After Camelot: A Personal History of the Kennedy Family--1968 to the Present [Hardcover]

This is an approachable, readable, and copiously researched look at our most famous political family: the Kennedy's. Their accomplishments have all to often been overlooked by their tragedies and scandals. The author (who has met many members of the family over several decades - including Jackie) does a commendable job at balancing both sides - we see this family struggle through tragedy as well as enjoying its many successes. While most Kennedy books look at either Ted, Jack, Bobby, or Jackie - this one looks at all the major players in the clan: Rose, Ethel, Joan, Eunice, Peter Lawford, Sargent Shriver, etc.

I am from Massachusetts and always followed politics closely - I thought I knew all there was to know about the Kennedy's - this book proved me wrong. The actions surrounding Rosemary, the eldest daughter, and what I had understood about her condition were wrong - the truth is much more interesting! The forgiveness that Joan (who is consoled by President Bush at Ted's funeral with words that should have been said to her year's ago) would find for Ted is inspirational. The dedication Eunice made to her charities is heartwarming. And, we see a true human side to Jackie (who was closer to the Kennedy's after Jack's assasination than I realized).

The commitment this family has made to performing charitable work is most admirable - even when the children were teenagers they were expected to go out and help those less fortunate. It is a shame that the actions of a few of grandchildren have painted all the 3rd generation cousins with the same negative brush - for the most part they really are decent, committed, and hard-working people. Without the Kennedy family we would not have the Peace Corps, the Cape Cod National Seashore Trust, the Special Olympics, Very Special Arts, Meals on Wheels and the list goes on and on.

It is often overlooked that, for a time, Joseph P Kennedy was the wealthiest man in the United States and had given all of his children a million dollars each to do with as they please. They all could have lived decadent, carefree, jetset lives; rather, they chose public service and lived relatively modestly. They have always treated those they encountered well because that was instilled in them as children. As I found out in this book, Maria Shriver, at the age of 15, spent the summer doing volunteer work in a remote African village. I wonder what Paris Hilton did during her 15th summer?

One prevailing, important theme troughout the book is the family's Catholic faith: it is what sustained them and gave them the strength to move forward after all setbacks. Rose Kennedy found inspiration in the Virgin Mary's suffering in seeing her only son on the cross - she would turn to this image often: two sons assasinated, one killed in way, one daughter killed in a plane crash, and one daughter suffering mental illness. In an increadingly secular society it is important to see how religion played a factor in this family's ability to cope and move on. Many of the Kennedy's attend mass every day.

The chapters are short and to the point BUT the research is obviously extensive. This will prove to be the "go to" book for the post-Camelot years of the Kennedy's. There are a few errors that in no way detract from the book: Joan is said to have been a Music major in college; she was an English major and a Music minor, Jean is once described as the fourth daughter; she is actually the fifth.

The fourth generation of the family is now entering politics as Joe Kennedy (great grandson of Joseph P Kennedy) runs for congress in - of course - Massachusetts. This young man is typical Kennedy: an ivy league education followed by extensive oversees volunteer work. I plan to vote for this young man - and I am a republican!

I highly recommend this book.

"After Camelot" by J. Randy Taraborrelli is an all-inclusive chronology of the future of the Kennedy dynasty following the assassinations of JFK and RFK. The lengthy an detailed tome is divided into the following parts: Jackie, Eunice, Sarge, Ted, Ethel, Jackie/Ari/The Lawfords, Sargent Tries Again, The Third Generation In Trouble, Poor Ari, Rosemary and Rose, Shriver for President, Ted's 1980 campaign, David's Story, Kennedy Upheaval, Caroline/John/Maurice, William Kennedy Smith and the Palm Beach Scandal, Kennedy Wives Old and New, Jackie: Her Final Years, John and Carolyn, Michael's Story, A Peaceful Time, Camelot Loses its Prince, Transitions, and Looking Ahead.

The book covers a variety of issues: Jackie's re-marriage to Aristotle Onassis, Ted's presidential ambitions thwarted by the accident at Chappaquiddick when he ran his car over a bridge and the passenger with him drowned, Rosemary's--JFK's sister's--life-long problems following an ill-advised lobotomy done at Joseph's behest, Eunice Kennedy's support of Special Olympics and charity endeavors aimed at people with special needs, her husband Sarge's unsuccessful run for vice-president (for most of his life, his political ambitions were blocked by Ted at every turn) and his support of the Peace Corps, William Kennedy Smith's alleged rape scandal, Michael Kennedy's skiing accident, David Kennedy's drug abuse, as well as JFK Jr.'s life, his relationship with Carolyn, and ultimately their tragic demise. The book ends as Caroline Kennedy dips her toes in politics, and quickly decides that her family name isn't enough foundation on which to build a career now. So is this the end of the Kennedy dynasty? J.Randy Taraborrelli carefully tackles all the developments in the last couple of decades, and attempts to answer this question.

Taraborrelli did an amazing job with research, and making the characters and events discussed come alive. This is perhaps the most detailed account out there of the Kennedy saga post JFK. Well-known facts manage to line up nicely along information that was more rarely known--JFK Jr.'s brief relationships with Daryl Hannah and Madonna, David Kennedy's spiral into drug abuse, Ted's questionable picking-up of women at bars with his son and nephew, and other interesting tidbits. Overall, it was an entertaining read.

Having previously read Jackie, Ethel, Joan:The Women of Camelot, I didn't hesitate to read After Camelot. Although I don't think reading Jackie, Ethel, Joan first is a must, this reader found it extremely beneficial. Having very limited knowledge of the Kennedy family, I learned a great deal about them setting a good understanding of the dynamics of the family going into the second book.

I had a hard time to put After Camelot down. As with all J. Randy Taraborrelli's books, I find myself drawn into the book as I read it. I feel the sorrow they feel during the tragic times and the joy they feel during the happy times. Having very limited knowledge of the Kennedy family and empire, I came away from this book with a complete account of their political as well as their personal lives. I found it extremely heartwarming to get to know the sisters and the in-laws of the Kennedy clan as well as the succeeding generations.

I laughed and cried throughout the entire book as I read it. It is, overall, a heartwarming, real, account of a highly public and political family, but at the end of the book I found myself realizing that they are also just human.

For anyone even slightly interested in the Kennedy family, like I was, I strongly recommend this book.