An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963
by Robert Dallek
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Book Summary Information
Author: Robert DallekEdition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-05
ISBN: 0316172383
Number of pages: 848
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company
Book Reviews of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963
Book Review: "An idealist without illusions"
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought "An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy 1917-1963" because of its author's stature as a scrupulously fair and highly literate historian and biographer. Robert Dallek, a Professor of History at Boston University, is well known for his scholarly works, and especially for his two-volume biography of President Lyndon Johnson (entitled "Lone Star Rising" and "Flawed Giant.") Because of Dallek's sterling reputation for objectivity, I figured that "An Unfinished Life" would be an excellent biography of JFK.
I was not disappointed. Of the four JFK biographies I've read over the years (now including "An Unfinished Life"), Dallek's book stands head and shoulders above the others in terms of detail, scholarship, and objectivity.
"An Unfinished Life" is an excellent and important new book about President John F. Kennedy. It may, in fact, be THE essential one-volume biography of JFK for those readers who value objectivity as a key quality in works of history and biography. It combines in one volume all the most pertinent facts about the life and political career of the 35th President of the United States, presented in a seamless and well-written, (although rather stylistically stuffy) narrative. True to his reputation for fairness and objectivity, Robert Dallek scrupulously avoids attempting to create new controversies about JFK; at the same time, he doesn't shy away from making negative judgments about Kennedy's decisions and actions when he feels those judgments are warranted.
The whole fabric of Dallek's book is based on sound research and upon well-known and documented facts. There are, however, two vitally important threads that run through "An Unfinished Life", which are based on new research and previously undocumented facts: his predilection for philandering, and serious chronic problems with his health.
The first thread, according to Dallek, has its roots in Kennedy's overall view of women. Even as an adolescent, Jack viewed women as objects to be used for his own gratification, much as his father did. Dallek presents a powerful case that young Jack was certainly aware of his father's many dalliances. Such behavior was actually encouraged among the wealthy families of the day, so it seemed perfectly normal. While he was in college and in the Navy, Jack's letters to friends are filled with references to his sexual exploits. Even after his marriage to Jacqueline Bouvier in 1953, Kennedy's dalliances continued... almost up to the day he died.
Kennedy's sexual appetite was also linked to the second important thread in "An Unfinished Life": his chronic health problems. From earliest childhood, Jack was chronically ill with a succession of extremely painful and life-threatening maladies that eluded doctors' attempts to diagnose and treat them. He was constantly in and out of hospitals with chronic stomach, colon, and prostate ailments, and severe lower back pain. He was treated with steroids that probably only made his back pain much worse. As he got older, his physical sufferings increased; in 1947, he was diagnosed with Addison's disease. Kennedy's illnesses imbued him with a strong fatalistic streak and an attitude that he might as well enjoy life's pleasures now, for tomorrow he may die.
As it became more apparent that he was on the road to the White House, Kennedy, his father, brother, and political advisors, all made a concerted effort to "cover up" JFK's ailments. They successfully painted him as a robust picture of youthful good health, beset only occasionally by back pain brought on my an old war injury. It was, in fact, a myth that lasted until well after Kennedy's death.
Overall, "An Unfinished Life" presents a positive picture of JFK. Dallek's overall judgment is that Kennedy was a successful President - perhaps even a near-"great" Chief Executive - because he was able to faithfully discharge the duties of his office during an especially difficult period in American history, despite having to contend with chronic health problems that would have defeated a lesser man. In Dallek's view, President John F. Kennedy was neither a "saint" nor a "sinner," but instead, was the "idealist without illusions" whose Presidency was marked by successes and failures in equal measure.
Read and enjoy!
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