Rating: 
Summary: The Brothers and the made men
Review: During Robert Kennedy's campaign for the American presidency in 1968 he would sometimes disappear from the wild crowds and sit alone for hours on end. When aides would ask what he was thinking about, he would reply, "Just thinking about Jack." The relationship between the two brothers, and the dynamic political partnership it generated, was one of the most important in American politics. This is the subject of Richard Mahoney's Sons and Brothers. But the book also documents their father Joe's relationship with the corrupt worlds of the mafia, the labour unions and J. Edgar Hoover's FBI. Although the research is copious, there are no revelations. The author draws on the work and ideas of conspiracy kings Anthony Summers (The Arrogance of Power) and Seymour Hersh (The Dark Side of Camelot), while the controversial movie director Oliver Stone gets a thank you in the acknowledgments. While they were growing up, John and Robert were not particularly close. After the death of their older brother, Joe jnr, during World War II (and sister Kathleen a few years later) the family's political prospects rested with John. The brothers' relationship became close: Robert managed John's 1952 Senate campaign, his ill-fated bid for the Democratic vice-presidential nomination in 1956 and his run for the presidency in 1960. Following the Kennedy win, the new president - and his father - wanted Robert as attorney-general. Robert protested but in the end John's desire for someone he could trust won out. Anticipating criticism over the appointment, John explained to the press: "I can't see that it's wrong to give him a little legal experience before he goes out to practise law." Robert was an activist attorney-general, tackling problems like the civil rights movement, the mafia underworld and the corruption endemic in many of the labour unions. He was also included in all the administration's important decisions; his access to and influence over his brother was unmatched. After hearing for the first time that the Soviet Union was building nuclear missile sites in Cuba, it was his brother that the president immediately summoned to the White House. In the ensuing days of the crisis, Robert played an integral role in securing a peaceful outcome. But the darker side of the brothers' lives is also examined. Mahoney uses FBI reports to describe John's and his father's numerous sexual escapades, and claims that Robert strayed only once with Marilyn Monroe. The Kennedy connection to the mob is not a new allegation, but Mahoney emphasises its depth: in the 1960 presidential election, for example, he explains how the Kennedys used the Mob already a major financial contributor to falsify ballots and buy votes. In addition, he claims that Democratic Party bosses in Chicago and New York "periodically received briefcases full of campaign money" from Joe in return for political favours. A portrait emerges of a father and his two sons negotiating their way through American politics to power, using their connections with Hollywood, the mafia, the unions and party bosses to achieve their ambition. Conscious of Machiavelli's dictum that men "seldom or never advance themselves from a small beginning to any great height except by fraud or force", Joe Kennedy knew that the price for power was a moral one. John went along with the dictum while Robert resisted it. Mahoney's overarching theme builds to a climax through the nexus he develops between the Kennedys, the mafia and the CIA. Essentially, his thesis is that the mafia grew resentful of Robert's pursuit of it; that anti-Castro Cubans were frustrated with the administration's apparent detente with Cuba in the wake of the missile crisis; and that the CIA had a contract with the mafia to assassinate Castro. He suggests that the CIA hired mafia figure and Kennedy acquaintance Johnny Rosselli to assassinate the Cuban leader, and that both John and Robert approved of the arrangement. Mahoney writes that it was the Kennedys' pursuit of Castro that led Cuba to seek protection from the Soviet Union, which eventually led to the crisis and the showdown between Kennedy and the Soviet leader Khrushchev. Robert was deeply traumatised by John's death. Mahoney describes him as "like a widowed spouse" who was paralysed by grief. He was haunted by the idea that he himself had contributed to the murder of his brother, given his pursuit of Castro, the mafia and his bad relations with Hoover. Robert's rising political star had been hitched to his brother's; but under Lyndon Johnson's presidency, he became an outsider. Tortured by his brother's death and their unfulfilled legacy, Robert ran successfully for the Senate in 1964 and later for the presidency in 1968. He became a fierce critic of the Johnson administration's policies on Vietnam, civil rights and poverty. Sons and Brothers is well written and documented but the author does not discuss in depth the nature of the brothers' personal relationship beyond the politics. John and Robert's iconic status was enhanced by their sudden and violent deaths. Their lives are now frozen in time remembered for the dream of what they might have been. As Robert exited through the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel after claiming victory in the 1968 California Democratic presidential primary, he was gunned down. Lying on the floor losing consciousness, his last words to an aide were, "Jack, Jack." * This review was published in The Sydney Morning Herald
Rating: 
Summary: A suprising biography of two very interesting brothers.
Review: For some time now, I have been interested in the Kennedy's and the mystical life styles they lead. Sons and Brothers by Richard D. Mahoney provided great insight into the relationship between Jack and Bobby Kennedy. Not only were they brothers, but they were also great political mates. I was totally amazed at the connection between the Kennedy family and the mafia. I was also shocked at what difficulties Jackie had to go through during she and Jacks marriage. Mahoney spent a little too much time discussing Johnny Roselli and Carlo Marcello. It would have been nice if Mahoney had mentioned a little bit more about Jackie and the children. Overall, I feel that Sons and Brothers is a great book, and I highly recomend it to anyone who is interested in the Kennedy's or the presidency.
Rating: 
Summary: A must read for a family member!
Review: I began reading this book by invitation of a friend. I found that once I began I could scarcely put it down. This book analyzes the crucial relationship that existed between President Kennedy and his would-be President brother. As children the two never became close, few in the Kennedy clan saw much in the way of redeeming values in Robert Kennedy. Once he took the reins of the elder Kennedy�s campaign for congress everyone within, as well as outside, the family realized that Bobby would be a loyal soldier for the family. He valued loyalty above all else and Jack Kennedy soon realized that he could at times count on no one but his brother. Sons & Brothers explores the family�s ties to the mob. While Bobby kept himself busy going after everyone he claimed was corrupt his family was benefiting directly from their contacts in the mob, whether it was selling alcohol during prohibition or bringing out people to vote who otherwise would not be able to exercise their citizenry duty. An important message of the book is that what brought the family up is also what took it down. I consider this book a must read for anyone with an interest in history.
Rating:
Summary: Close, but no cigar
Review: I give this book four stars because it is very well written and I recommend it to anyone interested in the Kennedy administration. There is a lot of good information between the covers of this effort and I'm sure many people will be surprised at some of the warts and moles of the Kennedy family, particularly John. One may go away with the impression that many of the decisions of JFK's presidency were in fact made by RFK. I find that rather interesting. Decide for yourself. The biggest flaw (which cost one star) that I have with the book is that the author used conspiracy buffs (Summers and Marrs) as his primary references in the section about the assassination. He has, in effect, asked the reader to accept the notion that organized crime "probably" orchestrated the assassination with Oswald as the fall guy. Yes, I am a believer in the lone assassin conclusion. I think he should have just wrote about the assassination with known facts instead of theories. Organized crime and other factions that hated the Kennedy boys probably did want them dead and may very well have made plans to kill either John or Robert, but there is absolutely no physical evidence to prove that. Oswald beat them all to the punch. Anyway, this is an excellent book and should be read by students of American history and politics.
Rating:
Summary: Comprehansive Analysis Of The The Most Dangerous 1000 Days
Review: I have just finished this book and while I have read many books on the Kennedy Presidency this one certainly stands out as one of the few that accurately describes the socio political climate which prevailed during his three year term. While many will no doubt concentrate on the story in terms of its conclusions relating to the JFK assasination, I have to say that it was the author's description of the day to day handling of one crisis after another. Starting with the Bay of Pigs invasion which lead to increased soviet pressure in terms of West Berlin and on ultimately to the 1962 missile crisis, you really get a feel for the era in which the Kennedy's prevailed. Another interesting theme in the book was John Kennedy's total disdain for his military advisors and commanders who he described as brass hats. This attitude reached its climax at the height of the Missile crisis where he adopted a very tactical and de-escalated approach to the problem. Standing tough publicly in terms of his resolve but leaving just enough room for the soviets to get off their own hook, he faced an on going battle with his Generals who would have gone to war. I don't wish to give the impression that the book is all JFK, Bobby Kennedy is an important aspect to the book particularly his tough, constant and uncompromising defense of his brother. This book is definitely worth a read.
Rating:
Summary: The picture on the cover says it all
Review: I was raised in a conservative household and consider myself conservative in many ways (though I'm a registered independent). That said, I am 29 years old and both these men were dead before I was even born. However I have had a fascination with JFK & RFK since I first started studying history and the impact that the changes in the 1960's would have on future America. The picture on the cover is very telling about how different these brothers were -- black and white. What this book is really about is how co-dependent these two men were, with Jack more so upon Bobby. Many disturbing facts have come out about the Kennedy brothers in the last twenty years. Much of it does bother me as a moral and religious person. But that doesn't erase the fact that Jack and Bobby were very intelligent and gifted men and when it is all said and done, their idealism and determination positively impacted our nation's history.
Rating:
Summary: The picture on the cover says it all
Review: I was raised in a conservative household and consider myself conservative in many ways (though I'm a registered independent). That said, I am 29 years old and both these men were dead before I was even born. However I have had a fascination with JFK & RFK since I first started studying history and the impact that the changes in the 1960's would have on future America. The picture on the cover is very telling about how different these brothers were -- black and white. What this book is really about is how co-dependent these two men were, with Jack more so upon Bobby. Many disturbing facts have come out about the Kennedy brothers in the last twenty years. Much of it does bother me as a moral and religious person. But that doesn't erase the fact that Jack and Bobby were very intelligent and gifted men and when it is all said and done, their idealism and determination positively impacted our nation's history.
Rating:
Summary: A fine prose aside from conspiracy hints
Review: Sons and Brothers was a well written biography of the dynamic duo that occupied the White House in the sixties. Aside from brief, and not well provin conspiracy theories, it gave an excellent glimpse into the Kennedy brothers and their politics. I recommend this book to anyone who has even the slightest interest in the JFK and RFK.
Rating:
Summary: Very worthwhile read!
Review: Sons and Brothers was an outstanding read. This was a very non-bias account of Jack and Bobby Kennedy's whirlwind ride through arguably the most turbulent times in our nations History.
Rating:
Summary: AN INTERESTING OVERLAPPING OF FRATERNAL LIVES
Review: This is an excellent biography of two of the most famous brothers in history. I found myself much more interested in Robert Kennedy, the Attorney General - Senator. Since he worked closely with his brother, it is impossible to write about him without including President Kennedy and his input. Robert Kennedy was, in my opinion the more interesting of the two. In addition to having a more extensive legal background, he was plainly a man who set and met personal goals. He was dogged and determined and his hard work yielded success. From football to ferreting out teamsters and mafiosi, Robert Kennedy exemplified the meaning of persistence. He was certainly a very sympathetic figure in history and I have always believed that he sincerely cared about people. I remember when I was a very little girl I would see him on the evening news with a group of neighborhood kids who were drawn tho him like metal filings to a magnet. I remember thinking, "he really does care." My mother took me into the voting booth when he ran for office and I am proud to say that I am the youngest person who voted for him. She used to say that "Senator [Robert] Kennedy is a man who cares about people." I believed that. From elementary school to college, he was the historical figure I chose to research and write about when given the chance to decide. My college senior project was "Robert Kennedy: A Contemporary Figure" and it was the best paper I ever wrote. My then senior sponsor lauded it and I think today that it was my interest in the subject and my beliefs that made it a good work. In response to the paper I wrote then, I still say that Robert Kennedy is a prominent figure in history who is certainly relevant now. This book is a keeper.
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