If anything happens to me I have this knowledge that if I had lived to be a hundred I could only have improved the quantity of my life, not the quality.

I found this potted biography based on letters to and from JFK, sourced primarily from the John F Kennedy Library and Museum in Boston, interesting but also a little dry in places. Yes, I know Kennedy was the President and a politician but I would have preferred a more balanced reflection of the man and his profession. The first few chapters are fascinating and I picked up on quite a few quotes that I either haven't read before or have forgotten, while the White House years felt like a recap of the major events of Kennedy's brief term in office - Cuba, Khrushchev, Civil Rights and Vietnam, abandoning the correspondence of the title for political papers. Interesting, just not what I wanted to read. The letters included are an entertaining and informative mix of family, friends, acquaintances and fellow statesmen like Winston Churchill - Kennedy campaigned to have the former prime minister made an honorary citizen of the USA - and even the Queen.

A fair account of John F Kennedy's presidency based on primary sources, although probably better for readers who haven't already ploughed through multiple Kennedy biographies. ( )

Review #18 - The Letters of John F. Kennedy (2013)

The Letters of John F. Kennedy is a good collection of personal letters and official correspondence between known and celebrated individuals and world leaders. You receive a brief overview into the Cuban missile crisis and the exchange of letters from Chairman Khrushchev, but also Kennedy’s view on the civil rights movement and the on-going every day issues that his Administration dealt with.

I was quite astounded as to how close and real nuclear war was and how that affected ordinary Americans in their day-to-day lives. The letter of September 7, 1961 to the nation comes to mind.

I would have liked to have seen more letters by European leaders and by the Queen, Elizabeth II, but I assume as this book has been targeted towards the US market rather than the U.K. that would not include such. You are left with a want for more images/scans of the original letters and a further back story of the aftermath would have been wonderful if included. Nevertheless, you see another side of JFK in these letters that is quite inspiring to see. His quick wit, intelligence, and charm makes me want to learn more about him and it’s admirable to see that he had achieved so much in less than three years in office.

In all, I quite enjoyed reading this collection, though as mentioned above, I did feel left with a want, an emptiness for more information as you conclude reading the letters, and ask yourself: ‘what then?’ ( )

bookshelves: autumn-2013, published-2013, nonfiction, fradio, radio-4
Read from November 09 to 16, 2013

BOTW

BBC BLURB: Letters to and from President Kennedy are published in book form and edited by Martin W Sandler to mark fifty years since the assassination of 1963. And a selection, abridged in five episodes by Penny Leicester, reveal the drama and tensions to do with American foreign policy. Other letters reveal Kennedy's wit and warmth when contacting friends and members of the public.

1. Early letters include JFK writing to his brother Joe during World War II, when both were in combat. There are also letters to 'Binga' - but exactly who is 'Binga'?

2. When Kennedy became president, letters arrived from Robert Frost, Walter Ulbricht and even John Wayne. Later, Gladys MacPherson would take him to task about his new health campaign.

3. Sundry correspondences reveal the warmth and wit of Kennedy, including an exchange with old friend Leonard Lyons about what a president is worth when he signs his name.

4. During the Cold War years, one exchange of letters with Nikita Khrushchev was surprisingly intimate and informal, away from the glare of the press and official scrutiny.

5. The Cuban Missile Crisis is at its height, and the president receives a remarkable missive from his advisor JK Galbraith, listing the pros and cons of nuclear fallout shelters. ( )