Written by Thomas Maier
Read by Alan Sklar
Format: MP3
Bitrate: 64 Kbps
Unabridged

Listening Length: 29 hours, 19 minutes

This is a densely detailed, compelling account of the infamous Kennedy dynasty - with a new understanding of how the Irish Catholic immigrant experience shaped every aspect of their lives. Meticulously researched both in the U.S. and abroad, the book examines the Kennedys as exemplars of the Irish Catholic experience. Author Thomas Maier begins with Patrick Kennedy's arrival in Boston in 1848, then delves into the deeper currents of the Kennedy story and the ways in which their immigrant background shaped their values - and, in turn, 20th-century America - for over five generations. As the first and only Roman Catholic ever elected to a high national office in America, John F. Kennedy ran for president in keeping with the family's tradition of navigating the cultural divide that began in Boston's Irish ward and ended in a tragedy from which the country continues to suffer. Reader Alan Sklar brings his seasoned skills to this moving story of America's first dynasty.