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First Sentence
For four years, whenever I told someone that I worked at George magazine, the response invariably came back, "Oh, did you know John before?"-as if to get a job there you had to be a Kennedy acolyte. Read the first page

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Concordance

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Front Cover | Copyright | Excerpt | Back Cover

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Customer Reviews

63 Reviews

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(11)
1 star:		(11)

Average Customer Review

3.3 out of 5 stars (63 customer reviews)

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars the best JFK Jr. book, Feb 14 2004

By A Customer

This review is from: American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Paperback)

I'm sure all the controversy helped sales of this book, but it definitely gave me a misleading impresson of both the book and its author. I didn't read American Son for a while after it came out because I was turned off by the controversy. But eventually I broke down and bought it and I'm glad I did. In retrospect, some of the people who trashed the book didn't even seem like they'd read it, but were just reacting to the hype about it, or had some personal ax to grind. (You can definitely tell that some of the reviews on Amazon were written by people with a hidden agenda.) Anyway, American Son is well-written and easy to read, and feels a lot more honest than most of the Kennedy books out there. You really get a sense of what JFK Jr. was like-funny, warm, likeable, but surpringly vulnerable and unsure about his future. Also, I enjoyed reading about what it was like to work at George magazine. I was a charter subscriber, and I always thought it was an underrated magazine. So the book's not just about JFK Jr., but about the magazine business, politics, and New York in the 1990s. I've read all the books about John Jr., and this is definitely the best.

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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Surprisingly Good Book, Oct 4 2003

By

F. Phillips "jackstiger" (JACKSONVILLE, FL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)

This review is from: American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Hardcover)

I basically picked up this book because I was looking for something "non-fiction" to read, and I wanted to learn more about the life of JFK, Jr. I was also a fan (I majored in Political Science in college) of George Magazine, and could never really understand why the magazine didn't catch on with the public better than it did. I was somewhat hesitant to pick up this book because of the bad press that some critics had given it when it first came out. What I found, was a non-sensatinalized account of what it was like to work with JFK, Jr. and to know him as a high level employee. When the author talks about his own personal life, it adds context to the story of Mr. Kennedy, rather than getting in the way, or distorting his role in his life. He does not try to portray himself as a confidente or best friend, but only as an employee, who shared a work bond. This gives the book a great deal of credibility. The author gives a good insight on what Mr. Kennedy was like, and what it must be to live the life of a celebrity and an historical icon. I think those individuals who have criticized this book in professional book reviews were either jealous, or in some misguided way trying to preserve their version of the Kennedy legend. There is no "dirt" dished in this book, but it does give a well rounded picture of the subject from one point of view. If anything, it is less critical of the subject than I would have expected. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to know more about the latter part of Mr. Kennedy's life or an insider's look at some of the politics within George Magazine.

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2.0 out of 5 stars Just ok..., Oct 31 2003

By

Laura Pavlik (Brooklyn Park, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: American Son: A Portrait of John F. Kennedy, Jr. (Paperback)

The book was an easy read. It was only ok. I got some insight
of JFK BUT I had already read most of what he wrote. Not the
best book I have ever read.....

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Most recent customer reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing
If you want to learn anything new about JFK jr. do NOT read this book. The book is basically one long whine-fest about why the magazine "George" failed (hint to Blow: because it... Read more

Published on Aug 24 2003 by Elizabeth Bruce

4.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Idea for a Book
I thought the idea of a book about John Kennedy, Jr.'s tenure at George magazine was a good one. Instead of a slick and glossy tome about "America's Prince" or "The Most Beautiful... Read more

Published on Jun 22 2003 by Herbert Boomhower