David Kennedy Popular Books
David Kennedy Biography & Facts
The Kennedy family (Irish: Ó Cinnéide) is an American political family that has long been prominent in American politics, public service, entertainment, and business. In 1884, 35 years after the family's arrival from County Wexford, Ireland, Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy became the first Kennedy elected to public office, serving in the Massachusetts state legislature until 1895. At least one Kennedy family member served in federal elective office from 1947, when P. J. Kennedy's grandson John F. Kennedy became a member of Congress from Massachusetts, until 2011, when Patrick J. Kennedy II (John's nephew) retired as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Rhode Island. P. J.'s son Joseph P. Kennedy Sr. and his wife, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, had nine children, including John F. Kennedy, who served in both houses of the United States Congress and as U.S. President; Robert F. Kennedy, who served as U.S. Attorney General and as a U.S. Senator; and Ted Kennedy, who served more than 46 years in the U.S. Senate. Other descendants include members of the U.S. House of Representatives, two U.S. ambassadors, one U.S. envoy, a lieutenant governor, three state legislators (one of whom also served in the U.S. House of Representatives), and one mayor. Joseph and Rose's daughter Eunice played a vital role in establishing the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (part of the National Institutes of Health) and the Special Olympics. Other descendants of Joseph and Rose Kennedy have been lawyers, authors, and activists on behalf of those with physical and intellectual disabilities. History According to genealogist Brian Kennedy in his work JFK's Irish O'Kennedy Ancestors, the Kennedys—who would go on to play a significant role in the United States of America—originated from an Irish clan called Ó Cinnéide Fionn (which, along with the Ó Cinnéide Donn and Ó Cinnéide Ruadh, were the three Irish Gaelic Ó Cinnéide clans who ruled the Kingdom of Ormond). In 1546, their progenitor Diarmaid Ó Cinnéide Fionn became the owner of Knigh Castle, located close to what is today Puckane, County Tipperary. In 1740, having lost out to the New English order in the Kingdom of Ireland, they moved to Dunganstown, New Ross, County Wexford. Patrick Kennedy was born there. Patrick Kennedy (1823–1858) and Bridget Murphy (1824–1888) sailed from Ireland to East Boston in 1849. Patrick worked in East Boston as a barrel maker, or cooper, and had five children with Bridget. Their youngest, Patrick Joseph "P. J." Kennedy, went into business and served in the Massachusetts state legislature from 1884 to 1895. P. J. and his wife, Mary Augusta Hickey, had four children. Their oldest was Joseph Patrick "Joe" Kennedy Sr., a businessman who amassed a private fortune in banking and securities trading, which he further expanded by investing in filmmaking and real estate. He also founded Somerset Importers and owned Chicago's Merchandise Mart. In 1914, Joseph Sr. married Rose Fitzgerald, the eldest daughter of John F. "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, who served six years as mayor of Boston and six years as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. The couple had nine children: Joseph Jr. (1915–1944), John (called Jack) (1917–1963), Rose Marie (called Rosemary) (1918–2005), Kathleen (called Kick) (1920–1948), Eunice (1921–2009), Patricia (1924–2006), Robert (called Bobby) (1925–1968), Jean (1928–2020) and Edward (called Ted) (1932–2009). Joseph Sr. was appointed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the first chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), chairman of the Maritime Commission, and U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 1938 to 1940. He served from 1947 to 1949 on The Hoover Commission (the "Commission on Organization of the Executive Branch of the Government"), which was appointed by President Harry Truman to recommend administrative changes in the federal government. Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy was named Papal Countess of the Holy Roman Church by Pope Pius XII in 1951 in recognition of her "exemplary motherhood and many charitable works." Continued public service Every Kennedy elected to public office has served as a Democrat, while other members of the family have worked for the party or held Cabinet posts in Democratic administrations. Many have attended Harvard University, and the family has contributed greatly to that university's John F. Kennedy School of Government. Joseph Sr. expected his eldest son, Joseph Jr., to go into politics and to ultimately be elected president. Joseph Jr. was elected as a Massachusetts delegate to the 1940 Democratic National Convention and enlisted in the U.S. Navy after the United States entered World War II. He was killed in 1944 when the bomber he was piloting exploded in flight. Joseph Sr.'s desire to see the family involved in politics and government then focused on John, who had considered a career as a journalist, having authored a book (Why England Slept) and done some reporting for Hearst Newspapers. After returning from Navy service, John served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Massachusetts's 11th congressional district from 1947 to 1953, and then as U.S. Senator from Massachusetts from 1953 to 1960. In the 1960 presidential election, John narrowly defeated Republican opponent Richard Nixon. During John's administration, Robert served as attorney general; his brother-in-law Sargent Shriver served as director of the new Peace Corps, and Ted was elected to the U.S. Senate from Massachusetts, occupying his brother's former Senate seat until Ted's death in 2009. The Kennedy administration's accomplishments include the Alliance for Progress with Latin America, the establishment of the Peace Corps, a peaceful resolution to the Cuban Missile Crisis in October 1962, the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty of 1963, the 24th Amendment ending the poll tax, the continuation of the Apollo spaceflight program with the goal of landing a man on the Moon, and the introduction of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to Congress (signed into law by Kennedy's successor Lyndon B. Johnson). The family was the subject of intense media coverage during and after Kennedy's presidency. Ted served in the Senate with his brother Robert (1965–1968), and was serving in the Senate when his nephew, Joseph P. II, and his son, Patrick J., served in the U.S. House of Representatives representing Massachusetts's 8th congressional district (1987–1999) and Rhode Island's 1st congressional district (1995–2011), respectively. In November 2012, Joseph P. Kennedy III, son of former Rep. Joseph P. Kennedy II and grandson of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy, was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts's 4th congressional district. In 2020, Joseph P. III lost the U.S. Senate primary election in Massachusetts to incumbent Ed Markey, the first Kennedy to ever lose an election in the state. In the 2020s, three Kennedy family members were serving a.... Discover the David Kennedy popular books. Find the top 100 most popular David Kennedy books.
Best Seller David Kennedy Books of 2024
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Passionate Mothers, Powerful Sons
Charlotte GrayA captivating dual biography of two famous women whose sons would change the course of the 20th centuryby awardwinning historian Charlotte Gray.Born into upperclass America in the ...
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A Killer in My House
David KennedyIn the early morning hours of June 6th, 1996 residents slept peacefully in their beds as the moon hung over the quiet neighborhood of Dalrock Heights Addition, in the small town of...
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Becoming RBG
Debbie LevyFrom the New York Times bestselling author of I Dissent comes a biographical graphic novel about celebrated Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.Supreme Court justice Ruth Bad...
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How to Lead
David M. RubensteinThe New York Times Bestseller #1 Wall Street Journal BestsellerThe essential leadership playbook. Learn the principles and guiding philosophies of Bill Gates, Jeff Bezos, Ruth Bade...
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Hearts Touched with Fire
David GergenThis instant New York Times bestseller is an “inspiring and useful” (The Washington Post) guide to the art of leadership from David Gergenformer White House adviser to four US pres...
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The Prayer Code
O. S. HawkinsDo you want a richer, more robust prayer life? Your prayers are powerful! Learn how to pray with confidence, faith, and an awareness of the Holy Spirit as you draw from worldchangi...
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Mastering the Metal
Zack Moore, Eddie Bravo & James WatsonOver the last two decades, Eddie Bravo has been at the forefront of revolutions we’ve seen in the arts of fighting, comedy, and podcasting. But he wasn’t alone in his journey.For j...
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Reporter
Seymour M. Hersh"Reporter is just wonderful. Truly a great life, and what shines out of the book, amid the low cunning and tireless legwork, is Hersh's warmth and humanity. This book is essential ...
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The American Experiment
David M. RubensteinTHE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES AND WALL STREET JOURNAL BESTSELLERThe capstone book in a trilogy from the New York Times bestselling author of How to Lead and The American Story and hos...
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A Killer in My House the Darlie Routier Story
David KennedyIn the early morning hours of June 6th, 1996 residents slept peacefully in their beds as the moon hung over the quiet neighborhood of Dalrock Heights Addition, in the small town of...
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The Best Presidential Writing
Craig FehrmanA sweeping and groundbreaking treasury of the most essential presidential writings, featuring a mix of the beloved and the littleknown, from stirring speeches and shrewd remarks to...
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Killing Kennedy
Jack Roth & Cyril WechtStartling new insights into the JFK assassination In Killing Kennedy: Exposing the Plot, the CoverUp, and the Consequences, author Jack Roth interviews researchers, scholars, eyewi...
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Dirty Tricks
Shane O'SullivanThe victory of Richard Nixon in the US presidential election of 1968 swung on an “October Surprise” a treasonous plot engineered by key figures in the Republican Party to keep the ...
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My Own Words
Ruth Bader GinsburgThe New York Times bestselling book from Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg“a comprehensive look inside her brilliantly analytical, entertainingly wry mind, revealing the fa...
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The Only Girl
Robin GreenA raucous and vividly dishy memoir by the only woman writer on the masthead of Rolling Stone Magazine in the early Seventies. In 1971, Robin Green had an interview with Jann Wenner...
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The Butler
Wil HaygoodThis mesmerizing companion book to the awardwinning film, The Butler traces the Civil Rights Movement and explores crucial moments of twentieth century American history through the...
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Tom Swan and the Last Spartans
Christian CameronFollowing on from Tom Swan and the Head of St George and Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade, Tom Swan and the Last Spartans is the third instalment of the fastpaced series set in t...
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The Mother of all Lies The Casey Anthony Story
David KennedyThe search for Caylee made frontpage headlines when news broke of twoyearold Caylee Anthony's disappearance from her home in Orlando Florida in midJuly 2008.Caylee's own mother, Ca...
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The Best and the Brightest
David HalberstamDavid Halberstam’s masterpiece, the defining history of the making of the Vietnam tragedy, with a new Foreword by Senator John McCain."A rich, entertaining, and profound reading e...
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Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade
Christian CameronFollowing on from Tom Swan and the Head of St George, Tom Swan and the Siege of Belgrade is the next instalment of the fastpaced series set in the turbulent Europe of the fifteenth...
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The History of Alexander
Quintus Curtius Rufus & John YardleyAlexander the Great (356323 BC), who led the Macedonian army to victory in Egypt, Syria, Persia and India, was perhaps the most successful conqueror the world has ever seen. Yet al...
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Scars and Stripes
Tim Kennedy & Nick PalmiscianoFrom decorated Green Beret sniper, UFC headliner, and all around badass, Tim Kennedy, a rollicking, inspirational New York Times bestselling memoir offering lessons in how to embra...
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Citizen Cohn
Nicholas Von Hoffman & Stephen K. BannonNo one so famous or controversial led so many secret lives. Loathed by some, and well respected by others, Roy Cohn was known as the toughest and most brilliant lawyer in America. ...
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An A-Z of Hellraisers
Robert SellersAn AZ of Hellraisers is the last word on inebriated misbehaviour, and the miscreant mob in this whopper of a book constitute the most amazing grouping to see print: from Alexander ...
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Brothers
David TalbotThe New York Times bestselling, groundbreaking account of one of the most tumultuous periods in our historythe Kennedy Administration and its dramatic aftermathby acclaimed journal...
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I Dissent
Debbie LevyGet to know celebrated Supreme Court justice Ruth Bader Ginsburgin the first picture book about her lifeas she proves that disagreeing does not make you disagreeable!Supreme Court ...
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Once Upon a December
David KennedyFrom its very first hours, it was clear that everything about the JonBenét Ramsey case would be different from virtually any investigation those involved had seen before.JonBenét w...
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Justice, Justice Thou Shalt Pursue
Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Amanda L. TylerRuth Bader Ginsburg’s final book offers an intimate look at her extraordinary life and details her lifelong pursuit for gender equality and a “more perfect Union.”In the fall of 20...
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The Good Assassin
Paul Vidich“The Good Assassin opens up Hemingway’s Cuba. Possessing Alan Furst’s attention for period detail and the deft character touches of John Le Carré, Vidich has quickly carved out a p...
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The Last Godfather The John Gotti Story
David KennedyJohn Gotti was the last great leader of the Gambino crime family, the dominant Sicilian Mafia family of New York.Gotti had his fingers in everything from gambling houses, to drug t...
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Bringing Columbia Home
Michael D. Leinbach, Jonathan H. Ward, Robert Crippen & Eileen M. CollinsVoted the Best Space Book of 2018 by the Space HipstersThe dramatic inside story of the epic search and recovery operation after the Columbia space shuttle disaster. On February 1,...
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America Unchained
Dave GormanThe plan was simple. Go to America. Buy a secondhand car. Drive coasttocoast without giving any money to The Man™. What could possibly go wrong? Dismayed by the relentless onslaugh...
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The American Story
David M. RubensteinCofounder of The Carlyle Group and patriotic philanthropist David M. Rubenstein takes readers on a sweeping journey across the grand arc of the American story through revealing con...
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Beyond Robin Hood Hills
David KennedyWhen it comes to The West Memphis 3, depending on which side of the argument you stand, you can find evidence both for and against whichever person you are gunning for and I find t...
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Dinners with Ruth
Nina TotenbergCelebrated NPR correspondent Nina Totenberg delivers an extraordinary memoir of her personal successes, struggles, and lifeaffirming relationships, including her beautiful friendsh...
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The Mother of All Lies the Casey Anthony Story
David KennedyThe search for Caylee made frontpage headlines when news broke of twoyearold Caylee Anthony's disappearance from her home in Orlando Florida in midJuly 2008.Caylee’s own mother, Ca...
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Carson the Magnificent
Bill ZehmeA Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.
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The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous
Cappy McGarr & Ken BurnsIn The Man Who Made Mark Twain Famous, Cappy McGarr shares how he became an Emmynominated cocreator/executive producer of the Kennedy Center Mark Twain Prize for American Hum...
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Once in a Great City
David Maraniss“A fascinating political, racial, economic, and cultural tapestry” (Detroit Free Press), Once in a Great City is a tour de force from David Maraniss about the quintessential Americ...
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American Rascal
Greg SteinmetzA gripping, “rollicking” (John Carreyrou, New York Times bestselling author of Bad Blood) biography of Jay Gould, the greatest of the 19thcentury robber barons, whose brilliance, g...
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Tom Swan and the Head of St George
Christian CameronThe complete collection of Tom Swan and the Head of St George containing parts one through six chronicling the adventures of a young Englishman across medieval France.1450s Franc...
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This Love Story Will Self-Destruct
Leslie CohenThis is the classic tale of boy meets girl: Girl…goes home with someone else.Meet Eve. She’s a dreamer, a feeler, a careening well of sensitivities who can’t quite keep her feet on...
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The Berlin Airlift
Ann Tusa, John Tusa & Michael BurtonA Simon & Schuster eBook. Simon & Schuster has a great book for every reader.