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Title: A Question of Character: A Life of John F. Kennedy by THOMAS REEVES ISBN: 0-7615-1287-X Publisher: Prima Lifestyles Pub. Date: 10 December, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.17 (12 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A Good Amount of Detail
Comment: The title of the book says it all, A Question of Character. This is one author's attempt at looking at the political life of President John F. Kennedy's, before and during his time in the White House. It details the differences in what the spin is and the private life that is described as being close to Hugh Hefner's. We also get a very detailed and for me, somewhat troubling, view of the constant controls his father, Joe Kennedy's had of JFK throughout his career. Not that comforting given the somewhat dubious reputation of Joe.
The author came close to a Kitty Kelly sex scandal tell all, but did not completely let himself drop that low. I thought the author was almost sad to be telling me, the reader, some of the less then faltering truths here. Almost if he was a firm believer in Camelot and this book and research pained him. Overall this is a well-written book that has some interesting conclusions. The author could have spent more time on the domestic policies and international issues that faced JFK to make the account better rounded. I do not think it is the one-volume definitive story of JFK, but it is a very good start.
Rating: 5
Summary: Character Does Count
Comment: To those who want to get past the hype and drivel, Reeve's well written and researched book makes a convincing case that yes, character does matter. The argument that John Kennedy was a great, but flawed, leader is shown by Reeves to be erroneous. The seeds of the Bay of Pigs disaster was sown in Kennedy's youth. PT-109, interestingly, was the first and only PT boat ever rammed by an enemy destroyer. Not on a foggy night with the men topside, but in clear weather and daylight, with Kennedy and his men below decks sleeping and swapping war stories.
"My story about the collision is getting better all the time," Kennedy told a friend after launching his political career. "Now I've got a Jew and a Nigg-- in the story and with me being a Catholic, that's great."
Kennedy's bringing the U.S. to the brink of war was typical of the disasters he'd made in his personal and military life. The real reason the Soviets put missiles in Cuba was because of U.S. missiles in Turkey. School children are seldom taught that the U.S. had to withdraw its nukes from Turkey in exchange for the Soviets "backing down" in the Western Hemisphere.
From the Kennedys' dealings with the mob to the wiretaps of Martin Luther King, Jr., the fact that Kennedy could not remain faithful in a marital relationship is hardly a dichotomy in leadership.
So yes, Virginia, character does count. Now and in the latter part of the 1990s. Those who say it doesn't are probably also lacking in this area.
Rating: 1
Summary: A Question of Reeve's Motives
Comment: Emotive language, ridiculous assumptions, damning with faint praise--it's all in this book. Thomas C. Reeves fancies himself a historical biographer. He couldn't be more wrong. He's a muck-racker, a false accuser, an executioner of someone who was already murdered. This is character assassination at its worst. The Kennedy estate should sue this writer's pants off.
He claims that JFK was a speed addict and that his doctor was shooting up both John and Jackie with 'speed-balls' to the point where they were both addicted. But they had good company, Reeves explains--because their doctor himself was an addict!
If you read carefully, you'll find that every damaging statement is carefully worded and qualified so that if he were to be sued, Reeves could claim that he only wrote that "it appeared that..." or "many believed that..." or "it was as if..." or "they were probably..." He could claim he didn't write that they *were* this way or that they *did* do this.
If you want to read an excellent book on JFK, try Robert Dallek's 'An Unfinished Life.' Immaculately researched and beautifully written, Dallek paints a realistic and accurate portrait of this country's 35th President.
But skip Reeves. This book is a waste of time and money.
If I could give it zero stars, I would have chosen that. One star is way too generous.
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Title: The Dark Side of Camelot by Seymour M. Hersh ISBN: 0316360678 Publisher: Back Bay Books Pub. Date: 01 September, 1998 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: A Thousand Days: John F. Kennedy in the White House by Jr., Arthur M. Schlesinger ISBN: 0618219277 Publisher: Mariner Books Pub. Date: 03 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $17.00 |
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Title: PRESIDENT KENNEDY: PROFILE OF POWER by Richard Reeves ISBN: 0671892894 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 01 November, 1994 List Price(USD): $22.00 |
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Title: JFK: Reckless Youth by Nigel Hamilton ISBN: 0679748806 Publisher: Random House Pub. Date: 01 November, 1993 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 by Robert Dallek ISBN: 0316172383 Publisher: Little, Brown Pub. Date: 13 May, 2003 List Price(USD): $30.00 |
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