The Nine of Us: Growing Up Kennedy
Summary (from the publisher): In this evocative and affectionate memoir, Ambassador Jean Kennedy Smith, the last surviving child of Joe and Rose Kennedy, offers an intimate and illuminating look at a time long ago when she and her siblings, guided by their parents, laughed and learned a great deal under one roof.
Prompted by interesting tidbits in the newspaper, Rose and Joe Kennedy would pose questions to their nine children at the dinner table. "Where could Amelia Earhart have gone?" "How would you address this horrible drought?" "What would you do about the troop movements in Europe?" It was a nightly custom that helped shape the Kennedys into who they would become.
Before Joe and Rose’s children emerged as leaders on the world stage, they were a loving circle of brothers and sisters who played football, swam, read, and pursued their interests. They were children inspired by parents who instilled in them a strong work ethic, deep love of country, and intense appreciation for the sacrifices their ancestors made to come to America. "No whining in this house!" was their father’s regular refrain. It was his way of reminding them not to complain, to be grateful for what they had, and to give back.
In her remarkable memoir, Kennedy Smith—the last surviving sibling—revisits this singular time in their lives. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and vignettes, and illustrated with dozens of family pictures, The Nine of Us vividly depicts this large, close-knit family during a different time in American history. Kennedy Smith offers indelible, elegantly rendered portraits of her larger-than-life siblings and her parents. "They knew how to cure our hurts, bind our wounds, listen to our woes, and help us enjoy life," she writes. "We were lucky children indeed."
Prompted by interesting tidbits in the newspaper, Rose and Joe Kennedy would pose questions to their nine children at the dinner table. "Where could Amelia Earhart have gone?" "How would you address this horrible drought?" "What would you do about the troop movements in Europe?" It was a nightly custom that helped shape the Kennedys into who they would become.
Before Joe and Rose’s children emerged as leaders on the world stage, they were a loving circle of brothers and sisters who played football, swam, read, and pursued their interests. They were children inspired by parents who instilled in them a strong work ethic, deep love of country, and intense appreciation for the sacrifices their ancestors made to come to America. "No whining in this house!" was their father’s regular refrain. It was his way of reminding them not to complain, to be grateful for what they had, and to give back.
In her remarkable memoir, Kennedy Smith—the last surviving sibling—revisits this singular time in their lives. Filled with fascinating anecdotes and vignettes, and illustrated with dozens of family pictures, The Nine of Us vividly depicts this large, close-knit family during a different time in American history. Kennedy Smith offers indelible, elegantly rendered portraits of her larger-than-life siblings and her parents. "They knew how to cure our hurts, bind our wounds, listen to our woes, and help us enjoy life," she writes. "We were lucky children indeed."
Review: Jean Kennedy Smith was the eighth of nine children born to Joe and Rose Kennedy and is the last surviving sibling. In this memoir, she details what it was like to grow up as a Kennedy and shares touching memories and stories of her famous parents and siblings.
The focus of this memoir is more on childhood memories than on their adult lives and certainly more on happier times than dark moments, which are largely glossed over. For example, the turmoil over Kick Kennedy's first marriage and later love affair with a married man is barely touched on. Her death in a plane crash with her lover was completely omitted with Jean just stating that "Kick was on her way to meet Dad in France when her plane went down." Similarly, Joe Kennedy's affairs and the darker side to sister Rosemary's mental disabilities are only touched upon. Furthermore, as Jean was the next to youngest Kennedy child, I wonder how comprehensive her memories of her much older siblings can really be.
That being said, although brief, this memoir was valuable since it is a first person account from a member of the family. New details that I had not previously learned were interesting to read, such as the fact that Rose and Joe took in Rose's sister's children, Jean's cousins Mary Jo, Joey, and Ann after the death of Rose's sister. I also had never read that Jean's grandfather, the Mayor of Boston, "was the first mayor in the United States to erect a Christmas tree in a public park so that everyone could enjoy it." At heart, this memoir details the many oft-repeated tales of the Kennedy upbringing - strict discipline, emphasis on a Catholic education, a fiercely competitive and active lifestyle, and a boisterous house filled with the nine Kennedy children.
Stars: 3
Related Titles:
- Camelot's Court: Inside the Kennedy Whitehouse by Robert Dallek
- The Kennedy Women: The Saga of an American Family by Laurence Leamer
- When Lions Roar: The Churchills and the Kennedys by Thomas Maier
- Rosemary: The Hidden Kennedy Daughter by Kate Clifford Larson
- Kick: The True Story of JFK's Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth by Paula Byrne
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