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Assassinations, plane crashes, and a botched lobotomy: How the Kennedys' numerous tragedies fueled the idea of a 'cursed family'

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Joseph and Rose Kennedy with their nine children in 1938. ullstein bild/Getty Images

• After Robert and John F. Kennedy were assassinated, an idea formed that the family could be cursed.
• Their history has been marred with tragedy, including four plane crashes, a skiing accident, and a lobotomy.
• In 1969, Ted Kennedy even publicly referred to the curse when he apologized for fleeing a car crash.

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The Kennedys have reached the highest position in public office — becoming senators, congressmen, and one becoming the president.

But their family also has had to deal with countless tragedies: two assassinations, two overdoses, four plane crashes, a skiing accident, and even a botched lobotomy.

Some people, including Ted Kennedy, have openly referred to the curse that befell the family, while others have blamed the ambitious patriarch Joseph Kennedy Sr. for pushing his children too hard.

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Here are the tragedies that have struck the Kennedy family.

Kennedy curse why

Were the premature deaths, accidents, and tragedies caused by their patriarch's sins?

In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s House of the Seven Gables, Colonel Pyncheon, a Puritan, covets a piece of land that a poor farmer owns. He has him hanged as a wizard so he can seize the old man’s property and build his seven-gabled mansion. At the gallows, Matthew Maule casts a generational curse that preys upon the Colonel and his progeny.

Many feel as if a curse stalks the Kennedy clan that caused over a half-century of premature deaths, accidents, and tragedies. The more salient of these are John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963, followed by his brother Robert’s assassination in 1968, then by JFK’s only son’s death in a Piper plane crash in 1999.

I believe it all started in 1941 with Rosemary Kennedy, the second child of Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. (JPK). She was mentally disabled at birth, and in her early twenties she struggled to read and write, had frequent seizures, violent outbursts, and mood swings. Her father was rapidly rising in the banking and political world, and worried that she would tarnish the Kennedy reputation. The stigma of her mental illness was a threat to the Kennedy image and JPK’s political ambitions. So he ordered a risky lobotomy, turning a smiling, beautiful 24-year-old into a mental 2-year-old.

That barbaric surgery would haunt the Kennedy clan. It would be another two decades before any of Rosemary’s eight siblings would learn the truth about their sister’s disappearance. In 1961, JPK was severely incapacitated by a stroke. His wife Rose then revealed their dear sister was in a Catholic facility for the mentally disabled, hidden away and cared for by nuns.

Did the secret surgery alone draw the wrath of God? Or was it JPK’s insatiable sexual appetite and infidelity to his devoted wife, or his cold, greedy, dishonest business dealings? He had a brilliant mind for finance and real estate deals, and he amassed a fortune (today worth $3.8 billion). Much of it was the result of shady insider trading and front-running “pump and dump” market manipulations. JPK was later appointed head of the new SEC, presumably because he knew all the dirty market secrets, mastered all the insider tricks, and knew where all the skeletons lay. His task was to restore damaged public confidence after the 1929 crash.

In 1933, JPK diversified his holdings with a Scottish whiskey distillery just before Prohibition ended, likely another insider trade from his political connections. By 1940, he had his eye on the Presidency, but was sorely disappointed. His anti-Semitism and pro-Hitler sentiments expressed while US Ambassador to the UK, rejecting Winston Churchill’s anti-appeasement-war mobilization policy, politically backfired and generated public mistrust.

Thereafter, he withdrew to become the back-room kingmaker for his sons, John, Robert, and Teddy. Using his wealth, JPK became a merger mogul in Hollywood circles, buying up studios and theatres. His adulterous affairs with movie stars influenced his sons to do the same. (His wife Rose, however, was a strict Catholic who insisted on keeping sacred her marriage vows.) JPK bowed to the proud vanities of Mammon.

Scripture has an appropriate verse for the so-called Kennedy Curse: “Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me” (Deut.5:9).

After researching JPK’s career, I was surprised by some eerie overlaps and similarities with my own family. The Kennedys lived on Meridian St, a few blocks away from my grandfather’s 3-story tenement on Decatur St., East Boston. But socially and financially, they were worlds apart. The Irish Kennedys owned barrooms and won state elections. Michael, my grandfather, was a poor farmer who immigrated from Italy in 1905. He made his own red wine in legal collaboration with friends during Prohibition. A family story has it that JPK asked to buy several kegs of wine. Though Grandpa was tempted, he refused, suspecting a scheme for bribing the Italian vote. Besides, it was illegal to traffic intoxicants, and Italian immigrants had to be careful.

Fortunately for me and my siblings, my grandfather was an honest and just man—a deeply religious soul. He suffered much to provide for his eleven children in those impoverished circumstances before and during the Great Depression, but refused to sell his wine. If not for Michael’s sterling character, the Kennedy Curse may have been visited upon us, too.

Besides that overlap, curious similarities between JPK and my father alarmed me. Both were born and raised Catholic in East Boston, both were eager to rub elbows with Boston’s elite Protestants, both married ladies named Rose, and both worked ten hour days at Bethlehem Steel in WWII. They later thrived at their business and banking enterprises.

They each had a mentally ill child that threatened their precious social image. JPK’s daughter and I were 23 years of age when deemed out of bounds and needing help. He had his daughter confined and lobotomized. After I had given away all my possessions to follow Christ, my father was distressed, worried, and angry. Severe conflict and division arose between us. He took me to a psychiatrist, but the doctor disappointed him. Soon after, without notice, I left Boston on a penniless pilgrimage in search of God. I can’t help but think how close my family had come to its own version of the Kennedy curse.

Richard M. DellOrfano spent ten years on a cross-country pilgrimage following Christ’s instruction to minister without possessions. He is completing his autobiography: Path Perilous, My Search for God and the Miraculous.

The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years

Death was merciful to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for it spared her a parent's worst nightmare: the loss of a child. But if Jackie had lived to see her son, JFK Jr., perish in a plane crash on his way to his cousin's wedding, she would have been doubly horrified by the familiar pattern in the tragedy. Once again, on a day that should have been full of joy and celebration, America's first family was struck by the Kennedy Curse.

In this probing expose, renowned Kennedy biographer Edward Klein-a bestselling author and journalist personally acquainted with many members of the Kennedy family-unravels one of the great mysteries of our time and explains why the Kennedys have been subjected to such a mind-boggling chain of calamities.

Drawing upon scores of interviews with people who have never spoken out before, troves of private documents, archives in Ireland and America, and private conversations with Jackie, Klein explores the underlying pattern that governs the Kennedy Curse.

The reader is treated to penetrating portraits of the Irish immigrant Patrick Kennedy; Rose Kennedy's father, "Honey Fitz"; the dynasty's founding father Joe Kennedy and his ill-fated daughter Kathleen, President Kennedy, accused rapist William Kennedy Smith, and the star-crossed lovers, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Each of the seven profiles demonstrates the basic premise of this book: The Kennedy Curse is the result of the destructive collision between the Kennedy's fantasy of omnipotence - an unremitting desire to get away with things that others cannot-and the cold, hard realities of life.

Genres NonfictionHistoryBiographyPoliticsHistoricalAmerican HistoryPresidents

260 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2003

About the author

Edward Klein

Edward J. Klein (born 1937) is an American author, tabloid writer and gossip columnist who is a former foreign editor of Newsweek, and former editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine (1977-1987). He has written about the Kennedys, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, and Donald Trump.

Klein is the former foreign editor of Newsweek and served as the editor-in-chief of The New York Times Magazine from 1977 to 1987. He frequently contributes to Vanity Fair and Parade and writes a weekly celebrity gossip column in Parade called "Personality Parade" under the pseudonym "Walter Scott." (The Walter Scott pseudonym had originally been used by Lloyd Shearer, who wrote the column from 1958 to 1991.[3]) He also writes books, many of which have been on the New York Times Bestseller list.

In recent years, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe has gained popularity in internet culture, particularly through the creation of memes. Memes referencing the book often highlight memorable moments, characters, or quotes from the story. These memes are typically humorous and are shared widely on social media platforms.

Ratings & Reviews

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I have been fascinated by the Kennedys for years, so much so that I wrote my high school term paper on Jackie O and I cried when I heard the news about JFK Jr and Carolyn Bessett. Anyone that knows me also knows that I am obsessed with all things paranormal so when I saw this book on sale for $5 at some ghost shop in St. Augustine a few weeks ago, I had to have it. Out of all of the books I'm currently reading, this one has piqued my interest the most. I'm amazed at how much I've learned about the Kennedys, the Irish and politics already just from reading this book. I've also learned that the Kennedys were most admired and respected not for the fact that they were charming or even good people, but for how they never refused to quit fighting their way to the top of the social and political hierarchy.

This was an interesting take on why the Kennedy family, especially the males, have met such tragic ends. Author Edward Klein believes it's the "Kennedy curse" and is due to their arrogance and narcissistic personalities. Hubris and tempting fate all play a part as well. I enjoyed this book. while it was sad to read of the tragic events that affected so many family members, I found myself thinking perhaps if they were less egocentric and more humble and not believe themselves to be invincible, there may have been different outcomes. Who knows?

Well researched and well written, but I didn't learn much more about the Kennedy family except their interesting history in Ireland.

If you have read other books about the Kennedy family and its tragedies, you probably will not learn much more in this book. If this is your first book about the Kennedy curse, it is worth reading.

I was disappointed because I thought it would trace the actual curse generationally. However, this process seems to be beyond the experience of the author.

If you are interested in curses and how they affect family lines and how to deal with them, this is not the book for you.

If you are interested in psychological traits that are learned and/or inherited through chemical imbalances, etc., then this book has interesting insights into the very self-destructive behavior of the Kennedy clan; it traces the roots of abnormal controlling desires for power, fame, money, publicity and also for love and acceptance from women which was unattainable because of a mother who was emotionally distant and could never be pleased and a father who did not respect women as anything but "arm candy". It explains the dependence on drugs and the violence and the public sexual escapades of the Kennedy men and the belief that their money places them above the law and above the church.

Although there are valid psychological reasons for their behavior, psychology alone cannot deal with a spiritual problem. The spirit is more powerful than the soul (mind, will and emotions). If there is a series of generational curses, then someone with spiritual discerning would be able to trace these curses, identify their roots and remove them for the sake of the remaining Kennedy descendants. This is a common ministry in some Christian denominations including the Catholic church to which the Kennedy family belonged. However, this was not dealt with in this book.

Although I am disappointed for this reason, that is not a reason for others not to read this book. It does have an excellent psychological basis with a lot of personal details to back up their claims.

However, be warned, it is not light reading. It could be depressing to some people, and is certainly negative because there is "no light at the end of the tunnel", no reason to believe that the Kennedy curse is over.

But there is something positive in an author who can unemotionally dissect the intricacies of human relationships to reveal the outcome of parental behavior on children. And perhaps we can ask ourselves if we have ever treated our children this way, withholding love except for exceptional achievement and never allowing children to express their emotions of disappointment, fear, confusion, etc. JFK said that his "mother was a nothing." Not even a nobody, but less than a person, a "nothing".

We might blame the Kennedy clan for their outrageous behavior, but perhaps, if we had been raised the same way, where it was more important for children to behave to protect the public image of the parents than to learn to control their behavior for the sake of their own self-perception, we would have turned out the same way.

We cannot judge them. We can be horrified and disappointed (I remember Camelot) but I am actually saddened that people with such potential had so much tragedy.

It is an interesting book.

How did this Ed Klein guy get Jackie Kennedy Onassis to tell him anything, when he kept twisting it all into such hideous accusations about the family she married into? This book, The Kennedy Curse is Klein's third in his quest to ruin the Kennedy name completely (after All Too Human and Just Jackie). I don't understand how this qualifies as non-fiction, rather than hearsay and historical fiction.

Here's a quote about the author from Adam Peck, of the Center for American Progress Action Fund: "The nation’s top book reviews have all panned Klein and his work. The Boston Globe called him “an author devoid of credibility,” the New York Times described him as “smarmy and sleazy,” the Los Angeles Times called his work “bio-porn,” and the Tucson Citizen referred to it as “the literary equivalent of a backed up-septic tank.” (It got a grade of “F”)."

Reading this book has been both a startling and revelatory experience. For close to 80 years, the Kennedy Family -- with President John F. Kennedy representing the apogee --- has cast a dazzling light on the U.S. (and the world, by extension). From the time the first Kennedy (Patrick Kennedy) arrived in Boston from famine-stricken Ireland with his wife Bridget in 1849, the Kennedys have been strivers, gamblers, and at times reckless in their pursuit of economic and political power. Being Irish and Catholic placed many obstacles across their path in a society that denigrated and marginalized both minority groups.

This book takes a look at the lives of a number of the Kennedys (and President Kennedy's grandfather, John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, who was a power in Massachusetts politics in the early 1900s) across time. What is remarkable is how resilient the Kennedys have been in view of the many tragedies it has suffered. The author has done considerable research, as the listing of interviews and bibliographic information at the back of the book will attest. Here the reader will see how a family dynasty, which has achieved much that is good and positive in public service and politics, inspiring many, has, nevertheless, like Icarus, flown sometimes too close to the sun, and fell into the abyss. Hence, the Kennedy Curse. I highly recommend this book to any reader with a keen interest in history as shaped by personality.

Did the author make a fundamental misreading of human character by calling it a curse?

The Kennedys casual attitude toward danger, which was often mistaken for courage, reckless and irresponsible daredevilry - does this sort of behaviour, bring about a curse? How else could one portray an upbringing that lacks a sense of moderation and discipline ? And probably to prove this point, the author has carried out an extensive and intensive research, with almost two chapter space devoted to acknowledgements, sources and notes. For me, it was just a thesis.,

I have a love/hate relationship with this book. One one hand, it is a very entertaining, informative and interesting read (5 Stars!). On the other hand, the author completely fails to go into any depth on the character of the infamous Ted Kennedy, or live up to his claim that this is "a detective story". In addition, Bobby Kennedy's assassination is given all of ONE line at the end of the section on JFK (3 Stars!).

I knew quite little about the Kennedy family when I started this book, and after having finished it (or really, after having finished the introduction) I have come to completely abhor them. I always thought of "The Kennedy Curse" as encompassing the tragedies that befell a great American family. Having read about the PEOPLE of the Kennedy family (as opposed to their policies), I find it hard to consider any of it a tragedy. Why has tragedy haunted the American family? - They brought it upon themselves.

Some reviewers have said that Klein was attacking the Kennedy's in this work. I disagree. He has called them narcissistic, but never used the more colorful words that truly describe them. Remember my love/hate relationship? I hate it because Klein is far too kind and doesn't dig deep enough. There exists the possibility that Klein was too easy-going on Ted Kennedy because he was still alive at time of publication. A follow-up book about the senator might prove or dismiss this point as it was published shortly after the senator's death.

Klein's writing is easy to read and easy to follow (if you're good at keeping names straight).

This book is not about political stances, its about personality and people. I highly recommend it, but give it only 4 stars because, while I enjoy the content that this there, it is lacking in several areas.

When I first started reading this book, I felt it to be tawdry and overly sensationalist, working too hard to invoke scandal which have been rehashed in the Kennedy lore.

The work contains chapter-by-chapter exegeses of the various tragedies that have befelled many of the members of the familial political dynasty. The book tears away at the mythology surrounding the Kennedys and portrays them in a more-or-less unflattering light. Klein offers up hubris among family members across generations, and a general lack of self-control, as the motivating factors behind each tragedy. It serves more as a popular history, and placed in a particular narrative driven by the author, rather than a carefully cross-checked document (though the author is very acquainted with members of the family and their close acquaintances, and has done a lot of interviews and examined many sources for the book, some of the juicier tidbits are backed up by a single anonymous source).

As someone who hadn't really been interested in reading about the Kennedys, this book piqued my interest, and I look forward to reading more.

48 books 68 followers

. Unfortunately, what could be a fairly interesting history of the Kennedys and Fitzgeralds suffers from an overload of psychobabble attributing the risk taking behavior of many of the family members to narcissism and feelings of Irish inferiority. While there may be some truth here, the over-emphasis detracts from the narrative. Further, there’s rather a gossipy tone throughout. The book focuses on various family members including Patrick Kennedy who emigrated from Ireland in the 1840’s thus the information about him is mainly anecdotal, Joe Kennedy who enlarged the family fortune with ruthless energy and fought hard to put one of his sons in the White House, Jack Kennedy with an emphasis on his womanizing while President, Kathleen Kennedy and her unfortunate love life, William Smith who was tried for rape and acquitted and John Kennedy Jr. whose recklessness led to his fatal plane crash. All these incidents are attributed to the Kennedy Curse according to author Klein.

Very disappointed with this book as very biased and full of throwaway comments unsupported by evidence. It started out as part history but then selectively focused on all the negative aspects of this family. Did not highlight any achievements at all. Very gossipy and sensationalist- difficult to believe that this guy was an editor one time. Worst book I have read in a long while.

Really, really interesting and intriguing read about the lives of the Kennedy Clan and the things that happened to them! Definitely learned a number of things that I never knew before and makes me want to continue to read about this family.

Is there really a Kennedy Curse??

The title, as well as the subject matter, hint at a book taken from the gossip pages of the tabloids but I decided to give 'The Kennedy Curse' a shot. As expected, lurid details abound in this book, but to be fair a decent amount of research has been undertaken. Ultimately that delivers a book that is often fun to read and hard to put down.
According to Klein, the "curse" stems from some narcissistic gene staring several generations up their family tree. The sexual exploits of JFK and William Kennedy Smith are described in unpleasant detail, with Ted Kennedy being visualised as a dirty old man in the relevant chapter. The unnerving friction between JFK Jr. and Jackie O repels, along with well-documented drug problems.
Shockingly there is little mention of Chappaquiddick and hardly anything on Robert FK and his assassination. These events probably debuted the idea of a "curse" more than anything else, so as a result I think Klein fails to drive the 'curse' concept home.
He aims to demonstrate that it is the narcissism in the Kennedy family that brought about their misfortunes, but in the end fails. Suggestions along the lines of 'if JFK Jr. was not so willing to engage in risky behavior to inflate his ego, he would not have flown in poor weather' prove nothing. At the end of the day this fails to accept that a lot of family tragedies simply stem from their choices rather than fate. Deviant behavior is not a family 'curse' and in fact the Kennedy 'curse' is really just a function of being a high profile family, with the inevitable increase in private tragedies becoming public news.
Their trials and tribulations were always on the front page and it goes without saying that when one is rich and powerful, the much-publicised ups are bound to be matched by similar downs.
Overall, the author manages to produce a readable book, let down by its central premise of some fascinating yet deadly 'curse'.

Interesting! I learned details about certain members of the Kennedy clan -- details that the author suggests were critical to their (tragic) outcomes.

The underlying theme is that a need for love / respect (pick one) from family / society (pick one) drove each ill-fated Kennedy to take extreme risks and behave as if he / she (pick one) were immune to societal / physical (pick one) laws so as to mask his / her extreme insecurity.

e.g. Joe Kennedy, Jr., who volunteered for a highly risky secret maneuver in his fighter plane during the Korean War. What made his sacrifice particularly risky (and senseless) was that an engineer had alerted him to a serious mechanical problem with his plane and had urged him to delay his flight by one day. Joe refused and his plane burst apart soon after take-off, as the engineer had warned it might.

Why did Joe do this? Because his rank in the family was under threat; he had been groomed by his father (Ambassador Joe Kennedy) to become the family's next great politician, but his younger brother JFK's medal for valor in the war unexpectedly put him (JFK) in the spotlight, and it seemed he (JFK) might take the mantle as designated politician. Joe felt had to outdo his brother by completing a more impressive mission / earning an even higher military honor.

e.g. JFK, Jr, who had just had a cast taken off his ankle and been advised by his doctor not to fly for 10 days. Yet he did so anyways. He was always a risk-taker. but how is that connected to his need for affection from his parents. I forget. Anyways, even if I don't completely buy the author's theory, this was an interesting read.

Ok, I think I just picked my 2016's worst book of the year.
Sensationalism is a good word to describe this book.
Klein makes supposition upon supposition to draw some ridiculous, personal conclusions and mingles them with (often unverifiable) facts. Not to mention the absurdity about the so-called ""Curse"" and the fact he repeated his arguments a dozen times.
(Lies repeated too many times DO NOT constitute truths).
I guess I shouldn't have expected much better from a gossip columnist, but well.
Anyway, to more specific criticisms:

- THIS AUTHOR KNOWS NOTHING ABOUT OR EVER READ ANYTHING WRITTEN BY NIETZSCHE
Seriously, he reproduces the concept of Übermensch that the nazis themselves used without a pause to reflect Nietzsche's concept was not that.
(I'm a bit touchy about my favorite philosophers).

- A WHOLE CHAPTER TO WILY SMITH AND NEXT TO NOTHING ABOUT ROBERT OR HIS MURDER.
Seriously. Even Kathleen's love story gains attention, but Robert receives none.

- Masculinity and virility bullshit.

- I guess every Irishman is cursed, then.

- Many psychological interpretations that sound like bullshit (again). Seriously, with next to no evidence.

Anyway, I think I gave enough reasons why I disliked this.
I think I finished it because I usually can't put a book down, however bad; it was one of the books on my shelf I hadn't read yet; but mostly because I wanted to write a review criticizing how much bullshit there was in it.
That's it. Sensationalist bullshit sums it up.

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Witless, unredeemable, unsourced, warmed-over, rumor-mongering, trashy clip job. Give me a minute and I'll really realize how much I hated it.

Gossipy, tabloid style writing. I don't believe that the Kennedy's are cursed even after reading this book. They are extremely narcissistic risk-takers. Don't waste your time reading this book.

I picked up a copy of The Kennedy Curse at a local thrift store for a little summer reading. I became completely engrossed in it and finished this relatively short (225 pps.) non-fiction book in two days. Full Disclosure: My father was an Irish-American, Northeast Democrat Party leader who went into politics because of JFK and had some run-ins/associations with Sen. Ted Kennedy in the late 80s. I also had a few chance encounters with Senator Kennedy having worked for his old running/drinking buddy, Sen. Chris Dodd when the two were both going through disorderly divorces and acting like a pair of frat boys. I have studied the topic of Biblical curses and still remain engaged in politics. I have never lost my disdain for the Kennedy family as their pathetic record of crimes, improprieties and immoral behavior has only grown.
Edward Klein is a great journalist with a mixed background in serious international journalism, domestic politics and tabloid celebrity coverage. He is a bit of a Jackie Onassis/JFK Jr. fanboy and is most famous for his books on Jackie O, his Celebrity Personality column in Parade, and his rash of political exposes of Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and the Deep State. He is also a man of moral integrity who is unafraid to draw portraits of his famous subjects "warts and all."
This book is one-part biography, one-part Kennedy genealogical history, and one-part chatty celebrity expose. It introduces the idea of a "family curse" with some historical background on the issue. He draws the reasonable conclusion that the Kennedy family curse is a self-fulfilling prophecy caused by a mixture of hubris, a sense of omnipotence, and an untamed, drunken wild streak -- to get away with things no one else can -- colliding with "the cold, hard realities of life" i.e. those laws of nature and society that tend to win out in the end.
Klein then describes, with devastating effect, how this has played out in the lives of key members of the Clan going back to the original Patrick Kennedy, Irish immigrant, and his driven immigrant wife, Bridget, in 19th Century Boston. Klein's portraits of the sociopathic family patriarchs, Mayor John F. "Honey" Fitzgerald and Ambassador Joe Kennedy are particularly chilling; while President JFK, the epitome of Kennedy sophistication and charm, and, Teddy, the epitome of Kennedy debauchery and sleaze, both come off as cold-hearted sexual predators. It's a brutal portrait but one well-earned. And these are the people who deem themselves the masters over the rest of us.
I would also add that Klein's portrait of the Irish immigrant experience and injustices at the hands of WASP Americans is well done and worthy. It's a part of history lost in the current fever of historical revisionism.
As for shortcomings, there are a few gaps in the story that need to be filled in. John F. Kennedy's WWII experience is limited to the PT-109 legend. Truth is, JFK was in Navy intelligence before he received his command, and was considered a security risk due to his rampant sexual immorality. And the Ted Kennedy portion is a bit lean, probably because the "Lion of the Senate" (*Vomit*) was still alive when this book was published. Hence, it lacks a serious analysis of Ted's cursed marriage and long-time infidelities. A more detailed view of family curses down through history would have been a nice touch at the beginning and given the book a more literary heft.
I heartily recommended The Kennedy Curse to students of American political history and those enjoy psychological studies of great people.
For those who are faint of heart and maintain a sentimental Kennedy view, you will hate watching your idols revealed for what they are behind the curtain of Camelot's public image machine. It's more than just tragic, it's downright ugly.

The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years by journalist Edward Klein could have been a serious, systematic summary of a subject that almost writes itself: corruption, tragedy, and death in the once-powerful Kennedy family. I am at the opposite end of the political spectrum as the Kennedys and wanted to learn more about this family that casted a long shadow over 20th century America. Unfortunately, Klein can't escape from his past as a muckraking journalist, and his book comes across more like an extended tabloid article than a serious study of what is, by any measure, a serious topic.

Klein tried to write a history of the Kennedys since the middle 19th century when their first ancestors arrived from Ireland. More than half the book is focused on these ancestors up to and including Joe Kennedy Sr. (the father of JFK). In the second half, he dedicates a chapter each to Kathleen "Kick" Kennedy, John F. Kennedy, William Kennedy Smith, and JFK Jr. That's it. A glaring omission is a chapter on Bobby Kennedy and especially Ted Kennedy and Chappaquiddick, one of the greatest American political scandals of the 20th century. For the latter, perhaps Klein didn't want to upset the then-living Senator and the Kennedy family (which he has covered as a journalist for most of his professional life) by taking sides on his contribution to the "Kennedy curse." If so, shame on him.

The book is full of imagined dialogue and outright hearsay. At several points, I found myself doubting his narrative and having difficulty telling known facts from unfalsifiable speculation. Klein is no historian, but I found it annoying that he has no footnotes in his book, just a list of sources at the back. Sometimes he writes "according to a friend" or "someone close to the family" or other sources, which to me is awfully close to what most people would call "gossip." Overall, his style just feels too much like a tabloid.

Another issue is his annoying tendency to fall into shallow pop-psychology when analyzing the behavior of members of the Kennedys. Often, he quotes psychiatrists and other "experts" (most if not all of whom never met the people they are analyzing) to back up his assertions about certain actions of the Kennedys that happened a century ago or more. Much of it is tainted with Freudian psycho-analysis that tries to interpret the many affairs of the Kennedy men as part of some deep-rooted emotional need for "power" or an inferiority complex for being of Irish descent.

Although Klein cites anti-Catholicism as a major obstacle to the Kennedy family's rise (which it was), he himself takes several swipes at the Catholic Church. He ridicules Rose Kennedy as a "religious fanatic" who's Catholic Faith was "hypocritical" when she objected to Kathleen Kennedy marrying William Cavendish, an Anglican nobleman, in a civil ceremony outside the Catholic Church. He portrays strict adherence to Catholic doctrines on sin, especially against sexual sin, as a cause of the Kennedy's family dysfunction. Curiously, Klein never uses the term "hypocrite" when he describes the huge disconnect between JFK's family man, "Camelot" public image and the lurid truth about his serial womanizing, venereal disease, and marital dysfunction. And like a true journalist, there is a lot of unnecessary details in the descriptions the many Kennedy affairs, as well as other scatological vulgarity.

It's a shame that such an important subject in American political history was given a superficial, tabloid-style treatment by a New York journalist who was probably more interested in cashing in on his lifetime of Kennedy coverage than telling the whole story.

The Kennedy Curse: Why Tragedy Has Haunted America's First Family for 150 Years

Death was merciful to Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, for it spared her a parent's worst nightmare: the loss of a child. But if Jackie had lived to see her son, JFK Jr., perish in a plane crash on his way to his cousin's wedding, she would have been doubly horrified by the familiar pattern in the tragedy. Once again, on a day that should have been full of joy and celebration, America's first family was struck by the Kennedy Curse.

In this probing expose, renowned Kennedy biographer Edward Klein--a bestselling author and journalist personally acquainted with many members of the Kennedy family--unravels one of the great mysteries of our time and explains why the Kennedys have been subjected to such a mind-boggling chain of calamities.

Drawing upon scores of interviews with people who have never spoken out before, troves of private documents, archives in Ireland and America, and private conversations with Jackie, Klein explores the underlying pattern that governs the Kennedy Curse.

The reader is treated to penetrating portraits of the Irish immigrant Patrick Kennedy; Rose Kennedy's father, "Honey Fitz"; the dynasty's founding father Joe Kennedy and his ill-fated daughter Kathleen, President Kennedy, accused rapist William Kennedy Smith, and the star-crossed lovers, JFK Jr. and Carolyn Bessette. Each of the seven profiles demonstrates the basic premise of this book: The Kennedy Curse is the result of the destructive collision between the Kennedy's fantasy of omnipotence-an unremitting desire to get away with things that others cannot-and the cold, hard realities of life.

• Item InformationItem Information

• Format: TradePaperback
• Author: Klein, Edward
• ISBN: 9780312312930
• Condition: Used
• Dimensions: 9.34 x 0.73
• Number Of Pages: 288
• Publication Year: 2004

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