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Rating: 
Summary: Therapy for a Friend
Review: Granted, Rob Littell is not an award-winning author, and he clearly states that he wrote this book as a self-help strategy. Littell's memoirs of his friendship are just that - not an in-depth biography. Many JFK Jr books are clearly exploitive, but not this one. It's a chronicle of two friends, told in a slightly annoying disjointed narrative, but it is charming and loving. The hard facts are not sugar-coated or ignored, but they are explained in a sympathetic and understanding viewpoint. This is a loving tribute from a good friend who felt the need to set the record straight.
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Summary: hilarious!
Review: I read The Men We Became in two nights. What fun! And I must thank Rob Littell for defending his freind. It must have been hard to watch his reputation get dragged thorugh the mud for so long. Most of America loved John Jr., and I now feel that he loved us back. I laughed out loud and cried and felt like I knew the man I had always admired. I figured this book to be another tell all, but to my happy surprise it's not. It's a great story about a favorite American Son. One that I'm sure Carolyn Bessette's mother must be grateful for the effort.
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Summary: hilarious!
Review: I read The Men We Became in two nights. What fun! And I must thank Rob Littell for defending his freind. It must have been hard to watch his reputation get dragged thorugh the mud for so long. Most of America loved John Jr., and I now feel that he loved us back. I laughed out loud and cried and felt like I knew the man I had always admired. I figured this book to be another tell all, but to my happy surprise it's not. It's a great story about a favorite American Son. One that I'm sure Carolyn Bessette's mother must be grateful for the effort.
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Summary: A response for Mr. Littell
Review: Mr. Littell responded to my review and thanks for the call to Fort Myers! The author certainly is sensitive, passionate and cares.
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Summary: He has done his friend a favor
Review: People are going to write about and reveal the private details about John's life anyway; it might as well be done by someone who loved him and really knew him. I came away from reading this book liking and understanding John, Carolyn, and Jackie more than I ever did before, and therefore I think Robert Littell has succeeded with what he wanted to do. The insight on the Kennedys lifestyle was fascinating, lots of description and detail - I loved it. The book is interesting, personal, and emotional.
Rating:
Summary: A Splendid Knockabout Story You Can't Put Down
Review: Rob Littell's book is a splendid, knockabout story about an extraordinary friendship cut short by tragedy. It's a matter-of-fact telling of two college freshmen who formed a brotherly bond that transcended celebrity and breathtaking privilege. For those of us who never had the opportunity to meet John F. Kennedy, Jr., it gives a rare glimpse of the man - or, rather, the gentleman - behind the headlines. After getting to know these two young men and the nature of their relationship, one comes away with the feeling that JFK, Jr., almost helped write the chapters - almost a dictation from heaven. "Hey, Littell, you missed one!" (You have to read the book to fully appreciate this line.) We get to meet Mrs. Onassis, too, away from the flashing light bulbs and glamorous "sets"; and - surprise! - she's just like any other proud, protective parent. One gains an appreciation for how well she balanced her different roles and how close to the earth she truly was. What harm there is in any of these pages, only a green-eyed skeptic knows. For the rest of us, The Men We Became is what a best friend writes to vanquish the sorrow of what never will be. This is a charmer - from the first page to the last.
Rating: 
Summary: sophomoric.....
Review: This is the John Kennedy I have wanted to know for so long. His years spent at Brown with the author -- listening to the B52's and Rolling Stones, wearing J. Crew and Vuarnet's -- that was my era too, when it was cool for men to wear wrinkled clothing and drive old beater cars (or no car at all.) I dated many such men, but in the back of my mind I would wonder what the boy in blue was doing up at Brown...Thank you, Rob Littell. I throughly enjoyed this book, and laughed out loud at least a dozen times while reading it. Others have commented on the writer's style -- well, I give it five stars for its authenticity. An erudite, literary recounting would not have come from the hand of a man John chose as his roommate. It just wouldn't have fit. What you get instead is the down-to-earth and funloving nature of John and his circle of friends (although, to Rob's credit, the book did contain some Pat Conroy-esque moments, most memorable being the ones at the Kennedy compound in Florida.) Although humorous and entertaining (gosh, I wanted to die over Franny's fashion-crisis at Caroline's wedding,) the book left me feeling very sad. Sad for lives lost and for those still grieving. And I am haunted too by a couple of phrases from the book: First is when John "mused the next day, as he sometimes did after these raucous events, that someone in the group would prove to be his Judas. He knew it was possible that someone might turn and concoct a false tale to sell to the press." And then there was Carolyn's description of John's three types of friends: "the "regular Joe's," who remained essentially unaffected by his fame; the "windblown," who were good eggs but were visibly influenced by John's celebrity; and finally "the freaks," who lost all self-respect in their effort to suck up to John and get whatever they thought he could give them. In making his memoir public, even though it is all true, has the author become John's "Judas", Carolyn's "freak?" Am I any less guilty for having read it? I would like to think that Rob knew John's heart better than most and honored his friend accordingly. As for myself, learning about John Kennedy always makes me want to be a better person. So.... thanks for the memories, Rob.
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Summary: A wonderful memoir of male bonding
Review: This is tough to rate. I always have 3 or 4 books on the go, so one of my tests is which ones I'm willing to put down to finish another. By that measure, this book warrants 4 stars, but it loses a few points for lack of substance, and for perspective. Or maybe JohnJohn was a sicker puppy than we knew. I don't think the author sees him that way, more like puppy love there. But he certainly sees a few lines of coke (by Carolyn) or a university life that sounded like outtakes from Animal House as no big deal. In a way, it makes one see how the pampered life of the idle rich can thwart accomplishment and values. Anyway it is a light read that could have easily been whittled down to several magazine articles. Doesn't make me think much of the author, and a bit less of the hero.
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Summary: The Men We Became -- My Friendship with JFK jr.
Review: With a sound amount of scepticism, I picked up this book, wanting not a whole lot of gossipp and trash but a book of memories. This, I think, I got.
A friend remembers his friend through the haze of 20-odd years -- never planning to be the great auto-biographer. In short, I found it to be a touching tribute. We should all have friends so generous to our little lives once we're gone.
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