Ask Not

The Kennedys and the Women They Destroyed

By: Maureen Callahan

Narrated by: Gabra Zackman

From New York Timesbestseller Maureen Callahan, a fierce, character-driven exposé of the real Kennedy Curse—the family’s generations-long legacy of misogyny, murder, and mayhem.

The Kennedy name has long been synonymous with wealth, power, glamor, and—above all else—integrity. But this carefully constructed veneer hides a dark truth: the pattern of Kennedy men physically and psychologically abusing women and girls, leaving a trail of ruin and death in each generation’s wake. Through decades of scandal after scandal—from sexual assaults to reputational slander, suicides to manslaughter—the family and their defenders have kept the Kennedy brand intact. Now, in Ask Not, bestselling author and journalist Maureen Callahan reveals the Kennedys’ hidden history of violence and exploitation, laying bare their unrepentant sexism and rampant depravity while also restoring these women and girls to their rightful place at the center of the dynasty’s story: from Jacqueline Onassis and Marilyn Monroe to Carolyn Bessette, Martha Moxley, Mary Jo Kopechne, Rosemary Kennedy, and many others whose names aren’t nearly as well known but should be.

Drawing on years of explosive reportage and written in electric prose, Ask Not is a long-overdue reckoning with this fabled family and a consequential part of American history that is still very much with us. At long last, Callahan redirects the spotlight to the women in the Kennedys’ orbit, paying homage to those who freed themselves and giving voice to those who, through no fault of their own, could not.

Critic reviews

"Bold, brave and original, Ask Not takes a sledgehammer to the myth of Camelot. This is an unforgettable book—a necessary reckoning that will forever change the way I view modern American history."—Susannah Cahalan, author of The Great Pretender and the #1 New York Times bestseller Brain on Fire

“A harrowing, incendiary swirl of tragedy, true crime, and reconsidered history, Ask Not sets a match to the glamour and mystique of America’s most famous family. With incisive wit and wisdom, Callahan exposes the individuals and the celebrity culture that aided and abetted so many Kennedy men.”—Karen Abbott, New York Times bestselling author of The Ghosts of Eden Park and Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy

Excellent Read!

This book is informative and well written. The narrator is good also. I like that this book’s focus is on the women that were involved with the Kennedy men. It gives detailed background on them as well as how their lives intersected with the Kennedys. I lived through many of the events detailed in the book and this account certainly gives a different perspective that was lacking in most of the news reporting.

Hard to put down!

It’s disturbing how interesting The Kennedy’s remain today. While I’m not surprised it’s still crazy to think that women were so under valued and demoralized, and Rosemary that’s just makes me sick.. good read

Heartbreaking truth

What an emotional heartbreaking book! Sadly how the media and the men hid these issues and the woman were slaves to their husbands circumstances, it’s too bad Mrs Kennedy couldn’t be honest with her fairytale marriage and tell the real truth. This shows you never trust the media. Super sad about Carolyn Bissett and totally believe about John Jr.. the boy who never grew up. I could go on and on this was a good book but a hard to listen. I had to take breaks because it was so intense.
Thank you for writing the truth as it probably still going on today behind closed doors..

The secrets that have been kept for years

I was astonished by the things that came out in this book..my view of the Kennedy's has changed abruptly...they are humans who made human mistakes...they are far from perfect...not the gods that some of us made them out to be.

Perpetuating the myth must stop

Amazing true tale of the Kennedy rich and powerful patriarchy keeping women down. The stories are empowering to all women who’ve experienced this abuse on any level. Speaking the truth and sharing the outrage is necessary for breaking the cycle.