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bargainsleuth's review against another edition
5.0
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I can’t believe it’s been fifteen years since this book first came out and I bought it and devoured it. At the time, it was the 40th anniversary of Robert F Kennedy’s groundbreaking and ultimately tragic run for the presidency. I decided to revisit the book, because a lot has changed in our society in the past 15 years, yet some things remain the same.
Clarke details RFK’s campaign for the presidency and doesn’t necessarily rehash Kennedy’s whole life. He just hits upon key information without a lot of backstory. I was glad of that, because it seems many Kennedy biographies focus too much on what came before, concentrating on Joe Kennedy and then eventually getting to his children.
I can’t imagine what it was like living in 1968 America. I’ve asked my husband, who was a young teen in those days, and he said he had much hope for Kennedy’s campaign. He knew that if Kennedy could get elected, the war in Vietnam would end, that civil rights would become more important, that poverty in America would be addressed. Instead, the country wound up with a corrupt politician who took his sweet time ending the war, and never addressed the issues Kennedy brought to the forefront of the ’68 campaign.
As good as this book is at looking at those short months when change seemed possible, there’s bitter sadness knowing how it all ended, much like reading books about RFK’s brother, John. Clarke shows how invigorating and groundbreaking Robert Kennedy’s campaign was, completely different than the 1960 election that he ran for his brother, because the country had changed so much in those eight short years. And I couldn’t help reflect upon how different our political landscape has changed in the past 15 years, and yet it also hasn’t changed much since 1968 at the same time.
I can’t believe it’s been fifteen years since this book first came out and I bought it and devoured it. At the time, it was the 40th anniversary of Robert F Kennedy’s groundbreaking and ultimately tragic run for the presidency. I decided to revisit the book, because a lot has changed in our society in the past 15 years, yet some things remain the same.
Clarke details RFK’s campaign for the presidency and doesn’t necessarily rehash Kennedy’s whole life. He just hits upon key information without a lot of backstory. I was glad of that, because it seems many Kennedy biographies focus too much on what came before, concentrating on Joe Kennedy and then eventually getting to his children.
I can’t imagine what it was like living in 1968 America. I’ve asked my husband, who was a young teen in those days, and he said he had much hope for Kennedy’s campaign. He knew that if Kennedy could get elected, the war in Vietnam would end, that civil rights would become more important, that poverty in America would be addressed. Instead, the country wound up with a corrupt politician who took his sweet time ending the war, and never addressed the issues Kennedy brought to the forefront of the ’68 campaign.
As good as this book is at looking at those short months when change seemed possible, there’s bitter sadness knowing how it all ended, much like reading books about RFK’s brother, John. Clarke shows how invigorating and groundbreaking Robert Kennedy’s campaign was, completely different than the 1960 election that he ran for his brother, because the country had changed so much in those eight short years. And I couldn’t help reflect upon how different our political landscape has changed in the past 15 years, and yet it also hasn’t changed much since 1968 at the same time.
sarabchard's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing, intimate portrait - such potential, could have been the best president the United States ever saw.
bryan8063's review
4.0
Reviewers have charged Clarke with hero worship regarding his subject RFK. I can understand that, but I think the book is more even handed though. Clarke presents his flaws and RFK's preferred method of campaigning: to the crowds. This methods was effective, but not all the time. I think RFK could have been a more well rounded campaigner if he was more comfortable with TV and working the suburbs.
One thing sticks with me: the power of RFK's message and conviction, a politician that really said was on his mind. We just don't see that anymore.
One thing sticks with me: the power of RFK's message and conviction, a politician that really said was on his mind. We just don't see that anymore.
rcthomas's review against another edition
5.0
This book is clearly the authority on Kennedy's campaign. It clearly details the issues, the events, the speeches, everything that could come into play during a campaign for the presidency. I think what struck me most is, beyond the message that Kennedy tried so hard to bring to the American people, the way in which Kennedy's campaign was really the last campaign of its kind and not just the last campaign Kennedy ever undertook. The changes between his campaign and those we see today are striking to say the least. I also have to applaud this book for the way it handles the final days of Kennedy's life and reviews what could have been. Thurston Clarke's work is a must have for anyoneinterested in the topic of RFK.
mscoutj's review against another edition
4.0
A really in-depth look at the 82 days of RFK's1968 Presidential campaign. Full of heartening and beart-breaking anecdotes. All the more heartbreaking because you know how it will all end...