Kennedy Books

I have a particular bias because I know the author well, and have seen him work at his craft. His attention to detail and accuracy is incredible, but even better is his ability to weave several complex sub-plots together without losing the strength of any of them. Good character development, good plot lines -- almost the real thing...

This is a good account of a complex intrigue involving foreign money laundering and the American political process. Set principally in Washington DC, Stevens exhibits a stunning ability to show how the "real" world of politics and money actually works. His characters are well developed, his weaving of sub-plots is extraordinary, and a surprise ending, literally on the last page (don't peek!) reflect the author's ability to hold the reader until the last moment. By the way, Stevens has an even later one out, "Kara's Game", which is even better.

For my senior project paper I chose to do the pictures and film of the kennedy assassination. This book helped a lot, and best of all it was not a boring to read. Read this book if you want to know more about the assassintion, or doing a project. Very good. The book by the way has much more information that this on the subject.

While I thought this book was worthwhile in many respects (I am mentioned on several pages, as well), ULTIMATE SACRIFICE is simply the best book ever on the JFK assassination. Still, very much worth your time. That said, Livingstone's crowning achievements are his "High Treason 2" and "The Radical Right..."

Vince Palamara-JFK/ Secret Service expert (History Channel, author of two books, in over 30 other author's books, etc.)
Pittsburgh, PA

BEST JFK ASSASSINATION BOOK: ULTIMATE SACRIFICE
BEST JFK SECRET SERVICE BOOK: SURVIVOR'S GUILT BY YOURS TRULY :)

A student of one of America's most beloved poets, Robert Frost, the young James Hayford was a native of Vermont. It was at Amherst College that he studied with Frost who became more than a teacher to him. Frost believed in Hayford and offered him $1,000 if he would stay in American and spend his time writing poetry. In 1935 that amount of money was enough for Hayford to live on for a whole year, and he accepted. We're grateful that he did for he has left the world a treasure of poems about New England, capturing its beauty and its hardships.

"Knee-Deep In Blazing Snow," a collection especially edited for young readers, covers the four seasons of the year beginning with Summer and "Hay-Jumpers": "When hay was put in loose, We jumpers had our use...." A reminder of the fun youngsters had jumping in the hay.

Autumn is heralded with "Night Milking Time" and Winter with "First Snow":

"Blanketing fields that lately were bare brown,
Let this soft midnight snow brings blessings down
On all the people in the little town."

Special pleasure is found in reading Hayford's poems aloud and, of course, the talented Michael McCurdy's woodcuts are the perfect accompaniment to this collection subtitled "Growing Up In Vermont."

- Gail Cooke

This gentle book of poetry is wonderful and would make a good gift for anyone fond of New England and the outdoors, be they child or adult. James Hayford was encouraged by meeting Robert Frost when young, and went on to be an evocative, if unjustly overlooked, poet. The title of the book suggests his grasp of imagery, and skilful rhyme and meter predominate throughout. In the Frost tradition, Hayford's style is not flowery, but simple and direct. In four sections (one devoted to each season, as expertly selected by the book's editors), he celebrates the simple joys of jumping in hay, spotting wildlife, playing in snow, trains in the distance, etc. Gorgeous black and white scratchboard illustrations by Michael McCurdy add to the quiet enjoyment.

Written by one of the truest exponents of this martial philosophy, this book stands out amongst others in its clarity. Geoffroi De Charny was a veteran of the Hundred Years War, he died in battle at Poitier. Although a tragic end, De Charny most certainly perceived this the idealized conclusion to a life in arms. To his contemporaries, De Charny was the embodiment of the code of conduct upon which he expounded so thoroughly in these pages.
In this manual of Chivalry, De Charny begins by defining a "scale of valor", a standard for prowess in battle. We receive an insight into the Medieval perception of what combat experiences warranted the greatest honor, beginning with demonstation of one's skill at Tournament, in local wars, in wars abroad, and ultimately in search of the most honorable course of action.
Divided into a succession of brief articles on various subjects of morality, good and bad virtues, and responsible conduct, this text is not only an historical insight into Medieval ideals, but a worthy guideline for our own age.

A serious student of military history realizes that not all warriors adhered to the commonly held idealized higher standards of their profession, for their time and place. Real people are more complex than that. Some did indeed make such achievement. Some sincerely tried, ...but failed. Comparing the known record of deeds long ago, with more recent events, we will always find examples where our ancestors surpassed us, ...and where we have surpassed our ancestors. We need a revival of Chivalric conduct in our own time. A fighting-man without honor is often capable of any action, ...except the right action.

I am currently reading this book for a Graduate seminar in gender and sexuality in the middle ages. The topic bores me to death, yet, this source is entertaining in a variety of ways. First, its a primary source so it is not riddled with feminist/activist arguments. It is simply a handbook from a medieval knight on how a perfect knight or men-at-arms should act. Though several pieces have insight into gender issues in the middle ages, it certainly gives the modern audience of what medieval (at least 1) knights viewed as proper behavior. Charny also speaks on how a ruler (king, lord, etc) should work within society. If your interested in medieval thought this is certainly a good book to read. If your into medieval military history this source may be helpful, yet I will warn you that it is nothing like The Art of War by Machiavelli. Your not going to find pages of military thought and strategic theories. However, if you are interested in the subject I advise you to read it, if anything you will grasp a little understanding of the individual knight or warrior through De Charny's eyes.

My almost-four-year-old loves all things space: Star Trek, space shuttles, Apollo 13, etc. I've tried to impress upon him that space isn't just "in the movies," but that someday, he, too, could be an astronaut...that people, have in fact, already "boldly gon where no one has gone before." This book proved an excellent vehicle for helping him understand that. While the language is too complicated for a four-year-old, he enjoys the meticulous paintings of the space shuttle's journey, from the Vehicle Assembly Building to the launch pad, then to space and back. An added bonus: He had seen paintings of the space shuttle in the exhibit halls at Kennedy Space Center, and wanted to "take them home." With the paintings in this book...he can do just that.

I really liked this book because it gave a lot of detail about the actual launch of the space shuttle, but not in technical terms, so kids could understand it

This was one of the best books I have ever read. It is very thought provoking. It is frightening when you realize the decline in the morality of our nation. This book has changed my thinking. I am not as complacent as I was. I am not going to sit by and wait for the someone else to make a difference. I intend to live my life as a woman of integrity. With God's help, I will make a difference . . one life at a time. I believe that if you read this book, it will make you a better person.

This is a great book. James Kennedy is used by God to spread His life saving message.

Born after his death on the opposite side of Pacific, I cannot clearly imagine what America had been like during administration of JFK.

Soviet Union threatning US with nuclear missiles stationed in Cuba. Black young men actually denied to enter his university. West Berlin in blockade. Ok, it's impossible for us to compare difficulties of those with the threats today's US faces but for sure the one of JFK's can never have been easy.

One of the greatest abilities (personalities) in JFK is to encourage people, in their difficult times, with his absolute power, vitality and sincereity of abundance. As Sorensen pointed out, perhaps sometimes his words conveyed messages of what was beyond or above people, couldn't be achieved as it's simply too difficult.

Nevertheless in my opinion, statesmen have to tell LONG vision, things people don't want to hear but need to while politicians merely telling what people want to hear. He's supposed to have made "a step" in many subjects, which later leads to one "thousand miles" as he always said.

Recently I watched movie "13 days" and, very impressed with his decisiveness, I just happened to want to go through his speeches all over again to have bumped into this book on Amazon.com. With it in mind that the author, Ted Sorensen, was a speech writer of JFK, I believed this was the one. I wasn't wrong.

The book is very organized, subject by subject, which makes it easy to find what you need in this book although I read this from cover to cover. With statements and interviews included, let alone all important speeches, you can have a clear picture for creeds of JFK's.

Far more complicated and different as is the current world, simple and direct application of his wisdom might be not so realistic but, again, his power, vitality, sincerity and whatever are all in this book, which definitely moved world citizens at that time, and for sure could, in our time.

It might be different from reader to reader or from his social position to position, what impression you'll have from this book. One thing for sure is you'll find SOMETHING impressive, this I guarantee.

I, for one, am proud of this book being in my shelf from now on. Unfortunatelly the book seems to be out of stock for now, so just pick it up in market place, hard-cover version recommended, it endures.

Whether you love John F. Kennedy or hate him, "Let the Word Go Forth" is a rewarding read for anyone interested in the 35th President or the America from which we are not very far removed. This book consists of excerpts from over 100 speeches made by John F. Kennedy during his political life. These is not a collection of quotations but a public career as portrayed in largely and totally complete speeches and statements. In these pages we are reminded of the lofty ideals, the wit and, a bit of the parochial politician which was John F. Kennedy.

For me, much of the value in this book lies not in what it tells us of Kennedy, but what it tells us about the country in which he lived. The things which were said, and which did not need to be said, and the language used tell us of an America different from the one in which we live today. To illustrate this I will discuss four of the speeches.

We begin with the Inaugural Address, probably Kennedy's most famous statement. The speech, which gave us several remembered lines, the most famous of which is "Ask not what your country can do for you,-ask what you can do for your country" is most notable for what it does not say. Read this speech from start to finish and you will find no mention of social security, health care, education, poverty, civil rights, highways or any of the domestic concerns which have held such center stage in recent public debate. It deals exclusively of foreign policy. What President since Kennedy would start his administration which such a challenge?

The second speech to which I would direct the reader's attention is the address to the Houston Ministerial Alliance on September 12, 1960. The purpose of the speech was to refute allegations that a Catholic would have a divided loyalty or would be subject to orders from the church hierarchy. The way in which Kennedy responded to the problem is felt by many to have done a great disservice to Catholic politicians. It is believed that Kennedy established the standard that, in order to be considered for office, Catholic candidates must establish that their religious beliefs will not be a factor in their decision making process. At the end of the speech, Kennedy was specifically confronted with a request that he request approval from the Vatican for his statement supporting the separation of church and state. What politician since then has been confronted with such a question?

The third speech to be considered is entitled "The City Upon a Hill" and was given to the Massachusetts legislature on January 9, 1961. In this speech Kennedy draws on the history of Massachusetts in establishing the code of conduct for those serving the Commonwealth. He lists four questions by which public servants will be judged: "were we men of courage...were we men of judgement...were we truly men of integrity...were we men of dedication." As one reads these stirring question with their elaborations, a realization dawns on the reader: There were no women in the Massachusetts legislature in 1961. I am sure that the wording would be different today.

The last speech which I would suggest for consideration is the acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention, entitled "The Opening of the New Frontier." I bring this speech up because of the oft stated lament that the public is losing its sense of history, its ability to relate current conditions to conditions of the past in order to help us separate the principle from the pragmatism and the important from the trivial. In that speech, the nominee tells his listeners: "just as historians tell us that Richard I was not fit to fill the shoes of bold Henry II-and that Richard Cromwell was not fit to wear the mantle of his uncle {sic}-they might add in future years that Richard Nixon did not measure to the footsteps of Dwight D. Eisenhower." Overlooking the fact that Richard Cromwell succeeded his father and not his uncle, what contemporary candidate would trust his listeners to understand the reference to long gone English leaders? Is it the draining of the general fund of knowledge of our citizens which has lowered the level of our public discourse from the deep, rich speech of the Kennedy era to the shallow sound bites of today?

At the conclusion of "Let the Word Go Forth" one has a greater respect for the communication skills of our 35th President and an appreciation for the things which we, as a society have gained, and a longing for the things which we have lost.

I find this book to be a very good resource. In addition it is very vell organized and easy to read. A very good book for students and people with a general interest in the subject.

(One error I did find was that Albert Speer's name was left off the list of defendants at the first Nuremberg trial on pages 927 and 928)

This is a very attractive and extensive survey of World War II. It should be invaluable to the student of the period, enlightening to the history enthusiast, and an important reference work for scholars. It has an emphasis on the American experience overall, but adequately covers the relative involvements of all the major national powers (and many minor ones) from the level of private citizens and front-line soldiers, to the generals and leaders of states. There are discussions of individual combat weapons and machines as well as the composition, strategy and movement of entire armed forces. Topics are liberally illustrated with photographs and artwork, and supported with many letters, personal experiences (such as those collected from the Veterans History Project), maps, charts, statistics, and quantitative analyses to help the reader absorb the information.

The text is concise and easy to read, and includes a 35 page index and well organized chapter headings to help the reader search out topics of interest. At the end of each chapter, the authors have compiled principle sources and further reading.

Overall, this is quite a comprehensive survey (at 942 pages of text), of a topic of profound importance. Highly recommended.

If you've read Rose Kennedy's autobiography you'll definately want to read this too for another look. This is written by a former secretary of Rose's starting around 1974 (just after her autobiography was written). It's both interesting and comical.

For instance I was shocked to read the state of their Palm Beach Florida house had fallen into - it sounds like a disaster as no one seemed to have the responsiblity to maintain it (shredded curtains, everything old and dirty etc) but this is not how one thinks the Kennedy's live particularly Rose. And with only one overworked cook/maid/allaround at each home (Maine & Florida) but all the Kennedy children visiting and making demands just as if there was still the staff that there probably had been when they were growing up.

Also I was surprised at some of the Kennedy children & families behavior. For instance the author mentions when she introduced herself to Sargent Shriver (Eunice Kennedy's husband and father to Maria Shriver) as Rose's new secretary, he replied to her, laadeedaa, rather unpleasantly.

It's quick and easy reading and seems want to present things in a fair manner. It's very entertaining and one sees that even with all that money and power it doesn't mean that your life will be well ordered and just how you like it, like you think it would be if you had it all.

WOW... I just borrowed this book from my aunt and what a nice peice to read. Sadly, they don't print any more copies of it. It really is to bad because now i just have to keep her copy.

A very in depth study of the Name of Jesus. An excellent study for serious students of the Bible. A ton of information packed in here!

This book is another another excellent interactive Bible study by one of the best Bible teachers. Dean examines the I AM statements from the book of John and connects them to God's Old Testament name, I AM. Then she helps the reader understand the authority and power he or she has in Jesus' name. I highly recommend this book for individual or small group studies.