American Journey: The Times of Robert Kennedy

by Jean Stein

Book Overview

An oral history of the life & times of Robert F. Kennedy. Interviews conducted by Jean Stein. Edited by George Plimpton. This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0151910707
• ISBN13: 9780151910700
• Release Date: January 1970
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt P
• Length: 372 Pages
• Weight: 1.83 lbs.

Customer Reviews

The Last Honorable . . .

Robert F. Kennedy . . . "Bobby" . . . If you lived through the times and remember, "AMERICAN JOURNEY - THE TIMES OF ROBERT KENNEDY" interviews by Jean Stein edited by George Plimton, will bring back the image of "the last honorable politician" in memory . . . who lived an honorable profession. These interviews recall the man many of us knew first as the brother of President, John Fitzgeral Kennedy and as Attorney General . . . then, as a light emerging from the darkness of "the assassination in Dallas" Senator Bobby! Whatever Rober Kennedy was in and of himself and to his family, he meant "hope" to countless millions across America . . . and across the world. As the decades have passed and the "news stories" move on to a myriad number of new events and different times and speak of and photograph new faces, one look back at a photo of Robert Kennedy, or reading even one reminiscence about him, whether in this book or elsewhere,brings back the impact of the magic of his presence and person. And the special magic that he had was that he brought out "the best" in ourselves . . . it wasn't ever a matter of demonstrating how great Bobby was but rather how special "we" all are and can be. If you are too young to have memories jogged by the interviews written in this volume, then read it to experience vicariously what so many were blessed to live through and know of life in America as it was at one time . . . and perhaps let a spark of that ignite something great and positive in your own life view and philosophy . . . and action - an existential encounter with "hope". There are many books which have been written and published over the years since that "1968" . . . and many quite excellent . . . but this book presents a kaeidoscopic mirror of "Bobby Kennedy" seen through the eyes and thoughts of his contemporaries, like a diffused light spectrum through a prism . . . Bobby the man seen through the different eyes. This book was an excellent tribute to him after his death . . . and it remains a lasting experience for anyone who takes the time to read it still.

"the ride of the century"

Since I'm of the age group that actually remembers Mr Kennedy's campaign and assasination by seeing it on television, this was a strange book to read.I remember all too well learning of his assasination - I had been assigned as part of homework to report on his campaign. I woke up to be sure I caught the news before I went to school - and there, another horrible scene was being played out. It seems unreal to me even now, after all these years.This book is basically an oral history that tells two stories - the one is the thoughts and feelings of the folks on the train and gathered to see it, the other story is of Mr Kennedy's life and the impact his life had on the world.It's broken down into various sections - his career as attorney general, working with Senator McCarthy, friends and family memories, the Cuban missile crisis - so you get a fuller picture of what Robert Kennedy was like in real life. It makes the tragedy of his death all the more poignant to learn about these things.If you want to learn more about Robert Kennedy and how he was viewed in the time period he lived and dies in, this book is a very good place to start and I recommend it highly.