Ted Kennedy

A Life

By: John A. Farrell

Narrated by: Jim Frangione

Length: 24 hrs

Publisher's summary

LONGLISTED FOR THE 2022 NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FOR NONFICTION

An enthralling and ground-breaking new biography of one of modern America’s most fascinating and consequential political figures, drawing on important new sources, by an award-winning biographer who covered Kennedy closely for many years

John A. Farrell’s magnificent biography of Edward M. Kennedy is the first single-volume life of the great figure since his death. Farrell’s long acquaintance with the Kennedy universe and the acclaim accorded his previous books—including his New York Times bestselling biography of Richard Nixon, a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize—helped garner him access to a remarkable range of new sources, including segments of Kennedy’s personal diary and his private confessions to members of his family in the days that followed the accident on Chappaquiddick. Farrell is, without question, one of America’s greatest political biographers and a storyteller of deep wisdom and empathy. His book does full justice to this famously epic and turbulent life of almost unimaginable tragedy and triumph.

As the fourth son of the close-knit but fiercely competitive Kennedy clan, Ted was the runt of the litter. Expelled from Harvard University for cheating, he was a fun-loving playboy who nevertheless served his brothers loyally and effectively. It was easy to take Ted lightly, and many did. But when he was elected to the United States Senate at the age of thirty to fill his brother Jack’s seat, something unexpected happened: he found his home and his calling there. Over time, Ted Kennedy would build arguably the most significant senatorial career in American history.

His life was buffeted by heartbreak: the violent deaths of his three older brothers, his own terrible plane crash, his children’s bouts with cancer, and the hideous self-inflicted wounds of Chappaquiddick and stretches of drinking and womanizing that caused irreparable damage to an already fragile first marriage. Those wounds scarred Ted deeply but also tempered his character, and, eventually, he embarked on a run as legislator, party elder, and paterfamilias of the Kennedy family that would change America for the better. John A. Farrell brings us the man as he was, in strength and weakness, his profound but complicated inheritance and his vital legacy, as only a great biographer can do. Without the story this book tells, no understanding of modern America can be complete.

©2022 John A. Farrell (P)2022 Penguin Audio

A true must read/listen

A very poignant & telling story of the life of one the US’s most influential leaders of our time. Whether you agree with Edward Kennedy’s politics or not, his impact on our everyday lives cannot be diminished or understated. This book tells a very direct and honest review of his life & actions, both personal & political, that stands alone.

Ted Kennedy

One of the best books I’ve read in a long time gives you a complete understanding of how democracy should work -well written something all the Gen Z should now be reading

Outstanding

One of the few resources that gives Teddy the honor of being a liberal. He oversaw many changes and benefits for our lives that we take for granted today. Excellent book!!!

Excellent biography of a complex man

We’ll written, assiduously fair portrait of an American giant. The narration is engaging and clear

Fascinating study of a man's life and times

Mr. Farrell has written an engaging, interesting, and moving account of the remarkable life and times of Ted Kennedy. The biography succeeds on multiple levels. Mr. Farrell captures the man with all his strengths and weaknesses, and places those attributes into the context of Mr. Kennedy's life, both the tragedies and the triumphs. He portrays Mr. Kennedy compassionately, but also with objectivity and with a critical eye. He achieves a successful balance. He also captures Mr. Kennedy's evolution over time. Mr. Farrell also succeeds in relating the impact that Mr. Kennedy had upon the country, legislation, and various causes. There is a common thread that runs throughout the narrative about Mr. Kennedy's commitment to the common man and those at the margins of society. Finally, Mr. Farrell succeeds in bringing to life the relationships that Ted Kennedy had with his family, his colleagues, and multiple presidents. How both the fear and respect of Senator Kennedy affected presidents Nixon and Carter, impacting history, were especially captivating and well told, All told this is a brilliant biography that was hard to stop listening to and, despite its length, I was sad when it was concluded. Mr. Frangione does a wonderful job narrating the book.

Good review of history

Not just a biography of Ted Kennedy but a reminder of how bi-partisanship used to work.

Too Partisan

This is supposed to be a biography of a flawed and complicated man, not a screed against conservatism. At the point where the leftwing author accuses the right of "grievance politics" the book crosses from merely biased into comical territory. Returned for a refund.

Far too Sugar Coated

I guess I don’t get the glamour and charm of the Kennedys. When Edward Kennedy was quoted as saying, “There is nothing worse than having your child diagnosed with cancer.” I thought of the Kopechne family.