Helpful Score: 6
Autobiographies by their very definition, are going to be neither comprehensive nor objective--so that this book devotes more words to an on-going difficulty the senator had in getting Reagan to understand issues related to domestic shoe manufacture than it did to Chappaquiddick, is not a fault of the book, but rather a part of it--and a mark of the man that wrote it.
I truly enjoyed this read, and seeing the turning points in U.S. history, his family's history, and his career in the senate through his eyes. There were many smaller stories to the big stories of which I was unaware, and learning of them was fascinating.
I liked hearing about his mother's role in his life as a reality-check: writing letters correcting the grammar in his speeches, for example.
I liked his honesty. He was not perfect, nor did he claim to be, and he acknowledged his short-comings and moved on.
One thing I found truly fascinating--having been old enough to have experienced it, but only possessing the vaguest memories of the time, is his relationship with Jimmy Carter. I'd known he'd campaigned against Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980, and had known that it had caused rifts in the party--but I'd sort of assumed they'd healed by that point. There was a great deal of sadness and a slight antipathy in the chapters about Carter--they did not get along, and I think, as a man looking back, the lack of mutuality troubled him, even if it was also clear that it was mutual--he respected Carter as a man, but not as a politician. And though his opinion of Reagan seemed to be the same (respect as a man, but not a politician), there was a clear difference. He liked Reagan the man.
The drumbeat of healthcare (one I will happily echo) and the fact that though power of the nation may rest in the hands of men like him in his family, the nation's heart and backbone are in the working class rang throughout. However, my favorite story was of the speech he gave at Liberty University (then Liberty Baptist College) after the school inadvertently sent him some fundraising literature that included the need to "defeat liberals like Ted Kennedy" as part of the laundry list of reasons it needed to be supported.
And the only error I could find rested on page 414: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was lieutenant governor of Maryland, NOT Rhode Island as the book indicates. I'm surprised that made it through editing and fact-checking.
This is a book I'm going to keep. And a book I'm going to dog-ear and mark-up as it includes liberal (no pun intended) references to Thomas Aquinas' arguments in favor of a just war (and the reasons Iraq failed that test), Irish poetry, and discussions with Leonid Breshnev.
He's a man who made mistakes, but who learned from them. He's a man who acknowledged his shortcomings, but didn't bother to get in arguments with critics lest they detract him from his greater goals. We could all do worse than to try to adopt some of that into our own lives.
I truly enjoyed this read, and seeing the turning points in U.S. history, his family's history, and his career in the senate through his eyes. There were many smaller stories to the big stories of which I was unaware, and learning of them was fascinating.
I liked hearing about his mother's role in his life as a reality-check: writing letters correcting the grammar in his speeches, for example.
I liked his honesty. He was not perfect, nor did he claim to be, and he acknowledged his short-comings and moved on.
One thing I found truly fascinating--having been old enough to have experienced it, but only possessing the vaguest memories of the time, is his relationship with Jimmy Carter. I'd known he'd campaigned against Carter for the Democratic nomination in 1980, and had known that it had caused rifts in the party--but I'd sort of assumed they'd healed by that point. There was a great deal of sadness and a slight antipathy in the chapters about Carter--they did not get along, and I think, as a man looking back, the lack of mutuality troubled him, even if it was also clear that it was mutual--he respected Carter as a man, but not as a politician. And though his opinion of Reagan seemed to be the same (respect as a man, but not a politician), there was a clear difference. He liked Reagan the man.
The drumbeat of healthcare (one I will happily echo) and the fact that though power of the nation may rest in the hands of men like him in his family, the nation's heart and backbone are in the working class rang throughout. However, my favorite story was of the speech he gave at Liberty University (then Liberty Baptist College) after the school inadvertently sent him some fundraising literature that included the need to "defeat liberals like Ted Kennedy" as part of the laundry list of reasons it needed to be supported.
And the only error I could find rested on page 414: Kathleen Kennedy Townsend was lieutenant governor of Maryland, NOT Rhode Island as the book indicates. I'm surprised that made it through editing and fact-checking.
This is a book I'm going to keep. And a book I'm going to dog-ear and mark-up as it includes liberal (no pun intended) references to Thomas Aquinas' arguments in favor of a just war (and the reasons Iraq failed that test), Irish poetry, and discussions with Leonid Breshnev.
He's a man who made mistakes, but who learned from them. He's a man who acknowledged his shortcomings, but didn't bother to get in arguments with critics lest they detract him from his greater goals. We could all do worse than to try to adopt some of that into our own lives.
Helpful Score: 4
I found the book to be well written albeit a little wordy at times. There is a lot of information packed into "True Compass". If you are looking for a detailed account of what happened at Chappaquiddick, you will be sorely disappointed. Ted brings it up as a tragedy that he felt his entire life and offers his apologies. The book deals more with his relationship with his brothers and his political life. He led such a full life that many subjects are touched on but not all are elaborated on. It is well worth the read if you have any interest in the Kennedy clan. I was humbled by all this man dealt with in his lifetime and all that he achieved.
Helpful Score: 3
This book was not as good (in my opinion) as Last Lion, but knowing that he wrote it as his tribute to his life while he was dying made the impact necessary to continue reading. It has a little too much name dropping and didn't really shed any new light on anything in his life, but if you are fascinated with teh Kennedy clan you should take the time to read this one.
Helpful Score: 2
I enjoyed reading this book but I feel that I might have enjoyed it more than most because I am from Massachusetts. I thought much more of Ted Kennedy after reading this book. It made me believe a bit more in humanity and how one life can make a difference. Although it was a bit slow in parts it was still a better than average read.
