True Compass

A Memoir

By: Edward M. Kennedy

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 18 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

The youngest of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, he came of age among siblings from whom much was expected. As a young man, he played a key role in the presidential campaign of his brother John F. Kennedy, recounted here in loving detail. In 1962 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he began a fascinating political education and became a legislator.

In this historic memoir, the late Ted Kennedy takes us inside his family, re-creating life with his parents and brothers and explaining their profound impact on him. For the first time, he describes his heartbreak and years of struggle in the wake of their deaths. Through it all, he describes his work in the Senate on the major issues of our time - civil rights, Vietnam, Watergate, the quest for peace in Northern Ireland - and the cause of his life: improved health care for all Americans, a fight influenced by his own experiences in hospitals.

His life was marked by tragedy and perseverance, a love of family, and an abiding faith. There have been controversies, too, and Kennedy addresses them with unprecedented candor.

At midlife, embattled and uncertain if he would ever fall in love again, he met the woman who changed his life, Victoria Reggie Kennedy. Facing a tough reelection campaign against an aggressive challenger named Mitt Romney, Kennedy found a new voice and began one of the great third acts in American politics, sponsoring major legislation, standing up for liberal principles, and making the pivotal endorsement of Barack Obama for president.

Hundreds of books have been written about the Kennedys. True Compass will endure as the definitive account from a member of America's most heralded family, an inspiring legacy to listeners and to history, and a deeply moving story of a life like no other.

Download the accompanying reference guide.

©2009 Edward M. Kennedy (P)2009 Hachette Audio

Best Autobiography

I see Ted Kennedy in a totally different light. He was a generous, thoughtful man who never made an excuse for his actions. I am grateful he told his story - I wish he had given this book to us earlier in his life. You will laugh cry. It is a must read!

The Whole Is Greater Than the Sum of Its Parts

What did you love best about True Compass?

Ted Kennedy gives us his recollections as best he can, striving to report his own failings while refusing to indulge in gossip. This is a hard line for a public figure to hew to and occasionally Kennedy tells us about his own decision-making process. He takes us into his life and into history. The result, to my thinking, is the revelation of a human being striving to be good. Ted Kennedy grows throughout his life. I'm the better for reading about his struggles and accomplishments.

Incredible Book

Enjoyed the family dedication and love Senator Kennedy wrote about as well as the honesty in discussing his life. I grew up with the Kennedy name in America and loved the human aspect this book gives to the family.

Outstanding and Informative

I've always been fascinated with the Kennedy family. I wasn't born when Jack or Bobby were still alive, so "Tedward", as my young self used to call him, held a special place in my heart. This book brought back those memories of sitting down and looking through a Kennedy photo book that I'd gotten for Christmas. It reminded me of why Ted was my favorite. Strong-willed and determined, he was a flawed man but didn't shy away from it. He was a lion of the Senate. The book had interesting factoids that I either didn't know or didn't remember, and I enjoyed learning more about him. (I also liked the tidbits about the Senate desks.) I really enjoyed this book and I think anyone interested in how the Senate works, the lives of the Kennedys or American politics/history will get something out of it. I definitely recommend it.

Grateful to hear his story on his own words

I have a much greater appreciation of Ted Kennedy having listened to this memoir. I was 9 years old when JFK was assassinated and 13 when RFK was assassinated. I had always sort of thought of Teddy as "the spare". This book has certainly made his life's work and the reasons for it clear in their own right. i now have a great appreciation for his moniker. The Lion of the Senate.

Poor Teddy

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

Yes - I think it's a good read

Would you be willing to try another book from Edward M. Kennedy? Why or why not?

Yes. He doesn't write great literature but it all seems very real and honest.

What aspect of John Bedford Lloyd???s performance would you have changed?

I thought someone with a more Bostonian accent would have told the story better.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No.

Any additional comments?

I admire Ted Kennedy's ability to take responsibility for all the dumb things he did.

Truly disappointing

When I write my autobiography, I'm going to pattern it after Ted Kennedy's book. My family will be honest, true, wonderful and without any faults, and I will have learned valuable lessons from every experience in life. I suppose that when the subject is Ted Kennedy, we will always feel as if he never is completely honest regarding some events; with his passing, I suppose we have to move beyond any lingering doubts. I hoped for more insight regarding Reagan, Clinton, and Bush, but again, he kept it safe. I did understand a bit more about his interest in healthcare, but overall I found the book a little too pristine.

Excellent book by Ted Kennedy

Would you consider the audio edition of True Compass to be better than the print version?

I have the book, but preferred to listen to the book.

What other book might you compare True Compass to and why?

I have quite a few Kennedy type books.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

He kept positive and moved on to the things that were important to him until the very end.

Memories of a Life Time ...

What did you love best about True Compass?

What impressed me most were the memories that came flooding back as I listened to the retelling of his life time. I couldn't help but be impressed with "the presence of the moment", as he rewound time and I began to relive so many of the times that we had shared from our different points of view. I had often wondered what he had thought ~ about this or that ~ then. Listening, the moments returned, greeted as if familiar forgotten friends, with an unexpected, "Oh yea...", tumbling from my lips. I had forgotten, I had wondered about that. The answers to those long ago questions brought mixtures of responses all the way from ~ just what I had thought - to unexpected surprises of things I never knew, things no one but he - could have known, each with still the sweetness of spending time becoming reacquainted with a long ago friend. If you are 'of an age' to remember the times that recorded his entrance on life's stage, you are likely to share some of the same experiences, regardless of your political persuasion.And regardless of when your time-line crosses his, there are things to learn ~ about being human. About surviving disasters. While being awed by an iron-will that refuses to give up hope, that persists to become a force of nature in-and-of-itself, that is a Life Fully and Well - Lived!

What other book might you compare True Compass to and why?

There must be, but I can't think of one.

Which character – as performed by John Bedford Lloyd – was your favorite?

The reading of this book ~ served as the voice of Ted Kennedy ~ well. I felt that Ted, was grateful upon hearing it in heaven.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes.

Any additional comments?

I will listen to this book again. While it renewed the loss of his passing, it also refreshed my faith in the possibility living within the human spirit, which always seemed to me, to be the message, those happy band of brothers, strove to demonstrate, to engender and to lead.

Very Interesting

First let me say, I am a Republican. I was interested to hear Kennedy's views of historical events in which he was so closely involved. This book did not disappoint, even as his political views were quite irritating to me. I found his inside "scoop" on the different presidents enlightening, although they are quite liberally skewed (as you might expect). The narrator was wonderful. He spoke so naturally, I kept thinking it was Kennedy speaking, then I would realize it was not.