Overview

In this magisterial work, celebrated historian David Nasaw tells the complete story of Joseph P. Kennedy, the founder of the twentieth century's most famous political dynasty. The patriarch tracks Kennedy's astonishing passage from East Boston outsider to supreme Washington insider and key participant in the major events of his times- the booms and busts, the Depression and the New Deal, two world wars, a cold war, and the birth of the New Frontier. In this pioneering biography, Nasaw draws on never-before-published archival materials and interviews with family and friends to reveal the full impact of Kennedy's legacy, paying particular attention to the lives of the children he raised. In studying Kennedy's journey, we relive the history of the American Century. 'Riveting.' Christopher Buckley, The New York Time Book Review 'Panoramic. Never before has Joseph P. Kennedy's conduct been documented in such damning detail, and never before has the verdict on his character been rendered so persuasively.' The Wall Street Journal 'Magisterial;.' The Boston Globe 'Engrossing and perceptive . . . Nasaw delves deep into archives, reconstruction virtually from scratch a multifaceted and ambiguous portrait of a figure who was for decades near the center of power in Hollywood and Washington, finance and diplomacy.' The Washington Post

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9780143124078

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One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year One of Kirkus's Best Nonfiction Books of the Year * Riveting... The Patriarch is a book hard to put down...As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: 'Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your county.' One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States. After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country. But the gods would demand even more. - New York Times Book Review David Nasaw's The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called 'magisterial.'- Boston Globe Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lot.... Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPK.... If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in. - Pittsburgh Post Gazette

One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the Year<br> One of Kirkus's Best Nonfiction Books of the Year<br><br> *<br><br> Riveting... The Patriarch is a book hard to put down...As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: 'Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your county.' One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States. After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country. But the gods would demand even more. - New York Times Book Review <br><br> David Nasaw's The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called 'magisterial.'- Boston Globe <br><br> Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lot.... Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPK.... If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in. - Pittsburgh Post Gazette <br>

One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the YearOne of Kirkus's Best Nonfiction Books of the Year * Riveting...The Patriarch is a book hard to put down...As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: 'Ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for your county.' One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States. After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country. But the gods would demand even more. - New York Times Book Review David Nasaw's The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called 'magisterial.'- Boston Globe Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lot.... Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPK.... If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in. - Pittsburgh Post Gazette One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the YearOne of Kirkus's Best Nonfiction Books of the Year * Riveting The Patriarch is a book hard to put down As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your county. One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States. After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country. But the gods would demand even more. New York Times Book Review David Nasaw s The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called magisterial. Boston Globe Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lot . Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPK . If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in. Pittsburgh Post Gazette

One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the YearOne of Kirkus's Best Nonfiction Books of the Year * Riveting The Patriarch is a book hard to put down As his son indelibly put it some months before his father was struck down: Ask not what your country can do for you ask what you can do for your county. One wonders what was going through the mind of the patriarch, sitting a few feet away listening to that soaring sentiment as a fourth-generation Kennedy became president of the United States. After coming to know him over the course of this brilliant, compelling book, the reader might suspect that he was thinking he had done more than enough for his country. But the gods would demand even more. New York Times Book Review David Nasaw s The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy is the sort of biography that begs to be called magisterial. Boston Globe Mr. Nasaw has the rare ability to see the big picture and frame the detail with careful scholarship -- all the while making room for elements that do not fit -- which in Joe Kennedy's case is quite a lot . Mr. Nasaw's is a literate and searching exposition of the patriarch's life that offers the reader compelling answers to questions about JPK . If The Patriarch doesn't scoop up some serious accolades for the writing of American history, the fix is in. Pittsburgh Post Gazette

Author Information

David Nasaw is the author of Andrew Carnegie and The Chief: The Life of William Randolph Hearst. He is the Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr., Professor of History at the Graduate Center of the City University of New York.

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