Synopsis
Somebody once asked John F. Kennedy how he became a war hero. "It was easy," he replied. "They sank my boat." JFK's adventure aboard PT-109 in the Second World War is fairly well-known. Kennedy's boat did indeed sink in the Pacific, but it was his able leadership that helped his men survive in dangerous waters and then on a deserted island. This episode comprises only a sliver of Edward J. Renehan Jr.'s story of the Kennedy family at war. Father Joe Kennedy, who was FDR's isolationist ambassador to Great Britain, looms over much of the book, especially the first half. JFK's older brother, Joe Jr., was also involved in the war; when he died on a bombing raid, the family's political aspirations shifted onto Jack. (Sisters Kathleen and Rosemary also receive due attention.) Renehan provides a fascinating glimpse at how the central event of the 20th century shaped one of America's great dynasties. He disputes a few previous interpretations--he says JFK's book Why England Slept became a bestseller because of its merits rather than his father's eagerness to buy multiple copies. What emerges is a clear picture of the future president as a young man and a story of how a war changed He "looked at life and the world in a new and unique way, operating from a perspective he could not have previously imagined." The Kennedys at War is a welcome addition to a crowded field of Kennedy books and highly recommended for anybody interested in this fascinating family. --John Miller
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