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1 of 1 copy available
"[Larson] succeeds in providing a well-rounded portrait of a woman who, until now, has never been viewed in full."—The Boston Globe
"A biography that chronicles her life with fresh details . . . By making Rosemary the central character, [Larson] has produced a valuable account of a mental health tragedy and an influential family's belated efforts to make amends."—The New York Times Book Review
Joe and Rose Kennedy's strikingly beautiful daughter Rosemary was intellectually disabled, a secret fiercely guarded by her powerful and glamorous family. In Rosemary, Kate Clifford Larson uses newly uncovered sources to bring Rosemary Kennedy's story to light. Young Rosemary comes alive as a sweet, lively girl adored by her siblings. But Larson also reveals the often desperate and duplicitous arrangements the Kennedys made to keep her away from home as she became increasingly difficult in her early twenties, culminating in Joe's decision to have Rosemary lobotomized at age twenty-three and the family's complicity in keeping the secret.
Only years later did the Kennedy siblings begin to understand what had happened to Rosemary, which inspired them to direct government attention and resources to the plight of the developmentally and mentally disabled, transforming the lives of millions.
One of People's Top Ten Books of 2015
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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
October 6, 2015 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9780547617954
- File size: 19262 KB
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9780547617954
- File size: 17093 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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June 15, 2015
Joe and Rose Kennedy sent their daughter Rosemary to the best schools while making sure that no one learned of her intellectual disabilities, but she became more difficult in her twenties and was increasingly kept from home and eventually lobotomized. Biographer Larson (Bound for the Promised Land) relies on family letters and interviews, Rose Kennedy's recently released diaries, Rosemary's school and medical records, and more to tell Rosemary's story and its consequences for her famous siblings. With a 75,000-copy first printing.
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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October 1, 2015
Historian Larson (The Assassin's Accomplice) provides an engrossing biography of the firstborn of the Kennedy daughters, Rosemary (1918-2005). This younger sister of John F. Kennedy exhibited developmental delays from an early age. The author makes it evident that an understanding of special needs, especially those of children, was sorely lacking in the early 20th century. Using new sources, such as private diaries and letters, Larson conveys the challenges the family faced in caring for Rosemary and proceeds to detail how the Kennedy family chose to hide her condition and present her to the world as an intellectual peer of their other children. Also described is the decision to have Rosemary lobotomized in her early twenties, how the family concealed the procedure's devastating effects from the public, and family patriarch Joseph P. Kennedy Sr.'s decision to institutionalize Rosemary and keep her separated from the family for more than 20 years. Elizabeth Koehler-Pentacoff's The Missing Kennedy (reviewed above) provides greater detail on these latter years. VERDICT This expertly researched work offers a candid examination of a once-forgotten member of one of America's most famous families. It will appeal to Kennedy devotees and readers interested in society's evolving understanding of the intellectually and physically disabled. [See Prepub Alert, 5/17/15.]--Mary Jennings, Camano Island Lib., WA
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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