite misogynistic. While he repeatedly insists he had/has great respect for his later mother, his sisters, and most of all his aunt Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis (whom he relates having spied on while she was bathing as a boy), he describes women almost solely as sex objects, and basically states he can have any woman he wants because of who he is. We can only hope as Lawford progresses in his recovery from drugs and alcohol that his attitudes change, but there is no evidence of any change in his opinions toward women in this book.
October 1, 2014
OK, page 300. i have plowed through this ridiculousness a page or two a day. Why? I don't know. Maybe that desire to hold out the hand of responsibility to a suffering addict. But in this book Lawford is a writer, but not a good one.
I think the editor gave up by page 300. He bought his wife-to-be a "bobble" of a wedding ring. B-A-U-B-L-E. Then his dad baled on him. B-A-I-L-E-D. And the most recent confusing sentence read: "He said we had everything and would he take care of."
Then, to the idiocy, the sadness, the lack of insight:
"The alcoholic never develops emotionally beyond the moment he picks up the first drink, and he spends the rest of his life trying to conceal that fact. I never got to know my father because he never got to know himself."
Chris, if you are vain enough to be reading these reviews (and you are): the alcoholic can get into recovery and if so is challenged for the rest of his or her life to develop emotionally. You never got to know your father because you never got to know YOURSELF. The ego that made you change the name he gave you to "Kennedy" is still blocking you at page 300. If you knew yourself you would have a little more compassion for your father. Com-passion. Shared suffering.
Symptoms of Withdrawal? By page 300 he's still in active addiction. Read "Clapton" if you want to learn how famous people get into recovery.
______________
OK, I'm done. I lumbered through this. Go to page 359, where he says that the only way to engage a woman is to be true to yourself, go to war, and let the chips fall where they may. He does quote the AA maxim about asking only where you are at fault and responds, "Fuck that" because as with everything else this guy has to blame someone. He does admit a few pages later that he really gets off on being a Kennedy. He wrote about "the identification I had clung to." No kidding. No humility whatsoever He said that this identity gave him power. What it gave him was identity.
I have to get better at letting crappy books go.
I think the editor gave up by page 300. He bought his wife-to-be a "bobble" of a wedding ring. B-A-U-B-L-E. Then his dad baled on him. B-A-I-L-E-D. And the most recent confusing sentence read: "He said we had everything and would he take care of."
Then, to the idiocy, the sadness, the lack of insight:
"The alcoholic never develops emotionally beyond the moment he picks up the first drink, and he spends the rest of his life trying to conceal that fact. I never got to know my father because he never got to know himself."
Chris, if you are vain enough to be reading these reviews (and you are): the alcoholic can get into recovery and if so is challenged for the rest of his or her life to develop emotionally. You never got to know your father because you never got to know YOURSELF. The ego that made you change the name he gave you to "Kennedy" is still blocking you at page 300. If you knew yourself you would have a little more compassion for your father. Com-passion. Shared suffering.
Symptoms of Withdrawal? By page 300 he's still in active addiction. Read "Clapton" if you want to learn how famous people get into recovery.
______________
OK, I'm done. I lumbered through this. Go to page 359, where he says that the only way to engage a woman is to be true to yourself, go to war, and let the chips fall where they may. He does quote the AA maxim about asking only where you are at fault and responds, "Fuck that" because as with everything else this guy has to blame someone. He does admit a few pages later that he really gets off on being a Kennedy. He wrote about "the identification I had clung to." No kidding. No humility whatsoever He said that this identity gave him power. What it gave him was identity.
I have to get better at letting crappy books go.
January 8, 2014
Memoir of the life and drug addiction of Christopher Kennedy Lawford. Not actually having the Kennedy blame but that of his absent father who was divorced from his mother and out of favour with the Kennedy clan, Lawford appears to have regarded himself as second string in the family dynasty.
His childhood was marked by an absent father, a mother who appeared to be emotionally remote. Her way of dealing with this insecure boy was to palm him and his troubles off onto various friends, relatives and functionaries. The two surrogate father figures in his life assassinated in the cusp of adolescence His adolescence was spent at a succession of boarding schools while his mother and sisters live in Paris. Is it any wonder he turned to drugs?
His relationship such as it was with his father bordered on bizarre. Smoking dope with dad at 16. Being taken to an orgy at the Playboy mansion at17. And being given a vial of cocaine by dad for his 21st birthday. Just what every boy needs.
The picture painted of the Kennedys isn't always pretty. Raised to adhere to the ideal of public service and power, coupled with wealth and competitiveness, I couldn't help wondering if the 2nd generation of this family would have been better to have devoted more of their energies into their children. The 3rd generation seems to be littered with disaster. Two dead young due to drug problems, others gone through risk taking and who knows what emotional damage.
Lawford writes quite compellingly, especially the snapshots which are told without analysis. However, the last few chapters I found myself struggling with the author and wondering if he was being as honest about himself as he was making out. His justification for leaving his wife of nearly 20 years and his children seems very flimsy.
His childhood was marked by an absent father, a mother who appeared to be emotionally remote. Her way of dealing with this insecure boy was to palm him and his troubles off onto various friends, relatives and functionaries. The two surrogate father figures in his life assassinated in the cusp of adolescence His adolescence was spent at a succession of boarding schools while his mother and sisters live in Paris. Is it any wonder he turned to drugs?
His relationship such as it was with his father bordered on bizarre. Smoking dope with dad at 16. Being taken to an orgy at the Playboy mansion at17. And being given a vial of cocaine by dad for his 21st birthday. Just what every boy needs.
The picture painted of the Kennedys isn't always pretty. Raised to adhere to the ideal of public service and power, coupled with wealth and competitiveness, I couldn't help wondering if the 2nd generation of this family would have been better to have devoted more of their energies into their children. The 3rd generation seems to be littered with disaster. Two dead young due to drug problems, others gone through risk taking and who knows what emotional damage.
Lawford writes quite compellingly, especially the snapshots which are told without analysis. However, the last few chapters I found myself struggling with the author and wondering if he was being as honest about himself as he was making out. His justification for leaving his wife of nearly 20 years and his children seems very flimsy.
Read
April 30, 2008Another mindless, but very entertaining and interesting Kennedy book! :)
July 11, 2025
It was cool getting an inside story on the Kennedys—especially interesting to hear what RFK Jr. (referred to as Bobby Jr.) was like before he became crazy. Unfortunately the author came across as kind of an entitled jerk. The writing was ok, I just found the author unlikeable.
November 28, 2017
Christopher Kennedy Lawford shares his horrific journey into substance abuse and the devastation left in its wake in frank, nothing-held-back language with life-giving and -affirming humor. I had a massive crush on his father, Peter Lawford, when I was growing up that transferred to Christopher himself when he showed up on All My Children several years later. Little did I know how Christopher was struggling at the time. But he turned his life around--he got clean and has stayed that way for over two decades now and shares his experience to help others who are embroiled in and tormented by the same demons. Christopher's story shatters the prejudice that those born into fame and wealth--even (and maybe most especially) America's Royal Family, the Kennedys--are exempt from the struggles and suffering of everyday folk. Christopher not only breaks down those walls between the "haves" and the "have nots," but he also reveals how fame and wealth can be a person's undoing as well. Thank you, Christopher, for opening our eyes not only to the horrors of substance abuse and the hope that healing and redemption are indeed possible, but also to the judgments we carry that strip us of our compassion and thus our humanity.
December 13, 2010
This book is initially interesting just because it's the family that it is: the Kennedys - and seen from an inside view, told by someone not particularly interested in holding secrets or withholding rough stuff. That said, Lawford is not exactly a riveting writer and doesn't get too deeply into taking the family members apart in terms of personality, demons, etc. - other than the alcohol and drug problems he and some of the others in his generation have faced.
I enjoyed reading the first 50 pages of the book, but began finding it a little slow (enough, already!) by page 98 where I last read three months ago. I probably enjoyed some of the photographs as much as any of the writing. Someone really into more details about the Kennedy siblings and their children might find this book worth reading. I found it for $1.00 at a Borders sale or otherwise wouldn't have it. Sat down with it and a cup of coffee at Borders and of course got into it enough initially to pay that dollar!
May finish it? May not...
I enjoyed reading the first 50 pages of the book, but began finding it a little slow (enough, already!) by page 98 where I last read three months ago. I probably enjoyed some of the photographs as much as any of the writing. Someone really into more details about the Kennedy siblings and their children might find this book worth reading. I found it for $1.00 at a Borders sale or otherwise wouldn't have it. Sat down with it and a cup of coffee at Borders and of course got into it enough initially to pay that dollar!
May finish it? May not...
July 15, 2014
I have to say that I was not to sure I'd enjoy this book. But as a person in Recovery, but not from booze or drugs, from addicted compulsive gambling, I have to give this book an Excellent Rating. How the description of one's sobriety and detox made me learn that what EVER addiction type others may suffer from, trying in Vain to *Control* our addictions, and of course that doesn't work....
I found that the Symptoms, Behaviors, habits, and the Denial, Blame, shame, and all of it is very Similar for one addiction type to another. I think it's such a *POWERFUL* and BRAVE thing to write one's story of addiction and recovery, so others may LEARN from them.
We also find courage and accountability when we see OUR PAST ON PAPER! But, with hard work in recovery, our PAST can be just THAT, our past, and does not have to DEFINE the person you are today in Recovery! Thanks Christopher for an insightful read!
Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon
Addicted To Dimes,(Confessions of a liar and a cheat)
Lyon Media & Book Promotions
I found that the Symptoms, Behaviors, habits, and the Denial, Blame, shame, and all of it is very Similar for one addiction type to another. I think it's such a *POWERFUL* and BRAVE thing to write one's story of addiction and recovery, so others may LEARN from them.
We also find courage and accountability when we see OUR PAST ON PAPER! But, with hard work in recovery, our PAST can be just THAT, our past, and does not have to DEFINE the person you are today in Recovery! Thanks Christopher for an insightful read!
Author, Catherine Townsend-Lyon
Addicted To Dimes,(Confessions of a liar and a cheat)
Lyon Media & Book Promotions
January 27, 2015
Christopher Lawford is a self-indulgent narcissistic brat born into much wealth and fame. Luckily, he recognized this fact early enough to save himself from the depths of despair, drugs, and alcohol addiction. This book was interesting and full of twists and turns. Although the American people may have seen so many of the events in Christopher's life played out on news footage or in the pages of gossip magazines, no one ever saw his life and his family from this point of view. I experienced periods of really disliking his character, and yet, somehow feeling kind of sorry for him. We are, after all, a product of our environment, and his environment was never anything close to "normal".
September 25, 2016
This Kennedy can write!!! I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN. For me, this book is about WAY more than his family & own addiction. It's about life. And now my view of my own past & present life is forever altered, for the richer! While I've never used chemical substances, I may now be addicted to CKL's prose. My only wish is HarperCollins had given the manuscript its' due editing/proofing--this read deserved that. (His Aunt Jackie would have done better!)
December 5, 2008
i disliked this book so much that i couldn't remember the name of it. it took me a while to find it. i listened to it on a road trip, which is the only reason i finished it. this particular kennedy sounds like a real jerk. he used the word "profound" repeatedly, yet nothing about his life is profound except that he's a kennedy.
June 8, 2020
Very meaningful book to read. Had a lot of excellent quotations at the beginnings of the chapters which was cool. All in all very enjoyable reading!
February 23, 2019
I probably would not have read this book but a friend gave it to me. I was surprised to find it engaged me from the beginning. Christopher Lawford, who just died about two weeks ago, was a talented writer with some fascinating subjects. Normally I have a low-tolerance for books by or about drug-addicted people. It's not that I don't empathize; it's just kind of torture to read about. Somehow he managed to tell his story, drugs, alcohol, and all, without driving me away.
His first-hand knowledge of Kennedy family members was something IMO you won't find anywhere else; no family member ever revealed so much. You were supposed to take your lumps and "no crying", which I personally don't think is healthy for anybody. He wrote with insight and love about his cousins, and for the first time I understood why Bobby's children had such major drug and emotional problems. I'd written them off as spoiled and arrogant. Once I read what had happened to them---basically they had no help in terms of therapy, etc. in dealing with the assassinations of first Uncle Jack and then Bobby---my heart ached for them. Whatever else he was or was not, Bobby was a very loving, very hands-on, father---and uncle. He, according to Lawford, had done all of the child-rearing and then Ethel was left alone with eleven children and no parenting skills. A recipe for disaster, which is exactly what transpired.
Also, I had never realized how prone the men were to taking risks way beyond the norm, as if it were some kind of test of their courage and manhood. It seemed to me very close to being a death-wish on some level and completely beyond my comprehension. It also seemed like something Old Joe impressed upon his children. I wonder if he would have done that, had he known what the repercussions of that would be. Surely not. Maybe he would have put less emphasis on winning at all costs as well. Depends on whether he had learned anything from all the tragedies and human train wrecks, I guess.
His first-hand knowledge of Kennedy family members was something IMO you won't find anywhere else; no family member ever revealed so much. You were supposed to take your lumps and "no crying", which I personally don't think is healthy for anybody. He wrote with insight and love about his cousins, and for the first time I understood why Bobby's children had such major drug and emotional problems. I'd written them off as spoiled and arrogant. Once I read what had happened to them---basically they had no help in terms of therapy, etc. in dealing with the assassinations of first Uncle Jack and then Bobby---my heart ached for them. Whatever else he was or was not, Bobby was a very loving, very hands-on, father---and uncle. He, according to Lawford, had done all of the child-rearing and then Ethel was left alone with eleven children and no parenting skills. A recipe for disaster, which is exactly what transpired.
Also, I had never realized how prone the men were to taking risks way beyond the norm, as if it were some kind of test of their courage and manhood. It seemed to me very close to being a death-wish on some level and completely beyond my comprehension. It also seemed like something Old Joe impressed upon his children. I wonder if he would have done that, had he known what the repercussions of that would be. Surely not. Maybe he would have put less emphasis on winning at all costs as well. Depends on whether he had learned anything from all the tragedies and human train wrecks, I guess.
November 28, 2017
I'm not a Kennedy fan, but I'll read pretty much any memoir, bio, or autobio of anyone even marginally involved in show business, so I read this. And it was much more interesting than I expected it to be. It's weird, however, that Lawford's writing was very good except for the spelling, and DON'T PUBLISHERS HAVE EDITORS ANYMORE?
The names of Jack Lemmon, Eydie Gorme, Jimmy Van Heusen, Roddy McDowall, Dominick Dunne, Meyer Lansky, and Wile E. Coyote were all misspelled. So were "bail," "bauble," "grisly," and "withdrawal." One of my favorite phrases was "a-one room trailer." Huh? As far as facts: Steele Hunter didn't play Jesus in the movies; Jeffrey Hunter did. And if Chris was born in the spring of 1955, as he says he was, then he wasn't 7 in December 1961, and he wasn't 18 at any time in 1972. How could such blatant errors go unnoticed?
If you can stand those typos (which was tough for me, an English teacher and editor), I did find the stories of the Kennedys, his father, and his childhood fascinating. However, in spite of all of the details he included about his Kennedy uncles, Chappaquiddick barely got a mention. And I personally didn't like the way he rationalized and glossed over divorcing the mother of his three children.
Overall, worth a read. :)
The names of Jack Lemmon, Eydie Gorme, Jimmy Van Heusen, Roddy McDowall, Dominick Dunne, Meyer Lansky, and Wile E. Coyote were all misspelled. So were "bail," "bauble," "grisly," and "withdrawal." One of my favorite phrases was "a-one room trailer." Huh? As far as facts: Steele Hunter didn't play Jesus in the movies; Jeffrey Hunter did. And if Chris was born in the spring of 1955, as he says he was, then he wasn't 7 in December 1961, and he wasn't 18 at any time in 1972. How could such blatant errors go unnoticed?
If you can stand those typos (which was tough for me, an English teacher and editor), I did find the stories of the Kennedys, his father, and his childhood fascinating. However, in spite of all of the details he included about his Kennedy uncles, Chappaquiddick barely got a mention. And I personally didn't like the way he rationalized and glossed over divorcing the mother of his three children.
Overall, worth a read. :)
September 6, 2018
Heartbreaking real
Nobody knows what goes on in a family even when you are in the family. Being a part of the Kennedy family has its blessings and curses. Christopher Kennedy Lawford brings that home in a gut wrenching honest portrayal of his life, his drug addiction, his parents and family. His life growing up with a Kennedy as a mom and Peter Lawford, a famous actor as a non present dad gave him issues and problems that eventually he climbed out of and recovered. His is a story of truth, honesty, family, heart break, drugs and alcohol addiction and recovery. I read this book the day after he passed away from a heart attack, sadly what killed his own father. I hope and pray that he finally has peace and the demons that surrounded him for years have left him. I watched him on All My Children and loved his acting ability. He had so much left to give and now sadly another life cut short. Whether there is the "Kennedy Curse", who knows but for him he got his life straightened out, even though he went through hell and back to make it out. May you rest in peace sir!
Nobody knows what goes on in a family even when you are in the family. Being a part of the Kennedy family has its blessings and curses. Christopher Kennedy Lawford brings that home in a gut wrenching honest portrayal of his life, his drug addiction, his parents and family. His life growing up with a Kennedy as a mom and Peter Lawford, a famous actor as a non present dad gave him issues and problems that eventually he climbed out of and recovered. His is a story of truth, honesty, family, heart break, drugs and alcohol addiction and recovery. I read this book the day after he passed away from a heart attack, sadly what killed his own father. I hope and pray that he finally has peace and the demons that surrounded him for years have left him. I watched him on All My Children and loved his acting ability. He had so much left to give and now sadly another life cut short. Whether there is the "Kennedy Curse", who knows but for him he got his life straightened out, even though he went through hell and back to make it out. May you rest in peace sir!
April 22, 2025
I really, really wanted to like this book, and even giving it two stars was probably too generous. I kept waiting for it to get better, to get past the drinking and the drugs and all the depression, and then I made the mistake of reading the other reviews on here and it depressed me even further. It wasn’t going to get better.
As luck would have it, I bought this book at a recent estate sale and started reading it right away. Can you believe pages 205-235 were in this book twice, and it’s missing pages 237-268 entirely. I can’t say I truly missed the pages as each chapter was the same, maybe just different characters, a different drug of choice, a different woman “who was the beautiful woman I ever saw,” which seemed to be a common theme.
There are about 16 pages of photos I thoroughly enjoyed.
Book was published in 2005 and the author, Christopher Lawford was separated from his wife of 17 years and three children. He went on to marry and divorce two more times before he passed away in 2018 and wrote subsequent books. I don’t plan on reading them.
As luck would have it, I bought this book at a recent estate sale and started reading it right away. Can you believe pages 205-235 were in this book twice, and it’s missing pages 237-268 entirely. I can’t say I truly missed the pages as each chapter was the same, maybe just different characters, a different drug of choice, a different woman “who was the beautiful woman I ever saw,” which seemed to be a common theme.
There are about 16 pages of photos I thoroughly enjoyed.
Book was published in 2005 and the author, Christopher Lawford was separated from his wife of 17 years and three children. He went on to marry and divorce two more times before he passed away in 2018 and wrote subsequent books. I don’t plan on reading them.
November 22, 2020
I just finished reading Symptoms of Withdrawal: A Memoir of Snapshots and Redemption by Christopher Kennedy Lawford. This is a very good book detailing the life of Patricia Kennedy's, sister to John F. Kennedy, son who finally triumphed over his massive drug and alcohol addiction. Patricia married actor Peter Lawford so Christopher was the product of Washington's politics as well as Hollywood elite. The influence of the Rat Pack and the assassinations of Jack and Bobby Kennedy had a tremendous and tragic impact on Christopher. The book centers on Christopher trying to find his place in the world.
June 12, 2024
One of the best biographies I have ever read. I found it on my mother's bookshelf. She is a huge fan of the Rat Pack and the Kennedys so I was not surprised to find it. The book contains lots of interesting facts about the Kennedy dynasty and the Rat Pack as well. Christopher Kennedy Lawford gives an honest and funny account of growing up in the famous Kennedy family and as the son of British Hollywood actor and party boy, Peter Lawford. He goes into his own drug addiction and alcohol history and tragedies of both families in great detail and with an unexpected sense of humor.
May 31, 2021
Let me preface this by saying I am fully aware by both the title and the summary this book would be dealing with drug and drug addiction and I have no problem with that.
My problem is that this was the only thing this book was about. If you want to read about a rich, white man with a drug problem this is the book for you!
However if you want to read about the Kennedy's please save yourself and read literally any other book written about them.
My problem is that this was the only thing this book was about. If you want to read about a rich, white man with a drug problem this is the book for you!
However if you want to read about the Kennedy's please save yourself and read literally any other book written about them.
November 30, 2025
A story about tragedy and how it impacts your life. A vivid and accurate description of RFK Jr. and why Caroline Kennedy felt the need to warn America about her cousin. All that glitters is not gold. The author is honest and takes responsibility for his behaviour. The book also captures what happens when grief is not dealt with in a healthy manner. A good read.
December 15, 2017
I found this book fascinating...like watching a train wreck. His insight into growing up in such a prominent family is interesting. However, the guy seems like such a douche. I didn't like him at all. Although, I will give it to him that he seemed to know that about himself.
May 16, 2023
I’m interested in all things Kennedy, and the insider’s look at the family is why the rating wasn’t a 2-star. Self-indulgent and LOTS of humble brags-yuk. I liked the “snapshot” writing style. Read only if you’re Kennedy family obsessed.
July 18, 2024
This is what I call a white noise read. It was filled with juicy stories of people who had more money than sense. And of course, I was jealous of all of it, from the California beaches to the handsome hairy teenagers. I'm lucky that I wasn't THAT lucky.
April 1, 2018
Some advice. Some honesty. Some behind the scenes talk of Hollywood and Washington legends. But not enough of anything....
April 15, 2018
Hmmm...the book held my interest and the author is brutally honest about himself, but what a self absorbed spoiled brat!
May 24, 2018
Read half the book thinking okay something interesting should be coming soon, nothing did. A story about being born rich and privileged. Dont waste your time on this yawn fest.
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