Many books have been written about President John F. Kennedy. His martyrdom in 1963 in Dallas virtually assured that his brief life would be examined and remembered. If he was still alive he would have just celebrated his 100th birthday.
Most of the people who knew JFK are no longer with us. Tom Oliphant and Curtis Wilkie decided that it was time to write about a period of Kennedy's life and career that hasn't gotten very much attention; the five year period leading up to his election in 1960. They were able to obtain interviews with some of the people who remembered him during that period. In those days candidates for our highest office didn't usually announce that they were planning to run or begin laying the foundation for a campaign until the year before an election. JFK was different. He had always started planning his campaigns far in advance.
This book gives readers many insights into how Kennedy put it all together and went from being virtually unknown to becoming the charismatic and doomed leader of our country. Kennedy had his flaws but he did run a brilliant campaign. He was an outsider who managed to eke out a narrow victory over Vice President Richard M. Nixon.
President Donald Trump has almost nothing in common with JFK. But there is one thing; both men were outsiders who achieved their ultimate goals.
The Book Nook on WYSO is made possible by five local library systems in southwest Ohio: the Greene County Public Library, Washington-Centerville Public Library, Clark County Public Library, Dayton Metro Library, and Wright Memorial Public Library.
