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A review by mcallima
Listening in: The Secret White House Recordings of John F. Kennedy [With CD (Audio)] by Caroline Kennedy, Ted Widmer
4.0
This book is incredible and revealing. The President is the highest, most prestigious official in our country, and we really know so little about what happens behind the scenes. This book offers the American people a glimpse at those tense, turbulent, emotional, moments. We get to see and understand how a president thought and felt, and the inner workings of the decision making.
In the introduction, Widmer wrote, " After so many words have been written about John F. Kennedy, it feels right to let him speak for himself. This is the closest to an autobiography we will ever get" (p. 5). We know so much historically about the Kennedy presidency, we know the timeline of fateful events, but this books shows us, in Kennedy's own words, his thoughts, feelings, worries decisions, frustrations, and celebrations. It is the humanity behind the presidency.
And in so many ways, the issues of 1961-1963 are still relevant today. Kennedy tackle Civil Rights, Communism, space exploration, foreign relations. In the chapter "The Burden and the Glory," Widmer writes, "...Kennedy cautioned Americans against seeking comfort in the 'safe mediocrity of the past,' and he certainly would not have wanted readers to attack the problems of the twenty first century by repeating the well-worn catchphrases of an earlier generation. But perhaps by asking Americans to deepen their acquaintance with the issues, and to renew their commitment to talk with one another, as the participants in these converstaions do so well, these tapes will serve a new purpose that he never intended. That would be worthy of the final legacy of John F. Kennedy; not to romanticize his time, but to embrace and engage with our own" (p. 270).
In the introduction, Widmer wrote, " After so many words have been written about John F. Kennedy, it feels right to let him speak for himself. This is the closest to an autobiography we will ever get" (p. 5). We know so much historically about the Kennedy presidency, we know the timeline of fateful events, but this books shows us, in Kennedy's own words, his thoughts, feelings, worries decisions, frustrations, and celebrations. It is the humanity behind the presidency.
And in so many ways, the issues of 1961-1963 are still relevant today. Kennedy tackle Civil Rights, Communism, space exploration, foreign relations. In the chapter "The Burden and the Glory," Widmer writes, "...Kennedy cautioned Americans against seeking comfort in the 'safe mediocrity of the past,' and he certainly would not have wanted readers to attack the problems of the twenty first century by repeating the well-worn catchphrases of an earlier generation. But perhaps by asking Americans to deepen their acquaintance with the issues, and to renew their commitment to talk with one another, as the participants in these converstaions do so well, these tapes will serve a new purpose that he never intended. That would be worthy of the final legacy of John F. Kennedy; not to romanticize his time, but to embrace and engage with our own" (p. 270).