Rosemary, Kate Clifford Larson
Rosemary, Kate Clifford Larson
19 Rating(s)
List: $19.95 | Sale: $13.97
Club: $9.97

Rosemary
The Hidden Kennedy Daughter

Bestseller

Author: Kate Clifford Larson

Narrator: Bernadette Dunne

Unabridged: 7 hr 44 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 10/06/2015


Synopsis

They were the most prominent American family of the twentieth century. The daughter they secreted away made all the difference.Joe and Rose Kennedy’s strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary attended exclusive schools, was presented as a debutante to the queen of England, and traveled the world with her high-spirited sisters. And yet, Rosemary was intellectually disabled—a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family.Major new sources—Rose Kennedy’s diaries and correspondence, school and doctors’ letters, and exclusive family interviews—bring Rosemary to life as a girl adored but left far behind by her competitive siblings. Kate Larson reveals both the sensitive care Rose and Joe gave to Rosemary and then, as the family’s standing reached an apex, the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly intractable in her early twenties. Finally, Larson illuminates Joe’s decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three and the family’s complicity in keeping the secret.Rosemary delivers a profoundly moving coda: JFK visited Rosemary for the first time while campaigning in the Midwest; she had been living isolated in a Wisconsin institution for nearly twenty years. Only then did the siblings understand what had happened to Rosemary and bring her home for loving family visits. It was a reckoning that inspired them to direct attention to the plight of the disabled, transforming the lives of millions.

About Kate Clifford Larson

Kate Clifford Larson is the author of the critically acclaimed biographies Bound for the Promised Land: Harriet Tubman, Portrait of an American Hero and The Assassin’s Accomplice: Mary Surratt and the Plot to Kill Abraham Lincoln. She has been a consultant and interpretive specialist for numerous museum and public history initiatives, focusing on the lives and contributions of women in the making of our national identity.

About Bernadette Dunne

Bernadette Dunne is the winner of numerous AudioFile Earphones Awards and has twice been nominated for the prestigious Audie Award. She studied at the Royal National Theatre in London and the Studio Theater in Washington, DC, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center and off Broadway.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Miranda

The stigma of mental illness is still alive and well. When you hear "the Kennedys" you think of JFK, Jackie-O and so much more - but what about Rosemary? If you haven't heard of the eldest Kennedy daughter, then you aren't alone. Rosemary wasa dirty skeletonin that prestigious family's closet......more

Rosemary was the daughter of Joe and Rose Kennedy. She had an intellectual disability due to oxygen deprivation at birth. Her mood swings and aggression were sadly not acceptable to her family. They forced her to undergo frontal lobotomy when she was just 23 years old. She was sent to live in m......more

Goodreads review by Katie

I'm glad I finally got around to reading this book because for the most part it did a good job separating fact from rumors and misconception. Due to family secrecy and lost or redacted papers, we might not ever know the full story. However, this book is about as thorough and well-researched look we......more


Quotes

“The forgotten Kennedy is forgotten no longer…A book about the Kennedys that has something new to say.” Laurence Leamer, New York Times bestselling author

“It is Rosemary herself who shines from the pages of this profoundly revealing family story.” Marya Hornbacher, New York Times bestselling author

“Heartbreaking.” Wall Street Journal

“Compelling psychological, socia,l and political insight.” More magazine

“Larson deploys excerpts in heart-rending fashion, showing a sweet, insecure girl who was desperate to please…She has produced a valuable account of mental health tragedy and an influential family’s belated efforts to make amends.” New York Times Book Review

“A heartbreaking book that makes clear the pain and passion behind the Kennedy family’s efforts on behalf of the disabled.” BBC.com

“Riveting…fascinating…compelling.” Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“Narrator Bernadette Dunne delivers the author’s examination of a privileged life gone horribly wrong…Compassion for Rosemary’s strength to survive and her inspiring effect on her brothers and sisters is evident in Dunne’s performance. Winner of the AudioFile Earphones Award.” AudioFile

“A well-researched biography.” BookPage

“Engrossing…This expertly researched work offers a candid examination of a once-forgotten member of one of America’s most famous families.” Library Journal


Awards

  • Amazon Best Book of the Month
  • BookPage Best Book
  • People Magazine Best Book
  • AudioFile Earphones Award