An Unfinished Life

John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963

By: Robert Dallek

Narrated by: Richard McGonagle

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

An Unfinished Life describes the birth of the Kennedy dynasty, the complexity of Jack's early years, and the mixture of adulation and resentment that tangled his relationships with his mother, Rose, and his father, Joseph. Forced into the shadow of his older brother, Joe, Jack struggled to find a place for himself until World War II, when he became a national hero and launched his career. Dallek reveals for the first time the full story of Kennedy's wartime actions and the true details of how Joe was killed, opening the door to Jack's ascendancy.

Here is the gripping story of Jack's transformation from an awkward speaker into a brilliant politician with irresistible charm. The audiobook carries us from Jack's work as a senator from Massachusetts, through the fiercely contested 1960 campaign against Nixon, and takes us on to the White House itself.

An Unfinished Life also discloses for the very first time that Kennedy was far sicker than we ever knew. While laboring to present an image of robust good health, Kennedy was secretly in and out of hospitals through-out his life, so ill that he was administered last rites on several different occasions. Here is a vivid portrait of a man who, because he knew how close he was to death, lived as much as he could - sometimes hurting others in the process.

Never shying away from Kennedy's weaknesses, Dallek also brilliantly explores his strengths. The result is a portrait of a bold, brave, human Kennedy, once again a hero.

©2003 Robert Dallek (P)2003 Time Warner AudioBooks. A division of the AOL Time Warner Book Group.

Critic reviews

"Sets the historical record straight...pitch-perfect prose...hands-down the best biography of JFK...a truly remarkable achievement." (Douglas Brinkley, author of The Unfinished Presidency)
"In this riveting tour de force...Dallek delivers what will most assuredly become the benchmark JFK biography for this generation...[He] is to be thanked for providing this thoroughly researched, well-sourced, responsible and readable biography that has for so long been wanting in Kennedy scholarship." (Publishers Weekly)
"...riveting and well-documented biography." (New Yorker)
"Richard McGonagle brings the president to life, mimicking the famous accents so well that his renditions of Kennedy speeches compare favorably to Kennedy's own renderings." (AudioFile)

It’s abridged!!

Nobody wants to read an abridged version of this book - it’s completely takes the guts out of it and renders Dallek’s prose and research impotent. There is simply no character in this book, it is literally just a longer Wikipedia entry. It sucked. Get the full version

A Great Biography - Neccessarily Disappointing

Any biography of JFK is bound to be unsatisfying for the reason that is the title of this great biography, <U>An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963</U>. The abrupt nature of JFK's assassination in 1963 makes the hope and promise of his administration so much more frustrating for its loss.

Dallek provides an exhaustive, if fleeting in the abridgement, review of Kennedy's life, from the family dynamics that preceded his birth to the day he died. He reaffirms all of Kennedy's failings and celebrates is triumphs.

Narration provided by Richard McGonagle is very good, who when speaking lines by Kennedy, does so with the distinctive Massachusetts accent. This was actually annoying to me at first but I must say, grew on me to where I came to expect it as the book went on.

I would very much like the opportunity to hear the unabridged version of this book but doubt if it would provide any more answers to the unanswered questions of why?

Dallek deliberately avoids, to his credit but to my disappointment, any speculation about conspiracy theories with regard to Kennedy's death.

Most amazing to me about this book were the revelations about Kennedy's unbelieveable medical problems and the lengths he and those around him went to conceal them and treat them.

I highly recommend this book. Kennedy, whether you believe he was a great president or not, was a peacemaker and filled the world with hope for better days.

It's abriged and doesn't say so

I feel tricked out of my credit. This book is abridged and not labeled that way. I'm buying the Kindle ebook and reading it instead. Don't make the same mistake I did.

Good informative book

Overall I really enjoyed this book and felt as if I came away knowing more about the time in which Kennedy lived.

An unfinished nap

I can't listen to this book for any length of time. It should be illegal to listen to this while driving. It will put you to sleep. The narration is monotone. The content is mediocre. It seems that rather than a biography on JFK it is a history of the events during his presidency. You do not get much of a feel for who JFK was or how he made his decisions. You simply get a history lesson. One of the worst books and biographies I have read. This is in stark contrast to this Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, which I just completed. It has excellent narration and you feel like you now Roosevelt.

A Great Biography

Dallek was my professor at UCLA and I read the book before listening to the audo - a great book, readable and compelling. Dallek illuminates how JFK's illnesses were a significant force in shaping his character for the better and for the worse. He documents in great detail some of the most frightening moments in the cold war, political machinations and intrigue, the early days of the civil rights movements and how JFK and the political establishment reacted to this new reality. There is just so much here - there are passages that will have people hitting "rewind" to play again. A great book!

Remembering Kennedy

My 8 year old received an assignment to do a biography on a famous person. Of course looking to Mom for direction I search my memory for a name and a face of a person I would consider a hero...ah John Kennedy. I listened to the book and gave my daughter tibbits, and then at the end Robert Dallek answered a nagging question for me... Why would I choose Kennedy? (I barely knew him, and I was only three years old when he died.) I enjoyed this book...and my daughter talked about him like an uncle.

Dry as a bone

Dallek's overview of the Kennedy legacy is a political, not personal one. He stays away from pretty much everything that made Kennedy a compelling figure, focusing on a cut-and-dried political biography. One wishes he'd linger a bit on Kennedy's persona, charm and wit, but he instead plows full steam ahead with a "just the facts" account of JFK's brief White House tenure.

Timeline bio which is fine

This biography lacks the insights one expects in such an interesting charter as JFK. Compared to coverage of JFK and RFK by Robert Caro in his LBJ bio, the depth of topics is skimmed way too quickly. Obviously this is an abridged version but I wonder if by the structure I would have found the unabridged that much better. If you are checking a president off the bio list, this does it. But I now need to read an analysis of Kennedy in one of the challenging situations he found himself to really understand him.

Abridged?

In my opinion, this is a good biography of JFK, but not a great one. This is the first major biography of JFK in thirty years. Dallek had complete access to the Kennedy family documents. There is nothing new in the book, except information about an affair with a White House intern.

The book is well written and researched. The book appears to be unbiased. Dallek does mention JFK’s “Womanizing”. But most of the book is on his political career. About half the book is about the presidency. Dallek provides information on his medical conditions. There is very little information about Jackie, the children or his siblings.

The book makes a good review of JFK. I remember his presidency as if it was yesterday. My how time flies!

The book is nine hours and fifteen minutes. Richard McGonagle does a good job narrating the book. McGonagle is an actor, voice actor and well-known audiobook narrator particularly of presidential biographies.

Excellent;succinct

Brisk and enlightening. Sticks to his career ebbs and flows mainly. Enjoyed its' style being practised on assassination.

interesting listen

JFK was always one of those figures i had known of for being assassinated but thats all i pretty much knew of him.

after reading this my opinion on the man himself has changed but it also raises alot more questions regarding his death.

interesting listen. informative and fast paced.