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The Kennedy Curse: Shattered: A True Story of Lies, Deceit and the Arrogance of Power

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The Kennedys rose from the slums of Boston to become one of the wealthiest and most powerful families in the United States, but their journey had not been an easy one. Of Joe Kennedy’s nine children, two were killed in plane crashes, two were assassinated in public office, one was institutionalised and one had his political career ruined by an accident that resulted in the death of a young campaign worker.

These and other tragedies have given rise to the legend of the “Kennedy Curse,” but this book aims to show that there was no curse at all. We look at each of these events in some detail and in context with one another and we see that they follow the simple rule of cause and effect. Most of the tragedies that have befallen the Kennedy family were borne out of Joseph Kennedy’s obsessive desire for wealth and political power. He drove his children hard and many achieved great things, but they made a lot of dangerous enemies along the way.

The Kennedys were raised to believe that they were better than anyone else and that the normal rules of life did not apply to them. They were ruthlessly ambitious and would stop at nothing to get what they wanted and they pursued Joe Kennedy’s dream with the passion of a crusade. But there would be a heavy price to pay and old Joe could only look on as one after another of his precious children were either taken from him or ruined. He witnessed almost all of these tragic events as they unfolded and as he saw the pain and misery the family had endured, he must have wondered if it had all been worthwhile.

347 pages, Kindle Edition

Published November 10, 2016

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Les Williams

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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
656 reviews2 followers
February 18, 2017
I found this book absolutely fascinating and illuminating, learned so many things about the politics of the times. I realised how naive I am and found it Quite disturbing at times too, to think that government departments could be so intrinsically linked to assassination and murder.
43 reviews1 follower
July 31, 2022
Excellent book

I found this book to be very well-written and very informative without being prejudicial. It lays out the facts and allows the reader to draw their own conclusions. I found it very interesting and intriguing and enjoyed reading it very much!
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207 reviews1 follower
May 9, 2025
The Kennedy Curse

This book is about the Kennedy family. The book is about the men in family. We will never know what happened to John, Robert and John Jr. was it a conspiracy. Did the mob, CIA, or FBI have them killed.
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135 reviews10 followers
June 18, 2020
Loved it

Great read, knowing little about the Kennedy’s this was very explanatory and easy to follow. Very good book, highly recommend
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