DOC Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon by Larry Tye in History

Review

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful. Well Done Oh Good And Faithful ServantBy Bill EmblomI have read previous books on Robert Kennedy and found them all interesting but I feel this one is the definitive biography of the man. Author Larry Tye gives a well-balanced portrayal of the man showing both his so-called ruthless side with other politicians and his compassionate side with children and the poor. I suppose to have lived through the tumultuous 1960s and well remember many of the times and trials this decade put American through would make this book somewhat more memorable. Bobby Kennedy was a strong supporter of Senator Joe McCarthy of Wisconsin during the witch hunt for Communists during the early 1950s. The drive of father Joseph Kennedy to get his oldest surviving son Jack elected president is covered. The bitter feud between Attorney General RFK and Vice-President Lyndon Johnson suddenly left the Attorney General insignificant in Johnson's eyes. Bobby's friend Richard Goodwin has said that if LBJ had to choose between RFK and Ho Chi Minh to succeed him as president he'd choose Ho without hesitation. Another archfoe was Clyde Tolson; friend of J. Edgar Hoover; who had stated; "I hope someone shoots and kills that son of a bitch."RFK had many enemies but he had his compassionate side as well and author Tye provides us this side; also.. Following the assassination of JFK his brother went into a deep depression which eventually subsided with RFK's run for Senator of New York and later for President of the United States. His travels took him to the deep south and Indian reservations where poverty reigned. Kennedy's sincere compassion deeply affected him to wanting to do something for these people.Robert Kennedy's words from the 1960s ring equally true today when he stated that what we need today is not division; hatred; violence; or lawlessness but love; wisdom; and compassion for one another. It appears we haven't learned very much if anything. Unfortunately his life was taken by an assassin just like his brother's.I learned a lot from this book and I'm sure I'd learn more if I read it again. Well done oh good and faithful servant.71 of 76 people found the following review helpful. An honest portrayal of a complicated man.By Anthony SanchezLet me first admit that I am a fan of John and Robert Kennedy since my childhood. In my extended family; JFK was spoken about as a member of the family. I have clear memories of each brothers’ deaths. But; I do not read biographies of them or the Kennedys with an uncritical eye for books that are either written as too much a love letter or for baseless attacks. This new book by Larry Tye is gratefully one that deserves the highest praise.I received my copy as a pre-publication ebook. That format provided me quick access to the many footnotes in each chapter and I enjoyed how the footnotes were often so interesting as to make me wonder why many of them were not simply inserted in the main text.The author obviously worked hard at this biography unlike some other authors who mostly wrote their works by reading other authors and watching documentaries. It includes numerous interviews and readings of materials not previously provided to others including from Ethel Kennedy’s thoughts and documents. Tye gives us the main points of Kennedy’s inspirational South African “Ripple of Hope” speech for which I don’t off hand recall before reading. He also goes more in depth with the significance of RFK’s term as senator than what other biographers have provided. But be clear that the author does not shy away from impressing upon the reader the misjudgments and sometimes angry behaviors by Robert Kennedy. This includes his defense of Joe McCarthy. Or how he worked himself into a frenzy to best an opponent. “Bobby never denied wanting to come out on top; although he never understood how slippery the slope was between fervor and fanaticism.” Overall; the author is an obvious fan but not one who is fearful of noticing his subject’s faults.In the acknowledgments section; the author quotes a former Kennedy aide’s advice to the author; “Write a good book; because he was a good man who deserves a good book.” There have been several books on RFK that I have read over the many years that were very interesting; but I would say that Tye’s book is now the one that can be called “a good book” for a good man.9 of 10 people found the following review helpful. A balanced portrait of an heroic figure with a dark sideBy Mal WarwickDuring his years in the public eye in the 1950s and 60s; Bobby Kennedy was as controversial a figure as anyone else in American history. Millions despised him because he worked for Senator Joseph McCarthy. Millions more loathed him for his role in supporting the civil rights movement. Yet other Americans lionized him as the uncompromising liberal he was viewed as in the final years of his life. Little wonder that most biographers have veered either sharply left or sharply right in painting a portrait of this endlessly complex man. In Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon; journalist Larry Tye steers a careful middle course. The result is a balanced and insightful biography of one of the most significant figures on the American stage in the mid-twentieth century.The man known as RFKToday; the man known as RFK is closely identified with his brother; President John F. Kennedy; who has cast a much longer shadow over American history. As Tye makes abundantly clear; the two were different in a great many ways: in age; stature; temperament; and political perspective. JFK was eight years older and three inches taller — Bobby was considered the runt of the large Kennedy litter — and the younger man bore grudges for decades. His older brother was far more pragmatic and much less prone to anger.As an adult; managing Jack’s first race for the U.S. Senate in 1952; Bobby gained a reputation as “ruthless” that stayed with him for the remainder of his life. Tye insists that the label was misplaced. “Bobby was as intelligent as Jack; although less of an intellectual; Jack had Bobby’s toughness; although he was better at disguising it.” And Tye reveals Bobby to have been an inspiring boss at the Justice Department; a caring father and wife whom he loved passionately; and genuinely compassionate with the disadvantaged people he met along the campaign trail. Still; Bobby was notorious for the abiding hatred he possessed for a long list of enemies; including J. Edgar Hoover; Joe McCarthy’s pit bull Roy Cohn; Jimmy Hoffa; and Lyndon Johnson. However; much of his reputation for ruthlessness stemmed from his willingness to follow evidence of wrongdoing even among his friends. “During his three years as attorney general; his office prosecuted two congressmen; three state supreme court justices; five mayors; two chiefs of police; and three sheriffs — all Democrats.”Bobby Kennedy’s evolution from Right to LeftNow; nearly half a century after Kennedy’s death; many of the passions have cooled; and long-secret archives have been opened. It’s now possible to view the man’s life in greater perspective. Biographer and journalist Larry Tye has accomplished just that; steering a steady course between the extremes in Bobby Kennedy: The Making of a Liberal Icon. As the title suggests; Tye’s theme is Kennedy’s evolution under fire as his brother’s campaign manager; anti-Communist zealot; no-holds-barred Senate investigator; Attorney General; U.S. Senator; and; finally; presidential candidate. Beginning public life identified with the Right; he came to its end less than two decades later as the bright new hope of the Left.Bobby Kennedy is not easy to pigeonholeNotwithstanding Kennedy’s popularity with the Left in 1968; it would be a mistake to pigeonhole him as a liberal. True; he was fiercely committed to ending poverty in America; and he had emerged as a champion of civil rights for African-Americans; albeit slowly and reluctantly. However; like his brother; RFK would have been horrified if asked to support the sort of policies advanced in 2016 by Senator Bernie Sanders. He was; if anything; pro-business; fiercely anti-Communist; a fervent supporter of the Cold War; and committed to economic policies that today might well be considered conservative.Skip this if you know the historyIn 1968; Robert F. Kennedy was poised for election to the White House when an assassin’s bullet cut him down at the age of 42. His victory was by no means assured; but he had just won the California primary and seemed on track to a showdown with Vice President Hubert Humphrey at the Democratic Convention. Given the intense popular hatred for the Vietnam War and Humphrey’s continuing support for Lyndon Johnson’s policies; it’s clear that the contest would have gone down to the wire; at the very least. Instead; as history shows; Humphrey emerged with the nomination bloodied by the tumultuous events that surrounded the 1968 convention. Had Kennedy won the nomination instead; or had Humphrey won in a fair fight; it seems highly likely that Richard Nixon would have gone down to defeat. Even heavily handicapped as he was; Humphrey came exceedingly close to winning.About the authorBoston journalist Larry Tye is the author of seven nonfiction books; three of which are biographies. His previous subjects were Edward L. Bernays; the father of public relations; and the legendary Negro Leagues pitcher Satchel Paige.