Robert Kennedy
His Life

Name: Robert Kennedy
Brand: Blackstone Audiobooks
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5 (1 reviews)
Author: Evan Thomas
ISBN: 9781483075525

Author: Evan Thomas

Narrator: Ray Porter

Unabridged: 18 hr 14 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Published: 01/01/2006

Categories: Nonfiction, Biography & Autobiography, Political Biography, Historical Biography

Synopsis

Traditionally, Robert F. Kennedy has been viewed as either the “Good Bobby,” who saw wrong and tried to right it, or the “Bad Bobby” of countless conspiracy theories, the ruthless and manipulative bully who plotted with the Mafia to kill Castro and lusted after Marilyn Monroe. Evan Thomas’ achievement is to realize RFK as a human being, to bring to life an extraordinarily complex man who was at once kind and cruel, devious and honest, fearful and brave.The portrait that emerges is unvarnished but sympathetic, packed with new details about Kennedy’s early life and his behind-the-scenes machinations: his involvement in a cheating incident in prep school, his first attempt at romance, and his many back-channel political operations—with new revelations about the 1960 and 1968 presidential campaigns, the Cuban Missile Crisis, and his long struggles with J. Edgar Hoover and Lyndon Johnson, both of whom were subtly and not-so-subtly trying to blackmail the Kennedys. In a clear and fast-paced narrative, Thomas cuts through the mythology to reveal a character who, though he died young just as he was reaching for ultimate power, remains one of the century’s most fascinating men.

About Evan Thomas

Evan Thomas is the author of several bestselling works of history and biography, including The War Lovers and Sea of Thunder. He was a writer and editor at Time and Newsweek for more than thirty years, and he is frequently a commentator on television and radio. He teaches at Princeton University and lives in Washington, DC.

About Ray Porter

Ray Porter is an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator and fifteen-year veteran of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. He has appeared in numerous films and television shows, including Almost Famous, ER, and Frasier.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Andrew on January 11, 2025

Having previously read An Unfinished Life John F. Kennedy: 1917-1963 I have to say it was excellent preparation for this book. If you’re starting from scratch on the Kennedy clan, I'd go as far as to say it's essential pre-reading. The JFK bio provides much of the family background missing from thi......more

Goodreads review by Nemo ☠️ (pagesandprozac) on September 26, 2017

excerpts from two RFK speeches that never fail to make me shed a tear: "It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple......more

Goodreads review by Joe on December 04, 2018

DISAPPOINTING The life and times of Robert Kennedy beg for a coherent and in depth book, unfortunately this is not it. Living in the shadow of his presidential brother, the shadow of his oldest brother killed in WWII and the all encompassing shadow of his father, RFK was able to chisel out an identit......more

Goodreads review by Lucas on June 02, 2019

My favorite period in Brazilian history is between the years of 1945 and 1964. The so-called Third Republic is an epoch of a deep political fight which revealed our nation in its more crude fashion. I’m increasingly convinced that the 1960s display a similar role in American history. Racial issues,......more

Quotes

“This judicious and thorough book is likely to be the most comprehensive and balanced study of the life and career of Robert F. Kennedy for a long time to come.” New York Times Book Review

“An assured, gripping new biography…Thomas’ book is exemplary.” Chicago Tribune

“Thomas’ book sheds new light on a man—and an era and a family—about whom Americans will probably never know the whole truth.” Publishers Weekly

“Ray Porter’s authoritative voice is well suited to Thomas’ meticulously researched biography…In sync with Thomas’ text, Porter’s narration is simultaneously matter-of-fact and reverent. For Kennedy fans and political history buffs, this biography delivers.” AudioFile

“Gracefully written, thoroughly researched, and accessible…Vividly reveals a very human Kennedy…Highly recommended.” Library Journal

“Friends and foes have spun enough myths about RFK to bewilder the casual reader; Thomas sets out to examine the evidence…A solid, judicious life of a politician whose tragic death inspired a generation of what-if history.” Booklist

“Thomas’ large, comprehensive biography of this complicated man is refreshingly unbiased. RFK is presented as a person, not an icon…Ray Porter reads with the precision that comes from his training at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival…Highly recommended.” Library Journal (starred audio review)