Why does the myth persist.? - Rated 
I have never understood the abiding mainly uncritical fascination with the Kennedys, and this book has enough evidence to convince anyone of the family's malign influence on modern politics.
The Kennedy's rise benefitted from the early TV age,and fully exploited it's power to dazzle an undiscerning and unconcerned electorate . This corrosive effect has persisted up to the recent eulogies for Ted's demise.
Their story is the story of modern political power - somehow the soap opera of their lives,filtered through an acquiescent press, plays out as an entertainment for the people,who seem unable and unwilling to recognise the abuses it conceals.
This book is a terrible unending litany of the family's corruption ,immorality,and cynicism - an indictment of the inequality and privilege which blights the land of the free.
The book is eminently readable,moving through the masses of evidence quickly and logically.
Attribution is slightly lackadaisical, but as everyone has a Kennedy story and the main protagonists are not around to complain, the reader has to judge for himself.
Strikingly,much of the evidence incriminates the witnesses,as though ,as in war,all seems fair in promoting the inexorable trajectory of the President.
All this just reinforces the strange truth of American political life -everything is seen and known,but nothing changes - the reality of western democracy.
Packed with information (a lot of bad stuff happened)this is recommended reading for anyone interested in the reality of modern power.
The Green Knight - Rated 
The Dark Side of Camelot
This book is the antithesis of a great deal of what has been described as the "Kennedy literature." More has been written about JFK than possibly any other President of the United States, and he continues to fascinate us just as the legends of Arthur have continued to intrigue us down the ages. The book does not deal with the distnction between Camelot and Washington, the former being based largely on tales handed down through the centuries. In that respect the title of this book was well chosen because I found the distinction between fact and myth difficult to discern.
Shag-a-thon - Rated 
How we weren't all blown to smithereens while JFK, RFK, and Teddy were skinny-dipping in the White House pool with Fiddle and Faddle and assorted other White House dollybirds, East European prostitutes and assorted starlets is, quite simply, a miracle. Although the amount of shagging that went on every single day is truly astounding, what is really disturbing is the arrogance that the brothers had in thinking that they knew everything about foreign policy (they didn't...) and therefore just went over the heads or behind the backs of anyone with any knowledge at all and did deals with the Russians and the mob to get what they wanted. And my God did they do some dodgy deals ... No one comes off looking very good after reading this book. Is it all true? Who knows. That's the thing. You just can't be sure. I think reading this in conjunction with other books about the Kennedy presidency is the only way to get the whole picture.
A new angle on an old story - Rated 
There are few people who don't have some idea about the real man behind the president. The true extent to which power corrupted is quite amazing to discover. This account of JFK's election and presidency is well written and researched. However near the end it begins to feel like a Kennedy bash, Little or no positive points are mentioned. Well worth a read, if only to put events such as the 'Bay of pigs', 'Cuban missile crisis' in there true context.
So much scandle in such a short life! - Rated
Men wanted to be like him, women wanted to be with him. And most of them were! This book charts the amazing private world of Jack Kennedy where anything was possible and he got whatever he wanted which involved the Mafia, Marilyn, Sinatra and the Brat Pack, assasination attempts on Castro, the Bay of Pigs fiasco, the Cuban Missile Crisis, alleged buying of the elections, the cover up of his first marriage and the endless womanising from all the male members of the Kennedy's. All this from a man who was trusted by millions and is still seen by many as one of the best loved US presidents.
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