Robert F. Kennedy And the Death of American Idealism

Library of American Biography

by Joseph A. Palermo

At the forefront of the social movements and political crises that gripped America in the 1950s and 1960s, Robert F. Kennedy saw, advised and led the United States through some of the most epochal events in the 20th century. This newest edition in the Library of American Biography Series chronicles the life of Robert F. Kennedy from his time as a boy growing up amidst the turmoil of the Great Depression and World War II to his rise as a central figure in the national debate on communism, poverty, civil rights, and the war in Vietnam. The titles in the Library of American Biography Series make ideal supplements for American History Survey courses or other courses in American history where figures in history are explored. Paperback, brief, and inexpensive, each interpretative biography in this series focuses on a figure whose actions and ideas significantly influenced the course of American history and national life. At the same time, each biography relates the life of its subject to the broader themes and developments of the times.

Genres: Biography

180 pages, Paperback

First published October 27, 2007

Reviews

[Julianna]

I can't stand history or history books. I find them all extremely boring and mind numbing. It's just not my subject. I'll admit I only read what I needed for my exam but I found it rather interesting and written well. Not boring at all. The author was my last history teacher and while the whole subject was boring he always seemed to make me enjoy listening. It's no suprise the book was even better. I was actually into the book, both me and a friend even discussed the problems of the kennedy family and their terrible luck, something I would never thought possible in my most loathed subject ever!

[Raymond Thomas]

This is a good book if you're looking to teach a class on influential political figures of modern American politics. Its basically a summary of information that can be gleaned from the other biographies. Some factual inconsistencies with the other biographies as well, but fairly minor. Its only 150 pages of reading with critical thinking questions at the end. Basically the cliff notes version of works on RFK.

[Mickey Mantle]

Book written as a brief history for college students.
Well written and full of information for folks seeking a basic understanding of R.F.K.

[John]

Solid little book - assigned for the US History class I am currently TA-ing. I knew very little about Bobby Kennedy. For example, I had always thought that JFK making him Attorney General was basically pure nepotism, but as it turns out he was a pretty good choice for the job. I mean, it was still nepotism, but it wasn't a complete absurdity. I found the mid-sixties stuff interesting - the dynamic between RFK and LBJ on Vietnam, RFK's struggle with his old positions (he was a real devoted Cold Warrior) as he started to think that we had to get out of Vietnam. If you are going to have undergrads read a short biography, this is an interesting choice to throw in there instead of going for the obvious choice, like JFK or MLK Jr.