About book JFK's Last Hundred Days: The Transformation Of A Man And The Emergence Of A Great President (2013)
Well, I thought this was excellent.The Kennedys are one of my favourite historical subjects, particularly Jack and Bobby and I could read books about them constantly, they were such fascinating characters.I did not realise how much JFK transformed during the last 100 days of his life, he seemed to really find himself both in his political and private lives. For instance politically he moved from the man who ordered the disastrous Bay of Pigs invasion to someone who was participating in secret negotiations with Castro to improve relations between the two countries.Kennedy became a man of peace, admirably raging against his Generals who were determined to drag the US into a war in Vietnam. I did not know how set against further action in Indo-China he was. He would have withdrawn US forces had he been re-elected in 1964. There would have been no war in Vietnam and thousands of lives would have been saved. Kennedy is often labeled as a Cold War warrior, but in his last 100 days, peace with the Soviet Union was his principle consideration, even to the extent that he was considering proposing a joint mission to the moon with the Soviets.He was a reckless womanizer throughout his life, having a very close escape, which I was unaware of, after details of his liaisons with an East German spy were nearly brought to light during the Bobby Baker investigation. Nevertheless, the death of his prematurely born son, Patrick, brought him closer to Jackie and she thought their marriage was finally starting to work in the final weeks of his life.Finally Kennedy's love of the arts shines through in this book, particularly a speech he made at the dedication of the Robert Frost library which really brings home what a tragic loss his death was. This book really does make you wonder what he could have achieved had he lived. Fascinating book. I thought I knew so much about Kennedy, but this holds some surprises. I've never been one to do the "what if" game of "what if he hadn't died," but reading about his views on Vietnam, and how adamantly this scholar of history was against escalating our involvement in the quagmire alongside the French, made me sad for what came after his death. Here was a president who knew the cost of war first-hand and was determined to avoid it (though not at all costs).
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Went a little overboard on the foreshadowing, but he weaves a good yarn with a very familiar story.
—Wren
Once again makes me think of what could have been-
—Asma
