Books

Compare Prices

Compare All Prices

Explore Similar

True Compass: A Memoir

Product Details
Product Reviews
Compare Prices

Email | Print | Share

Product Details

Product Description
In this landmark autobiography, five years in the making, Senator Edward M. Kennedy tells his extraordinary personal story--of his legendary family, politics, and fifty years at the center of national events.

TRUE COMPASS

The youngest of nine children born to Joseph P. Kennedy and Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, he came of age among siblings from whom much was expected. As a young man, he played a key role in the presidential campaign of his brother John F. Kennedy, recounted here in loving detail. In 1962 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he began a fascinating political education and became a legislator.

In this historic memoir, Ted Kennedy takes us inside his family, re-creating life with his parents and brothers and explaining their profound impact on him. For the first time, he describes his heartbreak and years of struggle in the wake of their deaths. Through it all, he describes his work in the Senate on the major issues of our time--civil rights, Vietnam, Watergate, the quest for peace in Northern Ireland--and the cause of his life: improved health care for all Americans, a fight influenced by his own experiences in hospitals.

His life has been marked by tragedy and perseverance, a love of family, and an abiding faith. There have been controversies, too, and Kennedy addresses them with unprecedented candor. At midlife, embattled and uncertain if he would ever fall in love again, he met the woman who changed his life, Victoria Reggie Kennedy. Facing a tough reelection campaign against an aggressive challenger named Mitt Romney, Kennedy found a new voice and began one of the great third acts in American politics, sponsoring major legislation, standing up for liberal principles, and making the pivotal endorsement of Barack Obama for president.

Hundreds of books have been written about the Kennedys. TRUE COMPASS will endure as the definitive account from a member of America's most heralded family, an inspiring legacy to readers and to history, and a deeply moving story of a life like no other.

A Look at Edward M. Kennedy Through the Years
(Click on each image below to see a larger view)

Ted Kennedy with Bobby Kennedy at the opening of the Royal Childrens Zoo (June 9, 1938)
John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, and Edward M. Kennedy

Ted Kennedy and Bobby Kennedy at the St. Patricks Day Parade in South Boston

Ted and Vicki Kennedy (Photo by Ken Regan)

Product Reviews

(4 stars) - True to Himself
Ted Kennedy is not a man I would have ever voted for. He viewed government as the answer to all problems and many of the Great Society programs he championed have not served to solve any of those problems.
That said, this book reminds us why Ted Kennedy is one of the giants of the Senate and American history. He was always a bleeding heart liberal. He never wavered or tried to tack to the center to get elected or re-elected. America, and his state, always knew where he stood on any issue. Even if you disagreed with him, you had to admire the consistency, a consistency all too often lacking in our current leadership.
The book also reminds us that, while born into great privilege, he endured tremendous personal tragedies, yet soldiered on. The deaths of his siblings, the cancer of his children: All things that would cause many of us to pack it in and head out to the safety of home and hearth, but he fought on.
He does dance around the Chappaquidick issue, almost seeming to suggest a bump on the head caused him to act the way he acted, but so much has been written and said about that night, that there is not much more to say. There is some flicker of taking responmsibility in these pages, but still a fair amount of denial.
I am glad Ted Kennedy was never President. I am also glad that he served as long as he did in the United States Senate. He stood as a reminder of the day when politicians stood by their ideals, worked with the other side and genuinely tried to make America a better place. For all of his flaws, this book stands as a monument to that lost tradition.

(4 stars) - An Affecting Book
This was an honest and affecting book and I felt like I got to know Mr. Kennedy very well. As a public figure, I admired him as being true to himself and in writing this book he comes across that same way. Loved many of the anecdotes. The most affecting parts of the book were where he tells stories about his grandfather Honey Fitz, his father, mother and brothers Joe, John and Bobby both about his relationship with them and their own lives. There were times I wanted more detail about events like his run for President in 1980 and Bobby's run for President in 1968, but I guess that's for the historians to write about.

(3 stars) - The first part is great
I don't know what kind of an effort was required of the ailing Kennedy to finish the book. It is astonishing that he did. Sadly, however, it is only the first part of the book--Kennedy's childhood and youth--that really zips through with life and rigor. In this early part, the remarkable character of the Kennedy family is illumined from within. According to this book, Kennedy's father was a most impressive person, for he knew how to mix discipline and love in his relationships with his children. Most memorable is his letter to his son Ted that said that if he, Ted, wasn't serious about life, that was fine: his father would continue to love him, but he wouldn't have much time for him. Indeed, Ted Kennedy became serious about life and eventually climbed out of the pit of his own failures and vanity. Furthermore, what is most inspiring in Ted's rendition of his father (especially in view of today's unrestrained greed) is the fact that the father was rich, and the children could have just spent their time drinking and playing tennis, but they were all taught the importance of discipline, commitment, and service. The descriptions of the young Jack, Bobby, and Teddy, their struggles, their good-natured humor, their love of the sea (which, in this book, is described in its multitudinous shapes and sounds) and, particularly, their love and loyalty for each other are detailed, energetic, and lovely. Precious, too, for who but Ted Kennedy could evoke the laughter of Jack, or the studiousness of Bobby? Most members of the family, and their early tragic losses, come to life richly, and this, in my view, is the main value of the book.
Ted Kennedy's adult life, as one of the reviewers has pointed out, is not as captivating. In fact, there are many dull pages and endless lists of senate meetings, bills, parades, and campaigns. These, of course, could be made interesting too, but the writing fails the reader here. Particularly disappointing are Ted's reactions to the assassinations of his brothers. Altogether, it seems that the emotional vibrancy of the earlier chapters has somehow left the book, and that's a great pity.

(5 stars) - Delightful
I really enjoyed this book. I wasn't sure what to expect when I ordered it. This is a warm, personal story. If you were an adult during the sixties, you will learn some new things about the Kennedy family. I think you have to have lived through the times to appreciate the book fully.
As the youngest child in a Catholic, immigrant family, I found it easy to identify with Ted. I'm glad I read this.
When I was about a quarter of the way through the book, a few pages started coming out of the binding. I wouldn't mind getting a replacement because I'm sure there are several others who will be reading it. Maybe the folks at Amazon will see this and offer to send me a replacement.

(5 stars) - Great!
I am really enjoying this book. It is an easy reader, educational and provides information not otherwise known. I highly recommend it.

Compare Prices

Explore Similar

True Compass: A Memoir

Product Details

Product Reviews

Popular Searches in Books