An Unfinished Life

John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963

By: Robert Dallek

Narrated by: Richard McGonagle

Length: 9 hrs and 15 mins

Publisher's summary

An Unfinished Life describes the birth of the Kennedy dynasty, the complexity of Jack's early years, and the mixture of adulation and resentment that tangled his relationships with his mother, Rose, and his father, Joseph. Forced into the shadow of his older brother, Joe, Jack struggled to find a place for himself until World War II, when he became a national hero and launched his career. Dallek reveals for the first time the full story of Kennedy's wartime actions and the true details of how Joe was killed, opening the door to Jack's ascendancy.

Here is the gripping story of Jack's transformation from an awkward speaker into a brilliant politician with irresistible charm. The audiobook carries us from Jack's work as a senator from Massachusetts, through the fiercely contested 1960 campaign against Nixon, and takes us on to the White House itself.

An Unfinished Life also discloses for the very first time that Kennedy was far sicker than we ever knew. While laboring to present an image of robust good health, Kennedy was secretly in and out of hospitals through-out his life, so ill that he was administered last rites on several different occasions. Here is a vivid portrait of a man who, because he knew how close he was to death, lived as much as he could - sometimes hurting others in the process.

Never shying away from Kennedy's weaknesses, Dallek also brilliantly explores his strengths. The result is a portrait of a bold, brave, human Kennedy, once again a hero.

©2003 Robert Dallek (P)2003 Time Warner AudioBooks. A division of the AOL Time Warner Book Group.

Critic reviews

"Sets the historical record straight...pitch-perfect prose...hands-down the best biography of JFK...a truly remarkable achievement." (Douglas Brinkley, author of The Unfinished Presidency)
"In this riveting tour de force...Dallek delivers what will most assuredly become the benchmark JFK biography for this generation...[He] is to be thanked for providing this thoroughly researched, well-sourced, responsible and readable biography that has for so long been wanting in Kennedy scholarship." (Publishers Weekly)
"...riveting and well-documented biography." (New Yorker)
"Richard McGonagle brings the president to life, mimicking the famous accents so well that his renditions of Kennedy speeches compare favorably to Kennedy's own renderings." (AudioFile)

Great listen

I’m a sucker for Kennedy info and this was a solid balance of facts and storytelling. A nice walk through a brief but obviously impactful life. I found myself wondering how my life (Born in’85) would be different if things went differently for this family in the 40’s, 50’s and 60’s.

Great starter to Kennedy for me

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would definitely recommend if you wish to gain an unbiased timeline on JFK

Have you listened to any of Richard McGonagle’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I enjoyed the reading

A mediocre telling

The narration was good, except for the between-chapter musical interludes, which seemed silly, considering the content. I was disappointed in a lack of more personal history leading up to the presidency. I just didn't learn much than I already knew, though the detail on his handling of the Cuban crises was interesting.

good but not great book kinda like Kennedy himself

good book to listen to but the voice switching to emulate accents and the music between chapters was a little much

Just nthe facts

As some other reviewers said, this narrative is just the facts, the details of Kennedy's political carrier for the most part, with about half devoted to his presidential years. Good but not great. Narrator Richard McGonagle is very good in his narration and doing Kennedy's Boston accent without going over the top, He was better then the book was.

greatly enhanced my knowledge of his story!

greatly enhanced my all around knowledge of JFK, his upbringing, and his vision for America and why he might have been killed for standing FOR Americans, in the warpath to usurp our natural liberties.

boring

narrator excellent, story dragged. I did like some of the private items. kind of boring

A Great Biography

Dallek was my professor at UCLA and I read the book before listening to the audo - a great book, readable and compelling. Dallek illuminates how JFK's illnesses were a significant force in shaping his character for the better and for the worse. He documents in great detail some of the most frightening moments in the cold war, political machinations and intrigue, the early days of the civil rights movements and how JFK and the political establishment reacted to this new reality. There is just so much here - there are passages that will have people hitting "rewind" to play again. A great book!

Why do the great people die young

What an amazing life. What an amazing person. The detail of JFk's life will educate, and inspire you. Learn not well publised facts about his youth, his sickness and disabilities. How he approached the negotiating table with russian leaders. Off coarse the insight to the missle crisis and much, much more.

A little too emphasis on his health

Would you consider the audio edition of An Unfinished Life to be better than the print version?

I never read the book

What was the most compelling aspect of this narrative?

Nothing really compelling

What about Richard McGonagle’s performance did you like?

He stresses his S's and it is annoying as hell

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No