• America's Reluctant Prince

  • The Life of John F. Kennedy Jr.
  • By: Steven M. Gillon
  • Narrated by: Tim Andrés Pabon
  • Length: 18 hrs and 24 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (277 ratings)

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America's Reluctant Prince  By  cover art

America's Reluctant Prince

By: Steven M. Gillon
Narrated by: Tim Andrés Pabon
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Publisher's summary

A New York Times best seller

A major new biography of John F. Kennedy Jr. from a leading historian who was also a close friend, America’s Reluctant Prince is a deeply researched, personal, surprising, and revealing portrait of the Kennedy heir the world lost too soon.

Through the lens of their decades-long friendship and including exclusive interviews and details from previously classified documents, noted historian and New York Times best-selling author Steven M. Gillon examines John F. Kennedy Jr.’s life and legacy from before his birth to the day he died. Gillon covers the highs, the lows, and the surprising incidents, viewpoints, and relationships that John never discussed publicly, revealing the full story behind JFK Jr.'s complicated and rich life. In the end, Gillon proves that John’s life was far more than another tragedy - rather, it’s the true key to understanding both the Kennedy legacy and how America’s first family continues to shape the world we live in today.

©2019 Steven M. Gillon (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“[Gillon] reveals a JFK Jr. more complex, more introspective, and more human than the world ever knew.” (People)

“A brisk and engaging read.... A fond and admiring adieu to a friend.” (The Boston Globe)

“This deeply researched biography from the History Channel scholar in residence flows like a novel.... Readers fascinated by the Kennedys will be delighted by this captivating biography.” (Library Journal, starred review)

What listeners say about America's Reluctant Prince

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

Another “close friend” account

Save your credits or money. I realized by the end of part 1 (out of two) that this book is just rehashed history and to make it even worse, much of it has little to do with JFK Jr.

The author starts by telling us how close he and John were. After hearing this audio book, I the author may have been a friend but they weren’t as close as claimed. There is so much hamburger helper in this book. A lot of known history about the Kennedy family is used to fluff up a book that is supposed to be about JFK Jr.

Hours of this book are devoted simply to the times John grew up in and the Kennedy clan. I really did not have any interest in how many miscarriages Jacqueline Kennedy had, which hospitals she was raced to, what John’s birth weight was, that John’s father was not faithful to Jackie, the naval blockade of Cuba, Robert Kennedy’s assassination, Jackie marrying Onassis, etc. This should have been titled “where’s the beef?” I’ll be returning this audiobook.

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27 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars

I feel bad saying this, but the narrator was awful

I am having a hard time getting through this book because the author is so mechanical and devoid of personality. A good narrator changes his or her voice for certain characters, etc. This reader simply reads the words.

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13 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Astounding Account of a Kind Dutiful Excellent Man

I just read that this book is/was a bestseller but I never heard of it until I happened upon it here! I certainly had a sketchy frame of what transpired in JFK’s busy life but this book included many human-interest stories of events in his packed life. For instance, he asked about a White House employee (Mrs. Lincoln) half a year after the assassination and when he spoke to her on the phone, I was SHOCKED to hear what he had to say! Likewise, on the eve of John’s speech to introduce and help elect his uncle Teddy, John arrived in Boston with 2 university pals but without a hotel reservation. Finally they located a vacant room at the Plaza but were refused a room though the 3 teens had enough cash to cover the cost: would you like to know what happened next? BUY this super book crammed full of many, many events in this extraordinary life of what turns out to have been a truly wonderful human worthy of being adulated as much as he was (though I previously always thought he was lightheaded fluff resting on his parents’ laurels. Well, NO longer do I believe that after reading this thorough book.) He had so many responsibilities to attend to and people he tried hard to please while still attempting to carve out a life which included his own needs ... and moving towards becoming his actual desired goal to “be a good man rather than a great man”. Well he certainly succeeded at that and displayed much of what was amazing in his celebrated parents. This is a terrific book brimming with fascinating information (including some of what took place during the Onassis years in Greece). Kudos to the author, Steven Gillon, well done!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

This author is no friend of JFK Jr

Why would a self proclaimed loyal friend of JFK Jr write this kiss and tell book? It focuses of JFK Jr’s demons, which a friend wouldn’t do. This is a make a buck book at the expense of friendship....that is if the author ever really enjoyed such a friendship. Shame!

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5 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

A little history, a little insight and more

I've been on a Kennedy kick, reading most books in order starting with the whole family, then the children of Joseph and Rose in age order. This one I read out of sequence because it grabbed my attention. (Here's where I should confess that I have always thought he was the most beautiful man and never really dug any deeper.)

I don't usually go for books that might fall in the tell-all category, but this seemed like an empathetic author and friend who really wanted to do justice to John's memory. Some of the stories of John's recklessness weren't new to me as his cousin Christopher Lawford had written about them in "Symptoms of Withdrawal." Other antics made me smile and laugh.

There are some pages devoted to context that I might have skipped, but overall, I enjoyed the book. I can see me listening to it again; my ultimate stamp of approval.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Much Better Than I Expected

I really loved this book. It was poignant and at time tragically sad; it was informative and and enlightening.
I learned so much and I was kept engaged throughout.
The narrators voice was a wonderful listen.

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3 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

This has to be one of the best books filled with information that defines a generation

After reading other Kennedy historical summaries and books I have to say this one was spectacular. The way it was written firsthand as a friend could not have been better. I highly recommend this book to anybody that would like to know more in depth about the Kennedy family.

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2 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Biography that reads like fiction

Biography that reads like fiction. The personal touch of such a gut wrenching life story was heartwarming and necessary.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

With friends like this, who needs enemies.

Finding it hard to believe the author was a friend. Too many stories painting JFK Jr in a bad light. Seems to me the author was focused on the negative. Wish I could return this book but I'm stuck with it.

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1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

America's Reluctant Prince

It was very negative account. Pretty repetitive. The chapters were too long. I did learn things about JFK Jr. I did not know. I t was just a so so listen.

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1 person found this helpful