That is, you can better understand some of the seminal developments of the mid-20th century through the lens of JFK’s life. That second story, remarkable in its own right, maps onto the life of Kennedy. In volume one, I cover his life through 1956, when he was elected to the Senate, and I also tell a second story about the rise of the United States to great power status and then to superpower status.
Hence the reason this became a two-volume work. His lifespan, which is 1917 to 1963, was an extraordinary period in world history and US history. Kennedy is certainly an iconic figure of the 20th century he is also a highly consequential figure, I would argue, especially in American history, but indeed international history. Tell me about JFK, the man-and your book about him, the first volume of your planned two-part biography, which I asked you to discuss as one among the five books you’ve named. JFK: Coming of Age in the American Century, 1917-1956
So, I was already familiar with and interested in him and his era. I also wrote about Kennedy before, in other articles and other books, and have taught about the Kennedy years in my classes. Coincidentally, I opened Embers of War with writing about JFK, when he visited China in 1951. Is writing about Vietnam what led you to JFK? Given that the materials available at the Kennedy Library and elsewhere are so rich, I thought I was in a good position to fill the lack of a real life-and-times biography.Įmbers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America’s Vietnam, your 2012 history of America’s involvement in Vietnam, won both the Pulitzer and Frances Parkman prize.
I had written about Kennedy before in different contexts, mostly pertaining to the Cold War and to Vietnam. But it did cause me to think that there was an opening here. I don’t know that I have a good explanation for why.
But we don’t have a lot of full-fledged biographies of JFK himself, ones that contextualize his life and give due attention to his formative years. There are many books, as you say, that deal with aspects of his presidency and his family. Foreign Policy & International RelationsĪlthough 40,000 books have been published about the Kennedys, according to the estimate of Jill Abramson, there are few serious efforts, prior to yours, to take comprehensive look at the life and times of JFK, America’s famous 35th president.
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