The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy
The Nine of Us: Growing up
Kennedy by Jean
Kennedy Smith.
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (October 25, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0062444220
Amazon Review:
In this evocative and affectionate memoir, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving child of Joe and Rose Kennedy, offers an intimate and illuminating look at a time long ago when she and her siblings, guided by their parents, laughed and learned a great deal under one roof.
Prompted by interesting tidbits in the newspaper, Rose and Joe Kennedy would pose questions to their nine children at the dinner table. "Where could Amelia Earhart have gone?" "How would you address this horrible drought?" "What would you do about the troop movements in Europe?" It was a nightly custom that helped shape the Kennedy's into who they would become.
Before Joe and Rose’s children emerged as leaders on the world stage, they were a loving circle of brothers and sisters who played football, swam, read, and pursued their interests. They were children inspired by parents who instilled in them a strong work ethic, deep love of country, and intense appreciation for the sacrifices their ancestors made to come to America. "No whining in this house!" was their father’s regular refrain. It was his way of reminding them not to complain, to be grateful for what they had, and to give back.
In her remarkable memoir, Kennedy Smith—the last surviving sibling—revisits this singular time in their lives. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and vignettes, and illustrated with dozens of family pictures, The Nine of Us vividly depicts this large, close-knit family during a different time in American history. Kennedy Smith offers indelible, elegantly rendered portraits of her larger-than-life siblings and her parents. "They knew how to cure our hurts, bind our wounds, listen to our woes, and help us enjoy life," she writes. "We were lucky children indeed."
This was an interesting point of view from the second to the youngest of the 9 children of Joe and Rose Kennedy.
If you have read other books on any of the Kennedy's you might think things were left out or realize that this is how the youngest girl in a large family saw things. With so many older siblings to help take care of the younger children I found it must have been nice to have such a large family.
It's a small book and fast reading with many photographs throughout the book. For a person with much better eyes than mine this book can be read in one or two days.
It seems that the 2 most "political" people I read about are the Kennedy's and the Roosevelt's.
Hardcover: 272 pages
Publisher: Harper; First Edition edition (October 25, 2016)
ISBN-10: 0062444220
Amazon Review:
In this evocative and affectionate memoir, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving child of Joe and Rose Kennedy, offers an intimate and illuminating look at a time long ago when she and her siblings, guided by their parents, laughed and learned a great deal under one roof.
Prompted by interesting tidbits in the newspaper, Rose and Joe Kennedy would pose questions to their nine children at the dinner table. "Where could Amelia Earhart have gone?" "How would you address this horrible drought?" "What would you do about the troop movements in Europe?" It was a nightly custom that helped shape the Kennedy's into who they would become.
Before Joe and Rose’s children emerged as leaders on the world stage, they were a loving circle of brothers and sisters who played football, swam, read, and pursued their interests. They were children inspired by parents who instilled in them a strong work ethic, deep love of country, and intense appreciation for the sacrifices their ancestors made to come to America. "No whining in this house!" was their father’s regular refrain. It was his way of reminding them not to complain, to be grateful for what they had, and to give back.
In her remarkable memoir, Kennedy Smith—the last surviving sibling—revisits this singular time in their lives. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and vignettes, and illustrated with dozens of family pictures, The Nine of Us vividly depicts this large, close-knit family during a different time in American history. Kennedy Smith offers indelible, elegantly rendered portraits of her larger-than-life siblings and her parents. "They knew how to cure our hurts, bind our wounds, listen to our woes, and help us enjoy life," she writes. "We were lucky children indeed."
This was an interesting point of view from the second to the youngest of the 9 children of Joe and Rose Kennedy.
If you have read other books on any of the Kennedy's you might think things were left out or realize that this is how the youngest girl in a large family saw things. With so many older siblings to help take care of the younger children I found it must have been nice to have such a large family.
It's a small book and fast reading with many photographs throughout the book. For a person with much better eyes than mine this book can be read in one or two days.
It seems that the 2 most "political" people I read about are the Kennedy's and the Roosevelt's.
posted by DesLily | 1:37 PM
1 Comments:
I loved this one and felt quite envious of such a closeknit family all supporting each other. My politcal books are about the Kennedys too and Winston Churchill. And I think they were related via Deborah Mitford but I'm not sure exactly how.
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