Ask Not: The Inauguration of John F. Kennedy and the Speech That Changed America

by Thurston Clarke

Book Overview

The author of Pearl Harbor Ghosts and California Fault now focuses on one of America's most magical events--John F. Kennedy's inaugural week--and the creation of the speech that inspired a generation and brought hope to a nation. 16-page photo insert.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0805072136
• ISBN13: 9780805072136
• Release Date: October 2004
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Company
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

He spoke from the heart

I loved this book. As a New Englander who was only 6 years old at the time of the inauguration, I can no longer tell if I remember watching the Inaugural or if over the years seeing the newsclips and videos at the JFK Library have indelibly stamped his words in my brain. In any case, the book made me want to hear the speech again. A visit to the Library during my next visit to Boston may be in order. One bone to pick. How is it that a regular person like me constantly finds errors in books that seem to be otherwise well-researched and the editors don't catch them? Henry Fonda's ex-wife who was at Joseph Alsop's party was named Afdera, not Alfreda. Errors like that drive me nuts.

A fascinating read

I found it a fascinating book. Thurston Clarke's painstaking research and subsequent account of JFK's inaugural address recaptures a moment in time in a unique and intriguing way. I felt transported back to being ten years old, home from school due to heavy snow,watching the television coverage, but with the wisdom of Clarke's story on my side. My daughter, who obviously was not alive in 1961, but is a student of the history of the 60's, was similarly transfixed by Ask Not.

Don't miss this book

Thurston Clarke has created a well written account of both this impressive speech and the forces at play that caused it to have an enormous impact on a generation. It is a must read for anyone interested in better understanding the outpouring of altruism fostered by Kennedy's call to service.

A Moving Speech Remembered By All

This is another wonderful book from Thurston Clarke, who is well known for his meticulous research, rich detail, funny anecdotes, powerful writing. Once again we, the reader, are pulled into a vivid story about which we already have strong memories and impressions. ASK NOT illuminates and refreshes and untangles our memories of Kennedy's inspiring and challenging words. We are reminded of how uplifted we felt on first hearing his inaugural address 45 years ago. Clarke's complete picture of the preparation for the speech and the inaugural celebrations bring alive a wonderful chapter in our history.

New Insights on Kennedy Speechwriting. And More

"Ask Not" is, without doubt, the most interesting addition to Kennedyana of recent years. Thurston Clarke, a gifted storyteller, takes the reader into a detailed journey into the lives of JFK, his family, friends and advisers on the hectic days of January 10-20, 1961, as Kennedy created an Inaugural address that, 43 years after it was delivered, hasn't lost any of its power and magic. At the center of this quest, Thurston introduces new evidence establishing that Kennedy, and not Ted Sorensen, was the author of the speech's most poetic, stirring and fascinating passages. If it is true that Sorensen has never written or said that he was the author of Kennedy's Inaugural, he has always mantained an ambigous position on the subject. Most historians and scholars have keep this ambiguity alive, and many still believe today that Sorensen was really the author of a message that defined the Kennedy era and launched America into the revolutionary and contradictory sixties. Clarke writes a captivating day-to-day (almost hour-to-hour) account of when and how John F. Kennedy dictated or wrote the words and sentences that converged in one of the most important speeches of the twentieth century. From the moment during a flight on his private plane to his family's mansion in Palm Beach when he dictated to Evelyn Lincoln, his secretary, the core of the most beautiful lines of the speech, till the very moment when he made minor corrections as he was delivering it, this book reivindicates Kennedy's authorship. It also makes the case that the Inaugural can be seen as a philosophical and spiritual biography of JFK, tracing the origins of its ideas and setences not just to previous extemporaneous speeches delivered during his 1960 campaign, but also to episodes and experiences of Kennedy's life. "Ask Not", of course, is comparable to "Lincoln at Gettysburg" by Garry Wills, which I think is the most fascinating book on Lincoln (and even speechwriting) ever written. But "Ask Not" can also be read as a shorthand biography that reveals not well-known insights on Kennedy's life and character. It's also a lofty reminder of how Americans lived the dawn of the Kennedy years, the neverending fascination about him and Jackie, his family, and a time when high-flying ideas were so close to politics that it seems almost unbelievable today. There's no complacency in this book. You wiil find a good amount of well-docummented criticism on Kennedy, but reading it (and, of course, Kennedy's Inaugural once again), one cannot but make a comparison to the present state of not only political rhetoric, but politics in general, and sadly contemplate what has been lost. Could "Ask Not", as "Lincoln at Gettysburg" did on 1993, win a Pulitzer? Certainly it has the right stuff. If you're a Kennedy fan, or a history buff, or enjoy speeches and speechwriting, or just love to read a very good book, get your hands and eyes on this one.