Synopses & Reviews
2013 Pulitzer Prize Finalist New York Times Ten Best Books of 2012
and#147;Rivetingand#133;The Patriarch is a book hard to put down.and#8221;and#160; and#150; Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review
In this magisterial new work The Patriarch, the celebrated historian David Nasaw tells the full story of Joseph P. Kennedy, the founder of the twentieth century's most famous political dynasty. Nasawand#151;the only biographer granted unrestricted access to the Joseph P. Kennedy papers in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Libraryand#151;tracks Kennedy's astonishing passage from East Boston outsider to supreme Washington insider. Kennedy's seemingly limitless ambition drove his career to the pinnacles of success as a banker, World War I shipyard manager, Hollywood studio head, broker, Wall Street operator, New Deal presidential adviser, and founding chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. His astounding fall from grace into ignominy did not come until the years leading up to and following America's entry into the Second World War, when the antiwar position he took as the first Irish American ambassador to London made him the subject of White House ire and popular distaste.
The Patriarch is a story not only of one of the twentieth century's wealthiest and most powerful Americans, but also of the family he raised and the children who completed the journey he had begun. Of the many roles Kennedy held, that of father was most dear to him. The tragedies that befell his family marked his final years with unspeakable suffering.
The Patriarch looks beyond the popularly held portrait of Kennedy to answer the many questions about his life, times, and legacy that have continued to haunt the historical record. Was Joseph P. Kennedy an appeaser and isolationist, an anti-Semite and a Nazi sympathizer, a stock swindler, a bootlegger, and a colleague of mobsters? What was the nature of his relationship with his wife, Rose? Why did he have his daughter Rosemary lobotomized? Why did he oppose the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Korean War, and American assistance to the French in Vietnam? What was his relationship to J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI? Did he push his second son into politics and then buy his elections for him?
In this pioneering biography, Nasaw draws on never-before-published materials from archives on three continents and interviews with Kennedy family members and friends to tell the life story of a man who participated in the major events of his times: the booms and busts, the Depression and the New Deal, two world wars and a cold war, and the birth of the New Frontier. In studying Kennedy's life, we relive with him the history of the American Century.
and#160;
Review
"
[A] sprawling, highly readable biography of the dynast and larger-than-life figure whose presence still haunts American political life... Working from his subject’s extensive archives, Nasaw (
Andrew Carnegie, 2006, etc.) pieces together a sometimes-sympathetic, sometimes-critical view of Joseph P. Kennedy (1888–1969), father of John F. Kennedy and most definitely a man of parts...
Exhaustive yet accessible, Nasaw’s book illuminates."
—Kirkus (starred review)
"A major contribution to Kennedy history."
—Booklist (starred review)
"Nasaw captures the full humanity of his subject... This is truly a 'definitive' biography."
—History Book Club
Praise for Andrew Carnegie:
"Never has this story been told so thoroughly or so well as David Nasaw tells it in this massive and monumental biography."
—Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
"David Nasaw's fascinating new biography... is a marvelous window into the man and his world... I expect it will be the definitive work on Carnegie for the foreseeable future, and it fully deserves to be."
—John Steele Gordon, The New York Times
"Beautifully crafted and fun to read."
—Louis Galambos, The Wall Street Journal
"The definitive Carnegie biography has arrived."
—USA Today
"Nasaw delivers a vivid history of nineteenth-century capitalism."
—Fortune
Review
andquot;
[A] sprawling, highly readable biography of the dynast and larger-than-life figure whose presence still haunts American political life... Working from his subjectandrsquo;s extensive archives, Nasaw (
Andrew Carnegie, 2006, etc.) pieces together a sometimes-sympathetic, sometimes-critical view of Joseph P. Kennedy (1888andndash;1969), father of John F. Kennedy and most definitely a man of parts...
Exhaustive yet accessible, Nasawandrsquo;s book illuminates.andquot;
andmdash;Kirkus (starred review)
Praise for Andrew Carnegie:
andquot;Never has this story been told so thoroughly or so well as David Nasaw tells it in this massive and monumental biography.andquot;
andmdash;Jonathan Yardley, The Washington Post
andquot;David Nasaw's fascinating new biography... is a marvelous window into the man and his world... I expect it will be the definitive work on Carnegie for the foreseeable future, and it fully deserves to be.andquot;
andmdash;John Steele Gordon, The New York Times
andquot;Beautifully crafted and fun to read.andquot;
andmdash;Louis Galambos, The Wall Street Journal
andquot;The definitive Carnegie biography has arrived.andquot;
andmdash;USA Today
andquot;Nasaw delivers a vivid history of nineteenth-century capitalism.andquot;
andmdash;Fortune
Review
One ofand#160;The New York Times Book Review'sand#160;10 Bestand#160;Books of 2012 A New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of 2012
A Booklist Editor's Choice of 2012
One of Newsday's 12 Best Books of the Year
and#8220;Rivetingand#8230; The Patriarch is a book hard to put downand#8230;As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: and#8216;Ask not what your country can do for you and#8211; ask what you can do for your county.and#8217; One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States.and#160; After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country.and#160; But the gods would demand even more.and#8221;
and#8212;Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review
"Panoramic. Never before has Joseph P. Kennedy's conduct been documented in such damning detail, and never before has the veredict on his character been rendered so persuasively."
and#8212;Wall Street Journal
"A spellbinding book."
and#8212;Slate
and#8220;David Nasawand#8217;s The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called and#8216;magisterial.and#8217;"
and#8212;Boston Globe
"Nasaw was approached to write this biography by Kennedy's children Jean Kennedy Smith and the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who offered unfettered access to previously unseen papers. The choice was brilliant. Having written admired biographies of Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst, Nasaw understands how titans of business operate. In this outstanding biography, he captures the reality of one of America's most complicated and controversial figures."
and#8212;USA Today
and#8220;Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lotand#8230;. Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPKand#8230;. If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in.and#8221;
and#8212;Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"[A] sprawling, highly readable biography of the dynast and larger-than-life figure whose presence still haunts American political life... Working from his subjectand#8217;s extensive archives, Nasaw (Andrew Carnegie, 2006, etc.) pieces together a sometimes-sympathetic, sometimes-critical view of Joseph P. Kennedy (1888and#8211;1969), father of John F. Kennedy and most definitely a man of parts... Exhaustive yet accessible, Nasawand#8217;s book illuminates."
and#8212;Kirkus (starred review)
"A major contribution to Kennedy history."
and#8212;Booklist (starred review)
"Nasaw captures the full humanity of his subject... This is truly a 'definitive' biography."
and#8212;History Book Club
Review
One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year One of Kirkus's Best Nonfiction Books of the Year
*
“Riveting…The Patriarch is a book hard to put down…As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: ‘Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your county. One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States. After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country. But the gods would demand even more.” - New York Times Book Review
“David Nasaws The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called ‘magisterial.- Boston Globe
“Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lot…. Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPK…. If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in.” - Pittsburgh Post Gazette
Review
One ofand#160;The New York Times Book Review'sand#160;10 Bestand#160;Books of 2012 A New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of 2012
A Booklist Editor's Choice of 2012
and#8220;Rivetingand#8230; The Patriarch is a book hard to put downand#8230;As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: and#8216;Ask not what your country can do for you and#8211; ask what you can do for your county.and#8217; One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States.and#160; After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country.and#160; But the gods would demand even more.and#8221;
and#8212;Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review
"Panoramic. Never before has Joseph P. Kennedy's conduct been documented in such damning detail, and never before has the veredict on his character been rendered so persuasively."
and#8212;Wall Street Journal
"A spellbinding book."
and#8212;Slate
and#8220;David Nasawand#8217;s The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called and#8216;magisterial.and#8217;"
and#8212;Boston Globe
"Nasaw was approached to write this biography by Kennedy's children Jean Kennedy Smith and the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who offered unfettered access to previously unseen papers. The choice was brilliant. Having written admired biographies of Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst, Nasaw understands how titans of business operate. In this outstanding biography, he captures the reality of one of America's most complicated and controversial figures."
and#8212;USA Today
and#8220;Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lotand#8230;. Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPKand#8230;. If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in.and#8221;
and#8212;Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"[A] sprawling, highly readable biography of the dynast and larger-than-life figure whose presence still haunts American political life... Working from his subjectand#8217;s extensive archives, Nasaw (Andrew Carnegie, 2006, etc.) pieces together a sometimes-sympathetic, sometimes-critical view of Joseph P. Kennedy (1888and#8211;1969), father of John F. Kennedy and most definitely a man of parts... Exhaustive yet accessible, Nasawand#8217;s book illuminates."
and#8212;Kirkus (starred review)
"A major contribution to Kennedy history."
and#8212;Booklist (starred review)
"Nasaw captures the full humanity of his subject... This is truly a 'definitive' biography."
and#8212;History Book Club
Review
One ofand#160;The New York Times Book Review'sand#160;10 Bestand#160;Books of 2012 A New York Times and Washington Post Notable Book of 2012
A Booklist Editor's Choice of 2012
One of Newsday's 12 Best Books of the Year
and#8220;Rivetingand#8230; The Patriarch is a book hard to put downand#8230;As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: and#8216;Ask not what your country can do for you and#8211; ask what you can do for your county.and#8217; One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States.and#160; After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country.and#160; But the gods would demand even more.and#8221;
and#8212;Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review
"Panoramic. Never before has Joseph P. Kennedy's conduct been documented in such damning detail, and never before has the veredict on his character been rendered so persuasively."
and#8212;Wall Street Journal
"A spellbinding book."
and#8212;Slate
and#8220;David Nasawand#8217;s The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called and#8216;magisterial.and#8217;"
and#8212;Boston Globe
"Nasaw was approached to write this biography by Kennedy's children Jean Kennedy Smith and the late Sen. Edward Kennedy, who offered unfettered access to previously unseen papers. The choice was brilliant. Having written admired biographies of Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst, Nasaw understands how titans of business operate. In this outstanding biography, he captures the reality of one of America's most complicated and controversial figures."
and#8212;USA Today
and#8220;Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lotand#8230;. Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPKand#8230;. If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in.and#8221;
and#8212;Pittsburgh Post Gazette
"[A] sprawling, highly readable biography of the dynast and larger-than-life figure whose presence still haunts American political life... Working from his subjectand#8217;s extensive archives, Nasaw (Andrew Carnegie, 2006, etc.) pieces together a sometimes-sympathetic, sometimes-critical view of Joseph P. Kennedy (1888and#8211;1969), father of John F. Kennedy and most definitely a man of parts... Exhaustive yet accessible, Nasawand#8217;s book illuminates."
and#8212;Kirkus (starred review)
"A major contribution to Kennedy history."
and#8212;Booklist (starred review)
"Nasaw captures the full humanity of his subject... This is truly a 'definitive' biography."
and#8212;History Book Club
Synopsis
Celebrated historian David Nasaw brings to life the story of Joseph Patrick Kennedy, in this, the first and only biography based on unrestricted and exclusive access to the Joseph P. Kennedy papers
Joseph Patrick Kennedy—whose life spanned the First World War, the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the Cold War—was the patriarch of America’s greatest political dynasty. The father of President John F. Kennedy and senators Robert and Edward Kennedy, “Joe” Kennedy was an indomitable and elusive figure whose dreams of advancement for his nine children were matched only by his extraordinary personal ambition and shrewd financial skills. Trained as a banker, Kennedy was also a Hollywood mogul, a stock exchange savant, a shipyard manager, the founding chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission, and ambassador to London during the Battle of Britain. Though his incredible life encompasses the very heart of the American century, Joseph Kennedy has remained shrouded in rumor and prejudice for decades.
Drawing on never-before-published material from archives on three continents, David Nasaw—the renowned biographer of Andrew Carnegie and William Randolph Hearst—unearths a man far more complicated than the popular portrait. Was Kennedy an appeaser and isolationist, an anti-Semite and Nazi sympathizer, a stock swindler, a bootlegger, and a colleague of mobsters? Did he push his second son into politics and then buy his elections for him? Why did he have his daughter Rosemary lobotomized? Why did he oppose the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Korean War, and American assistance to the French in Vietnam? What was his relationship to J. Edgar Hoover and his FBI? How did he influence his son’s politics and policies in the White House? In this groundbreaking biography Nasaw ignores the tired old answers surrounding Kennedy, starting from scratch to discover the truth behind this misunderstood man.
Though far from a saint, Joseph Kennedy in many ways exemplifies the best in American political, economic, and social life. His rags-to-riches story is one of exclusion and quiet discrimination overcome by entrepreneurship, ingenuity, and unshakable endurance. Kennedy’s story deserves to be told in full, with no holds barred, and Nasaw’s magnificent The Patriarch is the first book to do so.
Synopsis
2013 Pulitzer Prize Finalist
New York Times Ten Best Books of 2012
Riveting The Patriarch is a book hard to put down. Christopher Buckley, The New York Times Book Review
In this magisterial new work The Patriarch, the celebrated historian David Nasaw tells the full story of Joseph P. Kennedy, the founder of the twentieth century's most famous political dynasty. Nasaw the only biographer granted unrestricted access to the Joseph P. Kennedy papers in the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library tracks Kennedy's astonishing passage from East Boston outsider to supreme Washington insider. Kennedy's seemingly limitless ambition drove his career to the pinnacles of success as a banker, World War I shipyard manager, Hollywood studio head, broker, Wall Street operator, New Deal presidential adviser, and founding chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission. His astounding fall from grace into ignominy did not come until the years leading up to and following America's entry into the Second World War, when the antiwar position he took as the first Irish American ambassador to London made him the subject of White House ire and popular distaste.
The Patriarch is a story not only of one of the twentieth century's wealthiest and most powerful Americans, but also of the family he raised and the children who completed the journey he had begun. Of the many roles Kennedy held, that of father was most dear to him. The tragedies that befell his family marked his final years with unspeakable suffering.
The Patriarch looks beyond the popularly held portrait of Kennedy to answer the many questions about his life, times, and legacy that have continued to haunt the historical record. Was Joseph P. Kennedy an appeaser and isolationist, an anti-Semite and a Nazi sympathizer, a stock swindler, a bootlegger, and a colleague of mobsters? What was the nature of his relationship with his wife, Rose? Why did he have his daughter Rosemary lobotomized? Why did he oppose the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the Korean War, and American assistance to the French in Vietnam? What was his relationship to J. Edgar Hoover and the FBI? Did he push his second son into politics and then buy his elections for him?
In this pioneering biography, Nasaw draws on never-before-published materials from archives on three continents and interviews with Kennedy family members and friends to tell the life story of a man who participated in the major events of his times: the booms and busts, the Depression and the New Deal, two world wars and a cold war, and the birth of the New Frontier. In studying Kennedy's life, we relive with him the history of the American Century."
Synopsis
A brilliant, compelling” (The New York Times Book Review) biography of Joseph P. Kennedy, selected by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Books of the Year and a 2013 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Biography
In this pioneering new work, celebrated historian David Nasaw examines the life of Joseph P. Kennedy, the founder of the twentieth centurys most famous political dynasty. Drawing on never-before-published materials from archives on three continents and interviews with Kennedy family members and friends, Nasaw tells the story of a man who participated in the major events of his times: the booms and busts, the Depression and the New Deal, two world wars and the Cold War, and the birth of the New Frontier. In studying Kennedys life, we relive the history of the American century.
Synopsis
A and#147;brilliant, compellingand#8221; (The New York Times Book Review) biography of Joseph P. Kennedy, selected by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Books of the Year In this pioneering new work, celebrated historian David Nasaw examines the life of Joseph P. Kennedy, the founder of the twentieth centuryand#8217;s most famous political dynasty. Drawing on never-before-published materials from archives on three continents and interviews with Kennedy family members and friends, Nasaw tells the story of a man who participated in the major events of his times: the booms and busts, the Depression and the New Deal, two world wars and the Cold War, and the birth of the New Frontier. In studying Kennedyand#8217;s life, we relive the history of the American century.
Synopsis
A and#147;brilliant, compellingand#8221; (The New York Times Book Review) biography of Joseph P. Kennedy, selected by the New York Times as one of the Ten Best Books of the Year and a 2013 Pulitzer Prize Finalist in Biography
In this pioneering new work, celebrated historian David Nasaw examines the life of Joseph P. Kennedy, the founder of the twentieth centuryand#8217;s most famous political dynasty. Drawing on never-before-published materials from archives on three continents and interviews with Kennedy family members and friends, Nasaw tells the story of a man who participated in the major events of his times: the booms and busts, the Depression and the New Deal, two world wars and the Cold War, and the birth of the New Frontier. In studying Kennedyand#8217;s life, we relive the history of the American century.
About the Author
DAVIDand#160;NASAW is the author of Andrew Carnegie, which was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, awarded the New-York Historical Society Prize in American History, and named a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, and The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst, winner of the Bancroft Prize for history and the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for biography. He is the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr. Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.