BITA's Book Review of Rose Kennedy's Family Album

-

Here is a book review of Rose Kennedy's Family Album in the current issue of Travel & Culture Guide issued by the Boston Irish Tourism Association:

From the Fitzgerald Kennedy Private Collection, 1878-1946
Foreword by Caroline Kennedy
Arranged and Edited by the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation
Hachette Books 368 pages / $45.00 / October 2013

Think of this exquisite coffee-table book literally as a family album, with photos, snippets from letters, humorous asides and personal reflections. But it’s a family album that chronicles one of America’s most famous families.

The 300 plus photographs, overwhelmingly black & white, were lovingly saved and preserved by Rose, who in many ways kept the family narrative intact over so many decades. The book is chronological, starting with photos of her parents, John “Honey Fitz,” and Mary Hannon, and her husband Joe Kennedy’s parents, Patrick “PJ” Joseph and Mary Hickey. Then the nine Kennedy children take center stage, up to the 1946, when a young-looking JFK wins his first political seat as US Congressman from Massachusetts.

The photos in the book are anchored by introductory essays in each of the six chapters that provide historical context for the family’s ascension. The excerpts from family letters – several of them from President Kennedy when he was at boarding school – give a real insight into the tight knit family as well as its privileged status. Caroline Kennedy’s foreword is gracious, as she describes her grandmother Rose as “the heart and soul of our family, the most fun, most curious, most understanding, most open-minded, most self-disciplined, most practical and most political adult we knew.”

The talented staff at the John F. Kennedy Library Foundation, led by executive director Tom McNaught, did a terrific job organizing the project and presenting such a complete chronicle of this American family.

See more book reviews by BITA on topics of interest to the region's Irish-American community.  These are abridged versions of the original reviews.

For year round details on Irish cultural activities in Massachusetts, visit IrishMassachusetts.com


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

"Blazing the Trail" depicts early Irish filmmaking, showing on November 23 in Brookline

-
Image
The Boston Irish Film Festival is presenting a fresh new look at early Irish filmmaking with the presentation of Blazing the Trail: The Story of the Kalem Film Company in Ireland. The multimedia event takes place on Monday, November 23, 2009, at the historic Coolidge Corner Theater at 290 Harvard Street in Brookline, MA, from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m. The project was created by film scholar and director Peter Flynn, founder of the Boston Irish Film Festival , and produced by Dawn Morrissey. They will show a selection of rarely-seen films from the early 20th century, as well as several short films that put the historical film in retrospect and modern context. Live music will be interspersed between the films to create an old-time Nickelodeon atmosphere. Musicians are pianist Peter Freisinger and vocalists Victoria Hayes and Liz Hayes. There is also a chance to win free tickets to this premier event through the Boston Irish Tourism Association . Tickets to the show are $9.75 and are availa
Read more

General Edward L. Logan, Namesake of Boston's Logan International Airport

-
Image
General Edward L. Logan (1875-1939), namesake of Boston’s Logan International Airport , died on July 6 1939 from a sudden 'heart ailment.'  His brother, Reverend Leo J. Logan, presided over the funeral mass at the Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston, with tributes by leading politicians like Senator David I. Walsh , former Massachusetts Governor and Boston Mayor James M. Curley and former Mayor John F. Fitzgerald .  Logan is buried at the Calvary Cemetery in West Roxbury.  A first generation Irish-American, military leader, civic leader and municipal judge with family roots in Galway and South Boston,  Edward was the oldest of nine children of Lawrence and Catherine (O’Connor), according to Michael Cummings of Milton, an expert on the Logan Family. Edward’s father Lawrence immigrated to Boston from Ballygar, County Galway, in 1858, and became a successful businessman at a young age when he became president of the Boston Brewing Company in South Boston.  The family resided a
Read more

Damian McGinty, former Celtic Thunder Star, Performs in Hartford and Providence this Fall

-
Image
Damian McGinty , the young singing star from Derry, Northern Ireland who performed with Celtic Thunder , is returning to New England in October as part of a national tour with  Ethan Bortnick . They will be performing in Hartford, CT on October 5, followed by two shows in Providence, RI on October 12, 2014. Find details here. McGinty was part of the original Celtic Thunder ensemble for several years, and left the band in 2012 when he won a coveted spot on the television show Glee .  Since then he has embarked on a solo career that has taken him around the world.  In 2013 McGinty was Cultural Ambassador for his home city of Derry, Northern Ireland . Find year round details on Celtic and Irish cultural activities at IrishMassachusetts.com .
Read more