Rating: 
Summary: Objective & Thorough
Review: There are numerous books on this person. So with another biography or historical book about Kennedy, many will not bother assuming that there's anything new to read about. This book however, provides a lot of new information that wasn't known before. What piques the interest today of the latest by Robert Dallek is the fact that he was given unlimited access to Kennedy
family documents which included previously unseen information regarding Joseph and Rose. A lot of information relating to Kennedy's ailments, and the medications he took reveal not only his poor health and chronic pain he endured but the fortitude to perform and function in the manner he did with such health problems. This should lead to some questions and possibly even skepticism. If Kennedy was in such poor health, faking his medical records to get into the Navy, survive the South-Western Pacific, and the phony myth of the PT-109 heroics, what else could be be fabricated? Some more of his playboy philandering is noted in the now proven
affair with a 19 year old intern in the White House while he was President. This has already been corroborated by the very person JFK had the tryst with, which gives Dallek some credibility. (The portion regarding the intern relationship was very small in the book.) Another titillating tid-bit (if we can go that far) is Kennedy, although protected by the press at the time, invited an underage cheerleader to his hotel room, during the West Virginia primary, which was basically bought with Joe Kennedy's money. In sum, this is a scholarly book that was heavily researched. It's not gossipy, revealing, or an exposé into anything earth-shattering. And it shouldn't be. It's a historical biography, and Dallek has done an excellent, objective job.
Rating: 
Summary: Enjoyed This Book
Review: My hat is off to Robert Dallek for this work on Kennedy. I read a lot and the book brings up some interesting information and new information on one of our better presidents. During Mr. Dallek's lecture and book signing at Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, DC he made some good points about the Kennedy Presidency. First his accomplishments were small because he had one of the shortest terms in office due to his assasination. Many of the programs he believed in were carried out by Johnson. Also the fact that he was killed so young he will always be remembered as a young, handsome President. Today he would be about 80 years old but he is forever etched in our memory as a young man. A must read for students and those who enjoy debating and discussing issues in open minded forum.
Rating:
Summary: Popular history - not an expose
Review: I want to premise my remarks by stating that I am a real JFK afficianado. I probably own more books on JFK and the assasination than most major libraries. Saying that, I was excited about Robert Dallek's new book. The media attention this book received lead me to believe that there would be a great deal of new information.While I enjoyed the book, I didn't find anything really new. For fans of Jackie and the children, they are rarely mentioned. Dallek concludes that JFK was not affected by all of the medication that he was taking. I'm not a doctor and don't have a medical background, but based on what JFK was taking and with the mix of doctors treating him, it's hard to believe that all of these drugs did not affect him to a greater extent than Dallek lets on. Although there is a great deal of discussion of JFK's back problems in the first half of the book, Dallek asserts that a program of excercise and swimming helped the President during the last two years of his life, so Dallek de-emphasises the subject. Dallek's view of the media coverup of JFK's sex life is interesting and not new, but he puts it into an interesting context. He asserts that just like the media cover up FDR's wheelchair, they covered up JFK and LBJ's sexual encounters.
While advance reviews of the book concentrate on this area of JFK's life, it is only a minor part of the story that Dallek tells. Mature readers have to realize that this book is written for a new generation that did not remember the events of the early 1960's. Most earlier works assume that the reader is not new to the subject. Although the work is footnoted, it is not in the traditional form. As a result it is difficult to check actual sources. It's a good read, but I can't say it's great.
Rating: 
Summary: Good reading, but...
Review: I was raised to admire JFK- here was an Irish Catholic that made it. (Sounds corny, but you don't know my Ma). Even though my political beliefs differ from his I still see him through those childs eyes I had when I did a fifth grade report on his life. Dallek brought a humanity that has laced in my eyes; he opened up JFKs life to reveal, frankly, someone I still admire. It was so nice to read of JFKs problems and perceptions of life. He was just a reular guy (I know Dah!- but hey, he was president and most previous biographies focus on that). As for the book, the writing style kept me going. Dallek has a fluidity to his writing that I enjoyed. He brought in looks at JFKs life from his personal letters that revealed a lot about JFK. My only complaint is that Dallek points out JFKs "shyness" during his first political run, yet didn't make much reference to it during his look at JFKs early years (instead saying that JFK was quickly popular at his schools). I'd love to see how any shyness affected his early years- true his easy smile would have made up for it, but the author doesn't explore this. It's like he just tacked on a weakness in JFKs life that was reported to him. Other than that, the book is a good read.
Rating:
Summary: A new look at Kennedy
Review: Who'd think that there would be another Kennedy book with something left to say? Well, there is. This book is done in a scholarly way, but mostly readable. We are getting far away enough now to have some perspective on Kennedy. For those of us who were there when he ran, and saw him as the breath of fresh air that he was - for all the failings we hear about now - this is a must read. A lot of new information, concentration on his political career and what he fought for, and a new look at all his physical problems, make this book interesting from cover to cover.
Rating:
Summary: The truth about an American hero
Review: This is the second JFK book I've read within the last six months (the first being Perret's JACK), and have enjoyed them both. What a complicated man Kennedy was! Within him were both idealism and pragmatism, humanitarianism and reckless disregard. Yes, he had a prodigious sex life and yes, he hid his health problems from the American public. And yes, he was a hero. Studying those sides of his character do not constitute "assassination" -- no one who actually read this book can say that -- any more than understanding Lincoln's melancholia diminishes our 16th President. This is NOT a hot, gossipy book. Instead of a sexy beach read, this is serious and scholarly. In addition to handling the sexual aspects of the Kennedy story in a realistic, nonsensational way, Dallek presents the medical history as though we are adults and can handle it. I also appreciated the way Dallek ended the book. The assassination is often handled as sensationally as Kennedy's sex life. Not here. No gory passages, no lurid conspiracy theories. Instead the book ends with an exploration of why Kennedy still captures our imagination, why his short Presidency still resonates. I found these last passages about Kennedy appealing to this country's "better angels" especially moving. This eloquent explanation of why JFK is still one of our heroes would not have had the same impact if the hundreds of pages that came before it weren't as credible.
Rating:
Summary: Going over old ground
Review: I grew up worshipping John F. Kennedy. But somewhere along the line, I realized I was really worshipping a celebrity, someone who probably should have remained a senator. Oddly enough, I don't want to know anymore about him. Once your knight in shining armor begins to tarnish, it's hard on the psyche. Read this if you want more of the same dished up with a few new characters, but don't expect anything spectacular. Why don't they just leave what's left of him on a pedastal? If you keep polishing the silver plate, you wear it down to the copper.
Rating:
Summary: a balanced account
Review: The author presents a reasonable and well reasoned assessment of a controversial figure. Neither an expose nor a campaign bio, the book will not appeal to thrill seekers ; it informs without pyrotechnics.Alas for the bottom feeders, the naughty intern has already identified herself; one may ignore the sentence or two that Dalleck devotes to this non-event.
In sum,the book is a solid and enduring contribution to presidential studies.
Rating:
Summary: A fully realized biography...wow!
Review: THere have been so many books written about the Kennedys (and JFK especially) so my reaction to the news that there was to be yet another JFK tell-all was a big yawn. But when I first read some of Robert Dallek's revelations in Atlantic Monthly last year, I felt compelled to check out An Unfinished Life. I was not disappointed. This is an extremely well-researched and complete look at a man who, considering his public profile, led a very private life. Without spoiling the book, I must say that the information about JFK's health in An Unfinished Life are reason enough to pick this one up. Although the media has been making much hay about Kennedy's own "Monicagate," that revelation is not at all the backbone of the book. Without taking sides, Dallek has given us the first look at the man behind the image. It's refreshing to see JFK not as an icon, but merely as a man who happened to be President of the USA...and like everybody, his life was not perfect. Kennedy fans will learn new things (both good and bad) and others will catch a glimpse of a man who became one of the prime newsmakers of the 20th century. A great read.
Rating:
Summary: Good Information But Dry Writing Style
Review: The author provides a wealth of information in this tome, but something is missing. It is the style of his writing that I did not like. When reading this book I longed for the book John Adams by David M. That was a great book filled with good information and the writing was excellent. This book was a little dry for me.
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