Book Review

Over the past five years, historical inquiry has shifted from John F. Kennedy to Robert Kennedy with studies by Jeff Shesol, James Hilty, Ronald Steel, and Joseph Palermo. Despite the use of Kennedy's personal files, extensive interviews, and recently opened foreign policy sources, Evan Thomas, assistant managing editor of Newsweek, adds no surprising disclosures. Rather, his book serves as a readable synthesis that confirms many of Hilty's assessments in Brother Protector (1997). It does probe more deeply into Robert Kennedy's insecurities and contradictions. Kennedy's problems, Thomas contends, began early when he was dismissed as an underachieving runt. His self-esteem suffered further when, unlike his older brothers, he escaped combat in World War II. Consequently, heroics always captivated him. Full of anger, fears, and occasional depression, he confronted his demons by sheer will while seeking to win his father's love. That background also explains his occasional belligerence and impulsiveness. For the remainder of his existence, he handled self-doubt by courageous action. After his brother's death he sought solace in existentialism, which enabled him better to deal with life's absurdities.

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Even though Kennedy changed over time, Thomas argues that no complete transformation occurred. Rather than a "good" and "bad" Bobby, as Jules Feiffer caricatured him, many Kennedys existed. The first of them emerged in the 1950s as a rebellious crusader against labor racketeering in defiance of his father's wishes. Thomas suggests that Kennedy sought an outlet for his anger, and it became the "enemy within." Kennedy was equally relentless as John's campaign manager in 1960 in beginning the role of brother protector.

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