Let Us Begin Anew: An Oral History of the Kennedy Presidency

by Gerald S. Strober and Deborah H. Strober

Book Overview

A candid assessment of the Kennedy presidency features revelations, details, anecdotes, and inside perspectives from Kennedy staffers, cronies, critics, and opponents concerning such events as the Bay... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0060167203
• ISBN13: 9780060167202
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
• Length: 540 Pages
• Weight: 2.40 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.6" x 6.5" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Recollections from those who were there...

(originally posted May 10, 2000) Let Us Begin Anew is a compilation of quotes, recollections, and mini-interviews from dozens upon dozens of former JFK advisors, colleagues, friends, journalists, and political opponents. The book is organized into sections such as the 1960 campaign, the Cuban Missile Crisis, etc. Each section contains numerous comments from these people about that topic ranging from a few sentences to a good paragraph or two. Oral histories such as this are fun to read and are important because they record the impressions of first-hand observers (an opportunity which is lost as time goes by). You also get some nice anecdotes and sometimes intensely subjective viewpoints that come from those who actually knew and worked with Kennedy. Because of the expected contradictions between individuals regarding the same event (due in part to flawed memories), such a work should probably not be relied upon as your sole resource regarding JFK's administration. For this reason, I would recommend using it as a complement to any traditional history you might have. There's relatively little in the way of extensive commentary by the authors to tie things together, so I enjoyed reading the book out of sequence by topic area. Overall, a nice and fun resource to have around.

Recollections from those who were there...

Let Us Begin Anew is a compilation of quotes, recollections, and mini-interviews from dozens upon dozens of former JFK advisors, colleagues, friends, journalists, and political opponents. The book is organized into sections such as the 1960 campaign, the Cuban Missile Crisis, etc. Each section contains numerous comments from these people about that topic ranging from a few sentences to a good paragraph or two. Oral histories such as this are fun to read and have an importance in recording the impressions of first-hand observers (an opportunity which is lost as time goes by). You also get some nice anecdotes and sometimes intensely subjective viewpoints that come from those who actually knew and worked with Kennedy. Because of the expected contradictions between individuals regarding the same event (due in part to flawed memories), such a work should probably not be relied upon as your sole resource regarding JFK's administration. For this reason, I would recommend using it as a complement to any traditional history you might have. There's relatively little in the way of extensive commentary by the authors to tie things together, so I enjoyed reading the book out of sequence by topic area. Overall, a nice and fun resource to have around.